How Adam Brody as a hot rabbi in "Nobody Wants This" is making religion cool again

I went to three various churches during my adolescence: a youth group on Wednesdays, an Ethiopian church on Sundays and an American one on Saturdays. The ritual of going to that much church felt more devout than my actual devotion to a God I really didn't understand, or was reluctant to understand.

But while watching "Nobody Wants This," Netflix's new romantic comedy series centered on an interfaith relationship between an agnostic sex and relationship podcaster, Joanne (Kristen Bell), and Noah Roklov — played by a still very hot Adam Brody — religion began to make sense to me again. Don't get me wrong, I'm still agnostic, but finding comfort in Joanne and Noah's gentile-Jewish romance illuminates the refreshing relationship a person can have with religion. Or maybe it was my longstanding crush on Brody that influenced my openness. 

Either way, "Nobody Wants This" navigates the line between the chaos in Joanne and Noah's relationship from its meet-cute to the calm in their ever-evolving understanding of each other's stark and sometimes glaring differences and conflict.

However, their will-they-won’t-they hits a snag when the couple struggles to bridge the gap in their faith difference as the progressive, cool Noah is up for a promotion as head rabbi of his Los Angeles synagogue. Even Noah's liberal interpretation and practice of Judaism are not enough to ignore the striking dissimilarities in his relationship with the non-Jewish "shiksa" Joanne.

Despite the resolve of the conflict in their relationship hinging on whether Joanne converts to Judaism or if Noah gives up his dream of running a synagogue — the questions of faith examined in the show are a breath of fresh air. As more young people — specifically women — move further away from organized religion, the show's portrayal of faith through the ever-charming '00s heartthrob Brody is cool and poignant. 

Joanne and Noah's relationship begins how most millennial relationships do — no, not through dating apps — at a friend's party. Walking into the party wearing an over-the-top fur coat, Joanne shows up under the assumption she's there to meet men: specifically a divorcee, a rabbi and a finance guy. But she crushes on the man she least expects. Noah plays up his charm until it's revealed, gasp, that he is the rabbi. "It's hot. Right?" he tells a bamboozled Joanne. 

Kristen Bell as Joanne and Adam Brody as Noah in "Nobody Wants This" (Adam Rose/Netflix)Later, as Noah is walking Joanne to her car, the unexplainable ease in their dynamic leads her to admit, "I don't believe in God. Sorry, is that offensive to say to a rabbi?" Noah responds, "You can say anything you want." This is the first time "Nobody Wants This" establishes Noah as an empathetic, nonjudgmental figure in the show for both Joanne and potentially agnostic or non-Jewish viewers. 

But mostly, the moment shows Noah himself isn't perfect either. He so clearly dresses like an LA Silverlake hipster, smokes weed and uses expletives just like everyone else. He knows that too. Noah is self-aware and he plays up "the Torah bad-boy vibe." Despite that — it doesn't negate his faith. When Joanne questions whether Noah's a real rabbi, he says, "I'm all in on this thing. I'm a real rabbi. I swear."

Even his sermon brings a sort of fun, youth pastor energy — reminiscent of my megachurch childhood. Noah boils down the message of a parable about a man who is stranded on a roof during a flood, begging for help from God. He explains there are endless life choices and fear shouldn't dominate our decision making. He says, "Thinking about switching careers? Maybe that's God pushing you. Hesitating about a big decision? That could be God telling you to think twice. Thinking about going all in on crypto? Might not be God. Ask your accountant what they think."

He concludes: "If you think God's plan is supposed to feel like something specific, and you haven't felt it . . . and you wonder if we're all in on some big secret that you aren't in on, let me tell you, you're in on it."

It's a message the show holds dear, even if someone like Noah's more traditional mother, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh) thinks it is a "weird sermon."

Joanne and Noah's relationship feels like a secret they're both in on, and maybe God too. Despite challenges like bridging family expectations and each other's wants and needs, they never let fear or a lack of understanding of each other be the downfall of their interfaith relationship. 

For one, Noah is willing to be a guide in his religious rituals, which leads to a hilarious episode five where the couple's religious differences get tested at the fault of Noah's own ambitions. When Noah has to fill in for his boss, Rabbi Cohen (Stephen Tobolowsky) at Camp Haverim, a camp for Jewish kids, Joanne joins Noah on the trip. Joanne learns what the word "Shalom" means, which feels a little farfetched in that she's a metropolitan lady, not to mention a podcaster, and should definitely have already known the meaning of the word. Nonetheless, she also learns that the bratty, teenage Gen Alpha girls all thirst over "hot rabbi" Noah. 

As the couple hits the phase in their relationship where they are ready to "DTR," or define the relationship, they hit a snag. Noah begins to hide Joanne from an unexpected Rabbi Cohen, who shows up at the camp and tells Noah he's on the path to becoming head rabbi. Noah broadcasting his relationship with a gentile would put his dreams on hold. This leads to Noah calling Joanne his friend in public when she wants to be introduced as his girlfriend.

A melancholic Joanne leaves camp for an important job meeting with Spotify and in true romcom form — Noah chases after her to apologize. At a restaurant on Shabbat, Joanne begrudges Noah for making her miss her first Shabbat dinner. He then explains the origins of Shabbat, "The candles represent the two temples in Jerusalem that were destroyed, and we light them to remind us that buildings can crumble, but that doesn't matter. What matters is gathering with people we care about, so Shabbat can happen anywhere. It's kinda like a pop-up. So welcome to your first Shabbat dinner." 

It's a sweet moment that acts as a level of education for Joanne and the audience. The moment is spurred by Noah's favorite interpretations of the story of Shabbat. It shows that the couple is carving out their own traditions with ones that Noah holds dear to himself in his personal relationship with faith. Now Joanne can cherish them too.

Further into the show and the evolving relationship between the pair, Brody and Bell bounce off each other's breezy chemistry. But they also showcase the growing tension and dynamic in heterosexual relationships across the U.S. As more men move towards religion, there has been an increase in young women who are self-described as religiously unaffiliated. This compares with 34 percent of men, a survey by the Survey Center on American Life at the American Enterprise Institute found.

"Nobody Wants This" is not the answer to the burgeoning gap between men's and women's religious and political beliefs. In fact, the show highlights the particular stickiness of their specific situation. A dose of reality hits Joanne when Noah tells her she will have to convert for Noah to become head rabbi. Her friend Ryann (D'Arcy Carden) says of the conflict: “Just . . . be Jewish. It’s not like you stand for things.” So Joanne tries, and fails, realizing her conversion would only be for Noah and not herself. Again, in a perfect ending, Noah chooses Joanne over the job.

Some critics have stated their issues with the depiction of the interfaith relationship and its stressed complications. But one thing "Nobody Wants This" and Brody's performance do right is portray a quieter, more insightful understanding of someone's faith. Noah's faith and spirituality are never questioned and his steadfastness reminds us that there is comfort in being sure but, as in Joanne's case, there is also grace in not being sure and questioning it all.