REVIEW: Nobody Wants This Season 2 Enters Its Post-Honeymoon Era

Netflix dropped season 2 of its Emmy-nominated comedy Nobody Wants This last Thursday, where fans flocked to their couches, earning the series a spot in the streamer’s Top 10 all weekend. While the second installment features another 10 episodes of yearning and storybook romantics, it also sings too much of the same old tune.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Season 1 Swings Right Out the Gate 

Season 1 introduced us to Joanne (Kristen Bell), an agnostic podcast host who has been on one too many first dates, and Noah (Adam Brody), a rabbi who had just broken up with his long-term girlfriend. The two met at a friend’s dinner party, where their chemistry was palpable through the screen. Despite their completely different ways of life, there’s a gravitational pull that’s impossible to root against – unless you’re Noah’s mom, Bina.

Toward the end of the season, Noah is offered the head rabbi position at his temple, but because Joanne is what they call a “shiksa” (a woman who is not Jewish), he has to sacrifice his dream girl to land his dream job.

Joanne, guilty over not being ready to convert to Judaism—and forcing Noah to face that crossroads—walks away from their relationship at his niece’s Bat Mitzvah, ultimately deciding for him. Noah runs after her, and they share one of the best onscreen kisses to date (second only to their ice cream stroll kiss from an earlier episode) before the screen cuts to black.

Fans immediately praised the series and its creator, Erin Foster, for its similarities to a modern-day fairytale, which, in today’s age of dating apps and DM sliding, might as well be one.

Specifically, when Joanne fears one day she’ll be too much for Noah, and rather than shying away from it, he tells her he wants “all of it,” and more importantly, all of her. As someone who feared the same, I might’ve grabbed some tissues.

Nonetheless, the season accumulated over 15 million streams in its first week and became the most-watched series on Netflix during its debut. It was a no-brainer to pick up the title for a second season.

Honeymoon’s Over

Season 2 of Nobody Wants This feels like the time-jump scene at the end of a great rom-com. After Jenna Rink marries Matt, and Cher Horowitz ends up with Josh, there’s bound to come a time when couples – in this case, the TV couple and the series – hit a post-honeymoon slump.

Noah’s prince-charming writing starts to fade, revealing a more realistic version of the man who, last season, felt practically perfect—and sent us all on a Hinge goose chase to find him.

When the two host their first dinner party as a couple, the topic of Joanne’s conversion is brought up, to which she confidently tells the group they’re going to do “the whole interfaith thing,” and Noah follows with brief hesitation and an opposing “well,” thus setting the stage for the whole season.

There’s a core issue between the couple, whether it be Noah’s need to rinse and repeat every tradition he’s had with every girlfriend or Joanne’s longing for stability; they work through the problem, compromise, and apologize – just to do it all over again in the next episode.

The couple, and again, the series is stuck in a routine that’s comfortable for them, but monotonous to everyone else.

While just as romantic, funny, and giddy as season 1, it’s now all too predictable. With recycled storylines of Joanne toying with conversion, Bina “accepting” the shiksa into their family, only to want to break them up behind their back, and the couple staying together against all odds, it feels like a carbon copy of its inaugural season – just without the spark that many can’t seem to put their finger on. Could it be–the element of surprise?

Sprinkled in are the secondary couples: Joanne’s sister, Morgan (Justine Lupe), and her therapist-turned fiancée, Dr. Andy (Arian Moayed), and returning couple Esther (Jackie Tohn) and Sasha (Timothy Simmons), Noah’s brother and sister-in-law.

Morgan and Dr. Andy feel odd, rushed, and anyone over the age of 21 could see his red flags and condescending therapy talk from a mile away. On the other hand, Esther and Sasha hit a bump in their marriage as Esther begins to dwell on what could’ve been. What would her life look like had she not gotten pregnant and, in turn, married at a young age? She even admits she wouldn’t choose Sasha today.

In the season finale, both couples split, with Morgan calling off their engagement at the engagement party and Esther putting a pause on their marriage, also at the engagement party.

As for Joanne and Noah? In the episode before, when the idea of moving forward starts to linger, Noah doesn’t hold back—Joanne’s reluctance to convert is his biggest hang-up. Ending tearfully, the finale picks up with the two accidentally getting the same elevator at Morgan’s engagement party.

After a failed attempt at faking happiness, Noah ends things—leaving all three couples fractured. With five minutes of the season left, a brokenhearted yet relieved Esther talks sense into Joanne, sparking a fire to chase after Noah, who is also chasing after her.

Once again, at the end of a party, the two who walked away from each other are choosing each other, and the credits roll after yet another amazing kiss. Sound familiar? It still makes you root for love, but season 2 proves that even the best matches can’t outrun routine.

Where Nobody Wants This Shines

Season 1’s debut was nearly flawless, setting the bar high for Foster and new showrunners Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan to match its charm—if not outdo it. And while there’s a noticeable dip in excitement this time around, the series still gets a lot right.

For one, the guest stars. Notably, Seth Rogen and Leighton Meester—Brody’s real-life wife. Rogen portrays Neil, a rabbi at Noah’s new temple, with a far more modern approach to Judaism than Noah’s traditional ways. Meanwhile, Meester shows off her comedic chops as Abby in the fifth episode, “Abby Loves Smoothies,” as Joanne’s former middle school nemesis, turned mommy influencer, who hires Noah to officiate her baby-naming ceremony.

While not onscreen for long, the two bring a jolt of energy and humor that reminds viewers why the series worked so well in the first place.

Which is why if there’s one thing season 2 nails, it’s the comedy. Between the rhythmic romantics and emotional reckonings, the series’ humor keeps everything afloat. The writing leans into sharp, situational laughs — like Joanne threatening to shave Abby’s baby’s head after she chopped the hair off Joanne’s American Girl doll, or slipping on a shower cap to protect her blowout when all Noah wants is a steamy bubble bath.

It’s that mix of petty, relatable, and perfectly timed humor that reminds us why Nobody Wants This works best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Season 2 of Nobody Wants This might have lost a bit of its spark, but it still makes you believe in messy, grown-up love. The heart, humor, and honesty are all there; it just needs a new rhythm. After all, even the best love stories need a little reinvention.

Check out the new season now on Netflix.