(Credits: Netflix)

If you were to choose between a love story with a happy or a sad ending, which would you choose? Most likely the one with a happy ending. The one where the couple finally gets together and lives “happily ever after”. However, Nobody Wants This flips that idea on its head.

In 2024, Netflix brought a new-age rom-com series about Joanne, an outspoken podcaster, and Noah, a kindhearted rabbi, for its neophile viewers. It was widely liked, and now, the story is continuing with season one. Good news for the viewers: the second season of Nobody Wants This is all set to arrive on Netflix on October 23rd. And this time, it is not just about falling in love; it is about staying in love.

What charmed audiences in season one was the contrast of two people from wildly different worlds coming together. Joanne’s sharp tongue and Noah’s steady warmth made for the kind of chemistry you rarely see in modern rom-coms. Not exactly an enemies-to-lovers story, but two opposite personalities for sure. But as anyone who has been in a relationship knows, the real work starts once the honeymoon phase fades. That is exactly where creator Erin Foster wants to take viewers in the new season.

Foster explained to Tudum, “It is such an interesting part of every relationship when you now have to see if you can make it work with each other’s friends, day-to-day routines, and how you handle the milestones that come in those first few months together.” This time, Joanne and Noah are in this to face holidays, birthdays, and meeting families as their romance deepens.

Of course, romance is never simple when friends, family, and most of all, old rivals are involved. The show is going to be a lot more interesting as the beloved Gossip Girl Leighton Meester is joining it as Abby. She is playing Joanne’s nemesis from middle school, who has reinvented herself as an Instagram mommy influencer. The casting has an extra spark of fun since Meester is married to Adam Brody off-screen. What this means for fans is that they will finally get to see the real-life couple share the screen in a sharp new dynamic.

The supporting cast, which helped make season one so memorable, is also back. Kristen Bell and Adam Brody return as the central couple, joined by Justine Lupe, Timothy Simons, Jackie Tohn, Michael Hitchcock, Stephanie Faracy, Paul Ben-Victor, Tovah Feldshuh, Sherry Cola, and D’Arcy Carden. New additions include Miles Fowler as Lenny, Noah’s basketball teammate who becomes a surprising love interest for Morgan (Lupe), and Alex Karpovsky as “Big Noah”, an overly confident rabbi at Noah’s temple. There is also Arian Moayed as Dr Andy, a charming but self-absorbed psychotherapist who may shake things up for Morgan.

The first season of Nobody Wants This ended with Noah making a grand gesture. He finally tells Joanne that she was his priority despite their cultural differences. But season two is asking some harder questions of the audience. What sacrifices are worth making for love, and when do compromises cross into losing yourself? As Adam Brody put it, the show is exploring “what constitutes growth, or what constitutes dimming yourself to be with someone else.”

Nobody Wants This is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated fall releases on Netflix. It has the perfect recipe for the holiday season: humour mixed with heartfelt storytelling and a cast that only gets stronger. And the best part is that it will be a test for the fans who fell for Joanne and Noah in season one, who will finally get to see whether their relationship can survive life beyond the grand gestures.