It’s almost time for the second season of “Nobody Wants This,” the Hot Rabbi Netflix Show starring Adam Brody as Rabbi Noah Roklov, who falls for decidedly not-Jewish podcaster Joanne, played by Kristen Bell.
All ten episodes of the new season will be available to binge on Netflix this Oct. 23, just at the tail end of all the fall Jewish holidays.
And last week, just as we finished celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the trailer for said second season dropped — and it’s full of so many Jewish tidbits.
When we last left these two lovebirds, Joanne “sacrificed” their relationship at the altar of Noah’s career after saying that she wasn’t sure about converting, only to have the swoon-worthy rabbi chase after her and promise to put her first.
When we meet them again in this trailer, Noah wears his black kippah and flirts with Joanne about couple’s stationery. Things seem to be off to a good start, until we see her tell the crowd at a dinner with friends that they “agreed to do the interfaith thing.”
“Wait, what?!” says Noah’s face. It’s clear that this season will be a lot about Noah and Joanne figuring out how to make their relationship work.
One of the ways to make that relationship work? Create a detente between Joanne and Noah’s icy mother, Bina, played by Tovah Feldshuh, who is not a fan of the sassy blonde. And what better way to do that than at a Shabbat dinner?!
In the trailer, we see Joanne admire the glossiness of a piece of challah that Bina hands her after saying Hamotzi, the Shabbat candles already lit at the table and the wine glasses filled. Bina’s face when Joanne yells “Challah!” (a la “Holla!”) would honestly make me run away from the table and never come back.
Shabbat isn’t the only Jewish ritual portrayed in the trailer.
Noah appears to be officiating at a bris or baby naming where the proud mother is played by none other than Brody’s real-life wife, Leighton Meester. We hear him talk to his Jewish community from the pulpit about the nature of faith. We also get a glimpse of surprise guest star Seth Rogen, playing a character named Rabbi Neil — that’s right, Seth Rogen plays a rabbi!
And I’m hoping that a dress-up party where Joanne is dressed as Cinderella could perhaps mean the Purim TV episode I’ve long dreamed of (truly, the Jewish holiday in which we dress up and get drunk does not get enough TV representation). Fingers crossed!
We also get a glimpse of Noah’s brother, Sasha, played by Timothy Simons, doing a very delightful dance for Esther. Who doesn’t love an Esther and Sasha moment?!
This trailer is chock-full of fun and drama, and while Noah and Joanne’s relationship does seem to face its fair share of adversity, at the end of it, she tells him that he’s her dream — a dream of “being attracted to someone who makes you feel safe.”
Aw, Joanne!
Here’s hoping this new season makes all of our Jewish dreams (including those about representation of Jewish women!) come true, too.
