Warning: This article includes MAJOR SPOILERS for Nobody Wants This season 2!
Nobody Wants This season 1 granted Adam Brody the “Best TV Boyfriend” title, but he’s officially lost it after the second season. Netflix’s rom-com became a hit last year thanks to the palpable chemistry of Adam Brody and Kristen Bell. The streamer quickly picked up the show for a second season, with Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan as co-showrunners.
Nobody Wants This season 2 faced the challenge of advancing the perfectly romantic story and realistic characters. Ultimately, they made every character except Esther, who gets a great redemption arc, less likable than they were before. They’re more flawed and complex, which is a natural progression for a sophomore season.
While it is an across-the-board change to Nobody Wants This‘s returning characters, this is particularly noticeable with Adam Brody’s Noah, who previously earned the title of “Best TV Boyfriend.” Unfortunately, the heartthrob main character doesn’t retain this title after season 2. The change makes it hard to enjoy the second season as much as the first.
Adam Brody’s Noah Is Kind Of A Jerk In Nobody Wants This Season 2
Throughout Nobody Wants This season 1, Noah is the perfect boyfriend, except for the one moment of worrying too much about what people would think about Joanne at Camp Haverim. He’s thoughtful, kind, patient, and reassuring. However, Nobody Wants This season 2 turns Noah into a little bit of a jerk.
Adam Brody was nominated for a SAG Award, Satellite Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy for his performance as Noah in Nobody Wants This season 1. He also won Best Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2025 Critics’ Choice Awards.
At the end of Nobody Wants This season 1, he and Joanne were on the same page. Joanne made it very clear that conversion wasn’t going to happen. Noah said that he couldn’t have both but picked Joanne. However, when the second season starts, he is actively lying to everyone in his life, claiming Joanne is still going to convert.
When she asks him to stop pressuring her, he doesn’t actually stop. He just becomes more passive-aggressive and subtle when pressuring her, which he does repeatedly throughout the season.
He also seems to resent her for the decision he made after she walked away from the relationship. She never asked him to pick her and give up the Head Rabbi job. She’s not the cause of his problems. And, if conversion was a non-negotiable for him, he needed to convey that clearly, instead of putting off the difficult conversation.
On top of that, he doesn’t actually do anything to create a Valentine’s Day that will be meaningful to Joanne. He simply repeats the same plans and gifts he did with his exes. Ultimately, with his resentment, lying, and lack of caring, it’s kind of challenging to like Noah by the end of the season.
Rebecca & His Exes Had The Right To Be Angry With Noah
On top of the personality changes, Noah loses his “best TV boyfriend” title in Nobody Wants This season 2 after seeing how he acted with his exes. After one of his exes calls into the podcast, Joanne asks him to speak to them and reflect on what happened.
It turns out, Noah wanted so badly to be the “perfect boyfriend” that he behaved in toxic ways. He would give them gifts and make long-term plans with them, allowing them to think the relationship is happy and future-oriented. Then he would break up with them, leaving them blindsided.
Noah’s “Good Boyfriend” Behavior Wasn’t Coming From An Honest Place
The revelation about Noah’s past relationships and his toxic “good boyfriend” behavior retroactively changes Nobody Wants This season 1. It’s hard to distinguish which of his actions came from the pressure to uphold this “good boyfriend” image and which from a place of love. Ultimately, it’s impossible to know how genuine he was with Joanne.
I do think he really loves her. At the same time, I believe that his actions towards her come across as less sincere now that we know his history. All in all, it will be difficult for Adam Brody and Noah to win back the “Best TV Boyfriend” title if Nobody Wants this season 3 happens.
- Release Date
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September 26, 2024
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Jenni Konner, Bruce Eric Kaplan
- Directors
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Greg Mottola, Lawrence Trilling, Oz Rodriguez, Hannah Fidell
- Writers
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Lindsay Golder, Jane Becker, Barbie Adler, Neel Shah, Niki Schwartz-Wright
