More than two decades after his breakout role on The OC, Adam Brody is finding a new legion of fans with Netflix’s Nobody Wants This.
The 44-year-old actor plays newly single Noah, a quick-witted, basketball-playing rabbi who finds himself entangled in a relationship with Joanne (Kirsten Bell), an agnostic sex and relationship podcast host.
The couple must deal with their religious differences, as well as their respective chaotic family dynamics.
In the series, Noah is also known as “Handsome Rabbi,” an apparent nod to Fleabag’s handsome priest. And it has proven to be even more popular than the hit BBC show, with more than 10 million views in the first four days of broadcast alone.
Fans have flocked to social media to praise Adam Brody’s sex appeal, intelligence, and vulnerability.
The 44-year-old actor plays newly single Noah, a quick-witted, basketball-playing rabbi who finds himself entangled in a relationship with Joanne (Kirsten Bell), an agnostic podcaster about sex and relationships.
In the series, Noah is referred to as a “hot rabbi,” an apparent nod to Fleabag’s handsome priest.
Fans have flocked to social media to praise Adam Brody’s middle-aged sex appeal, intelligence and vulnerability.
One wrote: “Adam Brody you are the absolute green flag.”
Another said: ‘Adam Brody cured every girl who was ever told they were “too much.” In fact, I cried.’
A third declared: “Save me Adam Brody as sexy rabbi save me.”
“Adam Brody is the perfect romantic lead and we have severely underutilized (sic) him over the last 10-15 years,” said a fourth.
Now, research has indicated exactly why Noah could be considered “perfect,” pointing out three different characteristics.
Kindness and understanding, not always wanting the same things, and commitment are among the top three qualities repeatedly emphasized in studies.
in one united states studyResearchers questioned 184 participants about their most and least desired characteristics in a romantic partner.
Both sexes agreed on the characteristics of kindness and understanding, having a passionate personality and intelligence as the most important.
In another, published earlier this year, scientists in brazil It was found that, regardless of sexual orientation, people prioritized intelligence and kindness over physical attractiveness when choosing a partner.
The 10-episode series stars Brody and Bell as protagonists and comes from writer Erin Foster, daughter of David Foster and stepdaughter of Katharine McPhee.
One social media user wrote: “Adam Brody you are the absolute green flag.” Another said: ‘Adam Brody cured every girl who was ever told they were “too much.” I actually cried’
They asked 778 heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual men and women to construct their ideal partner based on a set of predetermined traits: intelligence, agreeableness, physical attractiveness, health and socioeconomic status.
Participants were also presented with three budget scenarios: low, medium, and high.
But despite the universal appeal of intelligence and kindness, researchers also discovered variations in how these and other traits were valued through the lens of sex.
Heterosexual men, for example, rated physical attractiveness significantly higher than their counterparts.
It comes as the series is being praised by critics for delivering the best, craziest story in the romantic comedy genre since 1989’s When Harry Met Sally.
The 10-episode series stars Brody and Bell as protagonists, and comes from writer Erin Foster, daughter of David Foster and stepdaughter of Katharine McPhee, who converted to Judaism before marrying her husband.
On the show, Noah tells Joanne that there’s nothing worse for your professional image than falling in love with a ‘shiksa’. ‘
Technically, it’s a Yiddish insult that means you’re impure and hateful, but nowadays it just means you’re an attractive, non-Jewish blonde,” Noah tells Joanne.
Part of the appeal, viewers say, is Noah’s intrinsic unavailability.
Like the ‘handsome priest’ before him in Fleabag, Noah is not supposed to date a secular woman.
And like Phoebe Waller Bridge’s character, Joanne is a committed atheist.
Both represent forbidden infatuations, forcing the protagonists to give in.
in one study 2017The researchers concluded that holding on to the idea that you shouldn’t have to make compromises in a relationship is unrealistic and “compromises are inevitable.”
But Noah’s relationship with Joanne also highlights that couples won’t always want the same things: another factor that research repeatedly suggests constitutes the “perfect match.”
In an interview with Vanity Fair this week, Brody said fans can expect his characters to be “progressively more generous and self-aware” as the actor ages.
On the show, Noah tells Joanne that there’s nothing worse for your professional image than falling in love with a ‘shiksa’. “Technically, it’s a Yiddish insult that means you’re impure and hateful, but these days it just means you’re an attractive non-Jewish blonde,” Noah tells Joanne.
An American study that assessed the personality traits of 360 couples found that both partners bring their own unique qualities, and those qualities influence the relationship independently.
Writing in the Journal of Personality and Social PsychologyThe researchers said: “Each partner’s personality contributes independently to relationship outcomes, but not synergistically: an entire relationship is no greater than the sum of its two parts.”
Relationship psychotherapist Charisse Cooke also said Refinery29: ‘People often confuse compatibility with being equal.
‘Often it is differences in relationships that can cause problems and conflict.
“That’s why we can imagine that someone who has the same interests as us protects us from misunderstandings or disagreements.”
But he added: “When you date someone with the same interests, there’s less room to grow.” You may stop trying new things.’
In an interview with vanity fair This week, Brody said fans can expect his characters to be “progressively more selfless and self-aware” as the actor gets older.
“This could be because I’m old and slowing down,” he said, “or because I’m wise, grounded and confident.”