Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | News | October 23, 2025
The first season of Netflix’s Nobody Wants This wasn’t just a massive hit for the streamer—it seemed to resurrect both the romantic comedy genre and Adam Brody’s career. It was one of those shows that appeared out of nowhere and thrived entirely on the chemistry between Brody and co-star Kristen Bell. But behind the scenes, it wasn’t nearly as smooth. Ahead of the second season, Bell, Brody, co-stars Justine Lupe and Timothy Simons, and creator Erin Foster opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the friction between the cast and creator, as well as the many showrunner changes that nearly derailed production.
The series began as Shiksa, loosely based on creator Erin Foster’s relationship with her Jewish husband and her eventual conversion. Foster - who had struggled to break into Hollywood as an actress - originally planned to star in the project herself. (Before Brody joined, Nick Kroll had even passed on the role.) Foster’s husband wasn’t thrilled about their relationship being turned into a TV show, but when Foster brought in Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan, he suggested turning Brody’s character into a rabbi. It raised the stakes while also giving the story some distance from Foster’s real life. Netflix, meanwhile, pushed for Kristen Bell to star as the lead, and Foster ultimately agreed.
At first, everything seemed to click. The team shot two test episodes, and the chemistry between Bell and Brody was undeniable. But by episodes three and four, things started to unravel. The creative direction was unclear, the scripts were scrapped, and Levitan appeared to lose interest midway through the season. Most of the cast - except Bell - were left in the dark about the delays.
Part of the tension came from Bell herself, who struggled to make sense of her character. “I pushed back with constant questioning because I didn’t have the same hooks into the emotional math of my character that I’m used to having,” Bell told THR (obviously before her social media drama derailed this week’s promotion). “And now I see how much ambiguity there is in real life, and I see what Erin was doing—but there were times where I’d just roll my eyes at her and be like, ‘Ugh, you don’t understand.’”
Jack Burditt was brought in to replace Levitan, but by the end of the season, both he and co-showrunner Craig DiGregorio were gone. The confusion left co-stars like Justine Lupe floundering. “I like to have an idea of what the f**k is going on while we’re shooting,” Lupe said. “There’s a difference between asking, ‘Where is this headed next season?’ and ‘What’s happening in this scene?’”
At one point, even Brody admitted he felt “we were being noted to death.” Still, Foster refused to back down. “I was at a place where I thought, ‘This is my only chance to have a show,’” she said. “‘I’m not going to let everybody else convince me that I don’t know what I’m doing.’”
Once the show debuted, however, its success changed everything. Viewers connected immediately, and Bell finally saw what Foster had been aiming for. “Once I saw the show - and, to be honest, once I saw people seeing the show, because proof is in the pudding - I was like, ‘Oh wow, this girl is writing about what happens to your neighbor or your girlfriend,’” Bell said. “So it wasn’t just the success that made season two easier; it was because Erin and I finally saw each other.”
For the second season, Jenni Konner (Girls) and Bruce Kaplan joined as showrunners, bringing stability and experience. Konner, who worked closely with Lena Dunham, helped Foster maintain her creative vision while establishing structure and calm behind the scenes. By all accounts, production went smoothly this time around - and the writers are already prepping for a potential third season, should Netflix renew the series.
