Nobody Wants This
Nobody Wants This is a romantic comedy series that follows the unlikely relationship between an outspoken, agnostic sex podcaster, Joanne, and a newly single Jewish rabbi, Noah. The series explores the challenges and humor that arise from their vastly different lives, cultures, and families, particularly Noah's struggle with his family and community's expectations that he marry within his faith. Featuring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, the show aims to deliver a feel-good adult rom-com experience. It tackles themes of interfaith relationships, family dynamics, and personal identity while navigating modern dating. The content is generally appropriate for mature audiences, carrying a TV-MA rating due to its language, sexual themes, and depiction of substance use.
Concerns
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
HighThe series includes prominent LGBTQ characters and themes. Joanne's father is openly gay, and Joanne herself has a past history referenced as being a lesbian for a year. The show also depicts a 'lesbian dinner party,' integrating LGBTQ representation as a natural part of the characters' social circles and personal histories.
Joanne's father, Henry Williams, is revealed to have come out as gay, leading to his separation from Joanne’s mother, Lynn. Joanne's sister, Morgan, explicitly states to potential podcast investors that Joanne 'was a lesbian for a year,' indicating a past same-sex identity or relationship. The series features a 'lesbian dinner party' which serves as a setting for some interactions in the show.
Romance and Sexual Content
HighThe show features significant romantic and sexual content, including pervasive sexual themes and innuendos through dialogue, suggestive scenes, and mild implied sexual activity. Kristen Bell's character, Joanne, hosts a podcast explicitly about sex and relationships. While explicit nudity or sex scenes are absent, post-sex situations are implied, and sexualized settings are shown.
Joanne and Noah go on a first date to a sex shop, where they engage in playful flirting and interact with bondage equipment. Scenes depict characters in bed post-sex, topless, though without explicit nudity. Joanne's sister, Morgan, makes a suggestive comment about a man, stating, 'I don't want to sleep with that guy, but I am going to. I'll see you later,' before initiating a casual sexual encounter.
Profanity
HighThe series contains a high frequency of strong profanity throughout its episodes. Offensive language is a primary descriptor for its TV-MA rating and is noted as pervasive by multiple review sources. This includes frequent use of common strong expletives and derogatory terms.
The series features frequent strong profanity, including multiple uses of the 'f*ck' word and its variations ('f*ck,' 'f*cking,' 'f*ckarse') across all episodes. Other offensive terms used include 'sh*t,' 'b*tch,' 'wh*re,' 'slag,' and 'slut.' According to one review, the first two episodes alone contain over 10 uses of the 'f-word' and nearly 20 abuses of God's name, including Jesus' name.
Substance Use
MediumThe series includes depictions and references to recreational drug use and alcohol consumption. Characters are shown drinking alcohol frequently. There are specific instances of marijuana use, presented comically without severe negative consequences, and mentions of other illicit substances.
In Season 1, Rabbi Noah is shown smoking marijuana in Episode 1. Another character consumes 'weed snacks' and appears mildly high in a comedic scene, interacting with their daughter, with the show noting no negative consequences. The series also mentions other recreational drugs such as mushrooms and ayahuasca.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumThe series features themes of disrespect and rebellion, primarily through the protagonist Noah's defiance of his family's and community's expectations regarding his interfaith relationship. Joanne's character also faces derogatory treatment from Noah's family, reflecting cultural disrespect.
Noah struggles with his family's and congregation's opposition to his relationship with Joanne, who is not Jewish, thereby exhibiting rebellion against established religious and family traditions. Noah's female family members repeatedly use the disparaging Yiddish term 'Shiksa' to refer to Joanne, demonstrating direct cultural and religious disrespect towards her.
Anti-Christian Themes
MediumWhile the series primarily explores an interfaith relationship between a Jewish rabbi and an agnostic woman, it does contain instances that may be perceived as anti-Christian. Specifically, there is documented misuse of Jesus' name in profanity, which can be offensive to Christian viewers.
In the first two episodes, God's name is used in vain nearly 20 times, including specific instances of misusing Jesus' name. The show's portrayal of Judaism is noted to focus more on traditions and culture rather than a direct relationship with God, which, while not explicitly anti-Christian, might be seen by some as a general downplaying of faith-based spirituality.
Violence
LowThe series 'Nobody Wants This' contains no notable instances of physical violence, gore, or graphic confrontations. Multiple parental reviews and classification notes explicitly state the absence of violent content, focusing instead on other mature themes like language and sexuality.
Parental guides consistently report that the series 'doesn't contain any violence at all'. There are no reported fight scenes, battles, deaths, or war-related content depicted in the show.
Witchcraft & Occult
LowThere is no information found in the available content reviews or plot summaries to indicate the presence of witchcraft, sorcery, occult practices, magic rituals, demons, spells, or other supernatural themes in 'Nobody Wants This.'
No specific examples of witchcraft or occult content were mentioned in any of the analyzed sources.
Scary & Intense Content
LowBased on available reviews, 'Nobody Wants This' is a romantic comedy and does not contain scary, frightening, horror elements, intense suspense sequences, jump scares, or disturbing imagery. The content is focused on comedic and dramatic relationship conflicts rather than creating fear or unease.
The show is consistently categorized as a romantic comedy without any noted elements of horror or intense scary content.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
16+ (Mature Audiences) - The series is rated TV-MA by Netflix and 16+ by other outlets due to frequent strong profanity, pervasive sexual themes and innuendos, and depictions of substance use. These elements are consistent throughout the show and necessitate a mature viewing audience.
Additional Notes
The series focuses heavily on the cultural and religious differences in an interfaith relationship, particularly from a Jewish perspective, which is a central plot point. While some reviews praise the depth it brings, others suggest the religious elements are not deeply explored in a spiritual sense. The portrayal of Jewish women received criticism in Season 1 for being stereotypical, leading to changes in showrunners for Season 2, though some critics suggest issues persist.
Related Reviews
Is Nobody Wants This right for your family?
These concerns are a starting point — what many Christian parents care about. Want to screen for other themes? Define your own concerns.
Screen any book, movie, or show — even titles no one else has reviewed.
“StoryScanner gives us clarity and confidence. It's become our go-to for checking books at the library and movies on family night.”
— Cristi & Brian, Dallas TX
“StoryScanner has been such a BLESSING for researching books for our children. You can set filters for your concerns, enter a book title, and it lets you know what's present.”
— Christian Book Reviews for Families (Facebook)
No credit card required