If you’re like me, you’ve already binge watched Netflix’s new series “Nobody Wants This” in a day.
Netflix released Nobody Wants This on September 26, 2024. The show – loosely based off Erin Foster’s life, and her converting to Judaism for her husband, has scored a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and earned Netflix’s number 1 spot on their top TV list, generating 15.9 million views in it’s second week.
I absolutely loved the show. It’s one of the best rom-com series I’ve seen in a while. But what does the Jewish community have to say about it?
The show displays an atheist sex podcaster (Joanne) played by Kristien Bell and a newly single hot rabbi (Noah) played by Adam Brody, as the two main characters. Their unlikely relationship is faced with many obstacles, like Noah’s strict Jewish parents, ex girlfriend, and most of all, the fact that Joanne isn’t Jewish.
Most of the women in Noah’s life, including his sister in law, ex girlfriend, and especially his mother, greatly disapprove of his new relationship with Joanne.
Jessica Radloff, writer of The Big Bang Theory made comments about the show’s portrayal of Jewish women. Radloff wrote in Glamor “We come off as controlling, marriage-hungry women who want to plan dinner parties and alienate anyone who doesn’t share those same dreams,”. Radloff also took concerns with Noah’s mother calling Joanne a “Shiska” a term used to degrade non-Jewish women. Writing: “This scene at the temple is the exact opposite of what we Jews are taught to do — welcome thy neighbor,” and “At a time when antisemitism is at the highest levels we’ve seen since the Holocaust, scenes like this hit me hard.”
Other Jewish activists and Rabbis explained the show as portraying Jewish women as “rampant” and described the show having a lot of classic “Jewish stereotypes”.
In response to this backlash, Erin Foster said “If I made the Jewish parents, like, two granola hippies on a farm, then someone would write, ‘I’ve never met a Jewish person like that before. You clearly don’t know how to write Jewish people, you don’t know what you’re doing, and that doesn’t represent us well.’”
Photo by Netflix
Overall, the show seems to be widely loved. Many Jewish people spoke out about the show, describing how refreshing it was to see Jewish representation in media, without focusing on the holocaust or alienating them as a group.
Personally, I became more interested in learning about Judaism from the show, and part of that might’ve had to do with the fact that I, along with most of the viewers, fell in love Noah, the “Hot Rabbi” played by Adam Brody. But, I believe the show opened up discussions about unconventional relationships, and educated more people on Jewish traditions and the lifestyle of a Rabbi. I found the show hilarious, heartwarming, and educational. The show has just been renewed for a season 2, and I look forward to watching.
Sources: https://deadline.com/2024/10/nobody-wants-this-creator-erin-foster-replies-criticism-jewish-stereotypes-1236104237/, https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/nobody-wants-this-release-date-photos-news
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