Last year, Nobody Wants This was the streaming schedule release nobody saw coming. The wonderful rom-com surprised viewers, anchored by Adam Brody’s neurotic rabbi and Kristen Bell’s mouthy podcast host, the series (available with a Netflix subscription) mixed meet-cute energy with interfaith complexity and somehow stuck the landing. Season 1 didn’t just resonate with viewers, but crushed it with critics, too, scoring Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. But Season 2? Well, it's nowhere near Season 1’s Rotten Tomatoes score, and fans are going off about what happened.
Comparing Season 1 and Season 2's Rotten Tomatoes Scores
Season 2 of Nobody Wants This currently holds a lukewarm 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, a sharp drop from the glowing 95% Season 1 earned. While that might still be considered “fresh,” the drop isn’t subtle. Critics and fans alike are questioning what went wrong.
The central chemistry between Adam Brody and Kristen Bell hasn’t vanished, but it’s buried under recycled plotlines, shallow character development, and so much product placement it starts to feel like part of the script.
Here’s how the scores stack up:
- Season 1: 95% – Critics loved the mix of heart and humor.
- Season 2: 77% – Critics say the magic's faded.
But the bigger red flag is the audience scores. Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcorn Meter, which reflects general viewer sentiment, shows an even steeper drop:
- Season 1: 85% – Viewers called it funny, heartfelt, and refreshingly original.
- Season 2: 55% – Viewers cite flat chemistry, repetitive storylines, and a lack of emotional payoff.
So what happened? How are fans online taking the change in quality? Well, let's get into it.
Fans' Online Reaction To Nobody Wants This Season 2
It's worth noting that between Seasons 1 and 2, there was a change behind the scenes. Erin Foster, who built Season 1 loosely on her own life, stepped back, and Jenni Konner (Girls) and Bruce Eric Kaplan (Girls, Six Feet Under) took over as showrunners. While it seemed like they tried to smooth out some of the more problematic elements from the first season, including critiques of the portrayal of Jewish women and questions about Joanne and Morgan’s ignorance, the core couple’s emotional beats stayed the same. Too much of the same.
Brody and Bell spend most of the season circling each other in déjà vu conflicts that have left a lot of the show's core audience confused and frustrated. Here’s a snapshot of the conversation happening across Threads:
- “They've somehow made me indifferent to these two ending up together.” – millydayy
- “Because nothing happened. They just copy and pasted season 1 with more product placement.” – themaindwayne
- “The side characters are way more interesting. Morgan and Esther are my favourites 🖤” – noorasalminen_
- “It also shouldn’t have been Noah giving Joanne the speech at the end. They did that in season 1...” – fraser_roads
- “Romantic comedies aren’t supposed to have sequels.” – pantalones79
- “... Joanne is unlikeable this season.” – shnoodybugg
- “I’ve been through the first season multiple times. It’s excellent. Second season I haven’t even finished yet. :/ it’s basically repeating itself but with more frustrating storylines and 0 character development.” – chrisandalli
Critics like The Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Fienberg point out a structural issue: without a procedural “B-plot” to keep things moving, the show has nothing to fall back on when the romance stalls. In other shows, think Castle or Bones, romantic tension is framed by crime-solving. Here, when the tension dips, there's not much left.
Still, not everything is broken. Supporting characters like Sasha (Timothy Simons) and Morgan (Justine Lupe) pick up some of the slack, and moments like Sasha’s dance for Esther have been called “the highlight” of the entire season by more than a few fans.
But those bright spots aren’t enough to revive a core narrative that now feels tired and repetitive. To make matters worse, the show isn’t cracking Netflix’s Top 10 and is currently being outperformed by episodes of Ms. Rachel.
If Season 1 asked, “Can love bridge a faith divide?” Season 2 seems stuck asking, “Are we still doing this?” It’s disappointing to see a show with so much potential stumble in its second act. Whether there’s a Season 3 or not, fans are hoping the creative team can course-correct, but if they can’t, well, at least we’ll always have that near-perfect first season.
