Netflix announced “Nobody Wants This” season 3 just a few weeks after season 2 dropped, but the show has a major problem it needs to fix. The series debuted strong with Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody), two people with wildly different personalities and lifestyles who nonetheless spark instantly. Joanne is a spunky podcaster who talks openly about sex, dating and relationships, while Noah is a reserved rabbi. Their biggest clash in season 1 was Noah wanting Joanne to convert to Judaism — partly for ideological alignment, partly to advance his career.
That tension culminated in the dramatic season 1 finale, where Noah told Joanne he “can’t have both” and then kissed her, seemingly suggesting she didn’t need to convert. Season 2 revealed that’s not at all what he meant. Noah remained unsure about committing without the promise of conversion, landing the couple right back where they started.
In the season 2 finale, he tells Joanne he’s “accepting the truth” of their situation, and they break up—until Joanne chases him down, he tells her he chooses her, and she replies, “Well, you’re in luck.” Kiss. Roll credits.
‘Nobody Wants This’ season gives déjà Vu
Despite Bell and Brody doing great work, the season 2 storyline felt repetitive. The couple ends up in essentially the same place as the season 1 finale: choosing each other despite their differences.
Watch On
Instead of taking a step forward, they recycled the same problems. Noah loved Joanne but wanted her to convert; Joanne loved Noah but didn’t want to change herself for a relationship. If anything, Noah applied even more pressure this time, making his season 1 declaration look even murkier.
There were small changes, like Noah taking a job at a synagogue more accepting of a rabbi with a non-Jewish partner, but the core issues stayed firmly in place, leaving their relationship stuck in a loop.
Noah and Joanne have regressed as a couple
Beyond the lack of narrative momentum, both Noah and Joanne became noticeably worse versions of themselves. Noah had always been firm in his convictions, but that wasn’t a flaw in season 1, just an incompatibility. He’d been a good boyfriend, and it was easy to see why Joanne fought for the relationship.
But season 2 Noah was full of red flags. On Valentine’s Day, Joanne received a beautiful necklace — one Noah had already given to his ex, Rebecca (Emily Arlook). Rebecca later detailed just how committed he’d seemed to her, from naming their hypothetical children to calling her his “forever family,” before abruptly breaking up.
Joanne, meanwhile, was rough around the edges but endearing in season 1, a character type Bell excels at (see: Eleanor Shellstrop in “The Good Place”). She showed real growth as her priorities shifted. That progress evaporated in season 2. Her worst moment was trying on a wedding dress while her sister Morgan (Justine Lupe) was shopping for her own.
Close behind was her behavior at Abby’s (Leighton Meester) baby-naming ceremony —an event Noah was attending as a rabbi — where Joanne made the moment entirely about her childhood grudge. It came off as immature and disrespectful of both Noah’s job and his faith.
What’s next for ‘Nobody Wants This’?
“Nobody Wants This” season 3 is slated for 2026, and while plot details are scarce, the season 2 finale heavily implies Joanne will convert. Her chase after Noah follows a conversation with Esther (Jackie Tohn), Noah’s sister-in-law, who tells Joanne she is already Jewish in all the ways that matter.
Ideally, this sets up the one thing season 3 desperately needs: forward movement. Whether that means an engagement, moving in together, or any other meaningful shift, the next chapter must break the cycle that defined season 2. Given that the show is based on a real married couple, an engagement seems likely.
But regardless of the destination, season 3 needs to bring fresh developments — and, just as importantly, prove that Noah and Joanne have actually grown.
Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
