The first season of Nobody Wants This was a hit for a reason. It checked all the right boxes: cute slow-burn relationship, inventive twist on a classic plot, and lovable characters you so wanted to root for, but where exactly did those characters go in season two?
It honestly felt like the producers were so thrilled with their Season 1 ratings that they decided to recycle the script and crossed their fingers we wouldn’t notice. We noticed.
To be clear, the lead actors, Adam Brody and Kristen Bell, are both beloved sitcom veterans, whose talent I am by no means calling into question. But as we spent more time with their characters, their likability waned and their flaws took the spotlight. If done right, character flaws make characters more charming, layered, and relatable, but in this case, it becomes frustrating.
While the internet seems eager to hate on Kristen’s character, Joanne, and crown her sister as the season’s savior, I’m gonna have to go against the majority on this one. Personally, couldn’t stand the sister. I get that the writers were going for the “LA cool girl” energy, but as an LA native, keying a Cybertruck in the Century City parking lot isn’t considered angsty; it’s just bad human decency. You’re not in a Carrie Underwood music video, Morgan.
On the flipside, Ester Roklov is entirely underrated. Maybe I’m biased because she is exactly the kind of person who would fit right in at my family dinner table, but her dry humor and grounded chaos made a mark on this season, whether we appreciated it at first watch or not.
Not to be nitpicky, but what’s with the plot holes? We got to see more of the quintessential Jewish mother, Bina, this season, where the writers gave her this whole mic drop revenge moment, literally set to a Taylor Swift revenge song, and then never really mentioned it again.
By the end of the finale, it felt like we’d ended exactly where we started. Season 2 had so much potential, and was highly anticipated, but instead of elevating the story, it looped in circles and frustrated audiences.
All this being said, I’ll be watching season 3 whether they move the story along or not. Just for research purposes, of course.