Critics and Fans Slam ‘Lame’ Season 2 of ‘Nobody Wants This’ Amid Kristen Bell Controversy: ‘Hopeless Cringe’

It’s not a good week for Kristen Bell. Days after her controversial anniversary post about husband Dax Shepard made headlines, the actress is facing more backlash – this time over the poorly received second season of her Netflix series Nobody Wants This.

The romantic comedy, created by Erin Foster, debuted its second season on Thursday, October 23, and has already drawn criticism from both fans and critics who say it’s lost the spark that made its first season a hit.

The show, which earned Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Season 1, follows podcaster Joanne (Bell) and her rabbi boyfriend Noah (Adam Brody) as they navigate an interfaith relationship. Viewers once praised its sharp writing and chemistry between the leads, but many say that magic has vanished.

The Hollywood Reporter’s TV critic Daniel Fienberg wrote that Season 2 is more of the same, with the interfaith couple leaping past the honeymoon phase of their relationship.

“It just helps for your characters to have other things to do in addition to falling in and out of love. Otherwise, a distinct risk of repetition and exhaustion sets in,” Fienberg writes.

“Brody and Bell are left playing often identical beats of uncertainty and insecurity to the ones that worked well in the first season. In the process, the chemistry and overall appeal dwindle dramatically,” he added.

USA Today’s Kelly Lawler was even more blunt, writing that “the new season of Nobody fizzles that spark right back into nothingness.”

“Its quirky characters have jumped the shark into cartoonish annoyance, its plots gone from heightened to outlandish, and worst of all, it has lost the palpable romance that was the crux of the series’ appeal,” Lawler wrote. “All that’s left is some hopeless cringe, stunt guest stars and unfunny jokes.”

“But perhaps the biggest sin of Nobody Season 2, at least in the first five episodes made available for review, is that it completely lacks the effervescent romance, that magical chemistry between Brody and Bell, that made the first season so irresistible. In Season 2, they settle into a relationship that infuriatingly has not resolved any of the issues from Season 1, and as a result their sizzle evaporates. The drama between them is no longer real and relatable, but contrived and silly. It’s hard to imagine why they are together at all,” Lawler added.

Fans also echoed the disappointment online, taking to X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit to vent.

One X user wrote that the show’s sophomore season is “somehow both boring and obnoxious,” while another said, “Season 2 of #NobodyWantsThis is a letdown. Noah and Joanne…are they even compatible? Meanwhile, Esther, Sasha and Morgan’s stories are actually fun and engaging.”

On Reddit, a user said they were on episode 5 and feeling “angry.”

“At the moment, however much of a romantic I might be (and I really am) this whole ‘let’s talk it out, we can conquer everything because we are in love and that wins out’ thing is driving me nuts,” they explained.

Another wrote, “I’m sorry the show lost all its charm! Hopefully it will get better! But im already halfway thru and its not looking too great.”

Others called Season 2 “lame” and “definitely not as good,” with one saying Bell’s character Joanne has become “a pain in the a**! She is a whiney pain who is never accommodating and high maintenance.”

As one X user summed it up, “Kinda funny to see blow up like it has. It’s not an especially good show, including now in its second season. It’s sorta like another hangout show that asks basically nothing of its audience. An easy, pleasant, low-stakes watch about two people in love.”

Meanwhile, Bell’s off-screen antics haven’t helped. The 45-year-old actress skipped a scheduled Today appearance on Wednesday, October 22, just hours before hitting the red carpet at New York City’s 92nd Street Y alongside costars Brody, Justin Lupe, Jackie Tohn and Timothy Simons.

As Star previously reported, Bell sparked backlash over an Instagram post celebrating her 12th wedding anniversary on October 18.

“Happy 12th wedding anniversary to the man who once said to me: ‘I would never kill you. A lot of men have killed their wives at a certain point. Even though I’m heavily incentivized to kill you, I never would.’ ❤️,” she captioned the post.

Commenters quickly pointed out that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, calling the message “tone-deaf” and “disturbing.”

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