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Adam Brody and Kristen Bell didn’t expect “Nobody Wants This,” their Netflix comedy series about the unlikely romance between a newly single rabbi (Brody) and a non-Jewish sex podcast host (Bell), to become a cultural juggernaut.
“We’re in a tense moment of tremendous turmoil, and there don’t seem to be many romantic comedies, period,” Brody says when asked why he thinks the Netflix show has resonated.
“It feels like we have the field to ourselves for a while.” Bel says. “There was a lot of great, intense, hardcore television that inspired ‘Breaking Bad’ – gritty watches – and something beautiful in the rom-com space hadn’t been felt by the masses for a while.”
I met Brody and Bell at a recent “Nobody Wants This” FYC event at Netflix’s Tudum Theater in Hollywood.
Did you really not think this show would be such a big hit?
Clock: No. We just felt like we were filming this little Vermont show in Los Feliz.
Brody: Of course not. I’m still suspicious of it. I keep thinking I’ll turn on Netflix, but it won’t be there. So I pinch myself a little.
Clock: I’m just glad people enjoyed watching that show. That’s pretty much my main goal. I don’t know if it’s ever been my goal to do something that affects people so profoundly other than through luck.
I finished the first season quickly and I don’t like that we have to wait so long for the next season.
Brody: Hopefully it won’t be that bad. We’ll be filming in February and hopefully they’ll be released in September next year.
How are you going to top all of this in season 2? Do you know how it will turn out?
Brody: Kristen probably knows more than I do.
Clock: We’ve added some wonderful people to the mix, [new showrunners] Jenny Connor and Bruce Eric Kaplan, which is very exciting. Nothing has been completely decided yet, but the writers have been working on it for about a month. The season is almost over and I am very happy.
Adam, what do you want to see happen in season 2?
Brody: I don’t care as long as it’s smart, sweet and funny. Do you understand what I mean? I want it to be good, and that can take many forms. I don’t invest too much in the twists, as long as they are true, clever and fun to play.
Clock: That’s something I really respect about Erin Foster, who created the show, and even the newcomers we’ve had this season. Their commitment seems to be, “We gave the people what they wanted.” In the second season we don’t have Godzilla make an entrance. It’s not going to be an alien show. No evil twins.
Who contacted you about the show that surprised you?
Clock: I think one out of nowhere was Molly Shannon. I received the most beautiful message from her. And pretty much every person I’ve worked with, to be honest.
Brody: I’ve heard from most people through my phone.
Who is in your phone?
Brody: It’s not as cool as it sounds. My handyman told me he loves the show.
Clock: I don’t know if anyone is keeping track of this or if it’s just numbers in my head, but about seven people told me they started watching the show because their dad recommended it. The algorithm is a bull’s eye for fathers. So men from the late 1950s to the late 1960s are the target. Toto Wolff [CEO of Mercedes in Formula One] recently told me he loves the show and has been celebrating it with his kids. That absolutely came out of the blue.