Emmy-nominated hit TV series “Nobody Wants This” returned to Netflix for its third season on Thursday, Oct. 22, one day short of the one-year anniversary of its previous installment.
**Disclaimer: This review includes spoilers for Season 3 of “Nobody Wants This.”
The show follows podcaster Joanne Williams (Kristen Bell) navigating her complicated relationship with Rabbi Noah Roklov (Adam Brody). The series picks up with Joanne and Noah trying to find a path forward after breaking up because of their differences in faith.
Joanne doesn’t know if she can be Jewish and refuses to agree to convert just for Noah, which is one of my favorite parts of the show because it emphasizes how Joanne is true to herself and waiting for her own realization of faith.
Noah and Joanne finally get engaged in Season 3, a thoughtful and romantic moment viewers will be so excited to see after the ups and downs of the last two seasons. In all honesty, I did not expect the proposal at all, which made it even better to watch it and be just as surprised as Joanne.
Although Noah and Joanne are the main characters, what the series presents best is its secondary romance. Morgan Williams’ (Justine Lupe) and Sashas’ (Timothy Simons) slow-burn has been my favorite plotline from the start, and it’s the part of the show that has never lost its footing. Their relationship has tension and the sense of earned progress that the main couple’s story lost once their wedding planning began. Episode VII, which features them in New York realizing their connection, was the best one of the season with no doubt. It’s no surprise that the show is more compelling when it gives characters room to grow and banter playfully.
The show ends with Joanne and Noah getting married after Joanne converts to Judaism, and the choice works because the series made a point of emphasizing that she was converting for herself. It isn’t a condition of the relationship or a concession to Noah’s family. It’s her decision, and that keeps the ending from feeling like a compromise to maintain her relationship.
In truth, this was my favorite installment of the series so far. It’s a true comfort show, and the banter this season felt realistic and relatable. I hope the writers continue to build the rest of the show just like this season.
Rating: 5/5