Adam Brody and Erin Foster preview their culture-clash rom-com “Nobody Wants This”

A lifestyle podcaster falls madly in love with a progressive rabbi in a story inspired by Foster's real-life conversion to Judaism.

In Nobody Wants This, a rabbi and a shiksa aren't quite a match made in heaven — but Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody) are giving it a shot anyway.

Netflix's new rom-com series, which drops all 10 episodes on Sept. 26, follows Bell's central lifestyle podcaster as she navigates a complex, passionate romance with Brody's progressive religious leader on the east side of Los Angeles. Along the way, they're forced to reckon with a number of obstacles — the shadow of a vengeful ex, an abundance of family tension on both sides, and, perhaps most importantly, career-induced second thoughts, as Joanne's show hinges on juicy Carrie-Bradshaw-esque hookup reflections, and Noah probably can't get promoted to head rabbi if he's entangled with a goy.

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Nobody Wants This is loosely yet clearly inspired by the real-life experience of creator Erin Foster, who acted on shows like The O.C. and Castle before creating and starring in VH1's satirical reality show parody Barely Famous. "'Write what you know' is a trope in writing, but it's true: when you've lived in an experience, you can pull specificity from it," Foster tells Entertainment Weekly, explaining that she actually converted to Judaism after meeting her husband, music executive Simon Tikhman. "When I went through the conversion process, it felt like it would be a fascinating impetus for a really good show."

Foster's real partner isn't actually a rabbi, so the distinctions between fiction and reality are immediately clear; however, she did write the initial version of the pilot intending to play the lead role herself. "Kristen told me, 'I know you wrote this for yourself, so I don't wanna come in and take a project away from you and take a job from you,'" Foster recalls. "And she was really gracious about it. And I said, 'Honestly, I want to have a baby. And I'm 40 years old, acting is not where my head is at right now. I do not want to be in a hair and makeup trailer at 5 a.m. I really want to become a mom. And so I would be so honored if you would take the role.'" Bell accepted the part after that, and Foster ended up giving birth to her first daughter during the writers' strike last year. "It all worked out perfectly for everyone!"

Brody — who also appeared in House of Lies, CHiPs, and Scream 4 alongside Bell — was thrilled to work with her again. "She's a flawless actor," he tells EW. "She's such a gifted comedian, but also so emotionally available and true and sharp. Her attitude permeates the set and it's a fun and positive attitude, which creates a really lovely environment."

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After Bell was cast, finding the right Noah proved a little trickier. I think we auditioned every single Jewish actor in the world," Foster jokes. "I had this person in my head, and he has to be charming and soulful and deep, but also have a really sharp sense of humor, a sense of sarcasm, and the ability to give her s---. He had to be likable and lovable, but also hot, but also the kind of guy that your mom would love. Adam was the only person who really ticked every box."

Foster said that Bell was overjoyed to reunite with Brody on screen. "They have a friendship," she says. "They were both just really excited to work together, and it was perfect. It's still funny because they have such hot chemistry on camera, and then you realize they're just normal friends off-screen."

The former O.C. star says that he was initially drawn to the show's approachable framing of religion. "When I read the part and the character, I first thought, 'Oh, okay, so the point is he's so modern, casual, and not preachy at all — he just happens to be a rabbi, and he really is just a modern L.A. guy." Seems like a perfect fit for the actor, who is Jewish but hasn't practiced much throughout his life: "I was bar mitzvahed, but that's about the last time I've been to a synagogue." But the strength of Noah's faith becomes clearer as the series progresses, which meant Brody had some work to do. "I went to synagogue, I went to Shabbat dinner, and I researched — a lot of books, documentaries, and podcasts about all things Jewish."

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Brody says his extensive research included "a pretty deep dive on the Holocaust, a few books on Israel and Israel-Palestine, and a lot of tracing the history and lineage of the people and the religion." The actor now has a renewed understanding of the importance of ritual. "So often it was a religion without a nation, or a persecuted minority, or a broken-up group, so it's like keeping this thing alive and tracing it back and making sure that we're all facing this direction at the same time. We can't always be in a temple, but we can all do Shabbat, you know what I mean? Everywhere you are, you can kind of make your home your temple."

Like all great rom-coms, Nobody Wants This surrounds its central couple with a hilarious supporting cast, including Justine Lupe as Joanne's sister-slash-cohost, Timothy Simons as Noah's goofy brother Sasha, Tovah Feldshuh as his overbearing mom Bina, Sherry Cola and D'Arcy Carden as Joanne's nosy friends, and Stephen Tobolowsky as the head rabbi of Noah's synagogue.

Foster is particularly proud of the sibling relationships on the show — she drew from her own experience hosting a podcast with her sister, but reimagined the dynamic so that Morgan's disapproval of Noah generates further tension. "In real life, my sister loved my husband as soon as they met each other and they became best friends, and that made my life a lot easier," she explains. "But I loved the idea that Morgan feels threatened by Joanne getting into a serious relationship. I do think that in real life when two people are stunted or unable to find love, and then one person does find a healthy relationship, then the other person feels really left behind by that. And I've had that in friendships before — when people settled down before me, it felt really threatening when they could figure it out before I could."

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And Simons is one of the strongest comedic forces in the ensemble. "He's funny before he even says anything," Foster says of the Veep star. "Tim and Adam look nothing alike, right? Tim's like 6'4", and they don't look like they're related at all. But when they got in a room together, there was something about their chemistry that immediately felt like brothers, and the way that Tim delivers a joke with such a straight deadpan face, it's like he's not even trying."

Brody, meanwhile, was awestruck by the actor playing his mentor. "My family has been watching Groundhog Day so much recently, so the star of the show for me is Stephen Tobolowsky," he says. "'Phil? Phil Connors!' I've been watching him so much, so getting to work with him was a treat."

Though the season certainly provides a satisfying romantic arc, Foster hopes that Joanne and Noah's story can continue beyond these first 10 episodes. "I absolutely want another season of the show," Foster says. "And I definitely wrote it with a second or third season in mind, because I got plans for Joanne."

All 10 episodes of Nobody Wants This premiere Thursday, Sept. 26, on Netflix.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.