Nobody Wants This: The True Story That Inspired Erin Foster's Number One Netflix Rom-Com

If you didn't spend your weekend bingeing Nobody Wants This, you're way behind on Netflix's buzziest new rom-com. Not only does the series star two of the finest millennials ever to grace television (that would be Seth Cohen er, Adam Brody, and Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell), but their onscreen chemistry is pure fire. 

Naturally, Brody plays a hot rabbi named Noah, and Bell plays an agnostic podcaster named Joanne, whose recent string of bad dates makes excellent fodder for her show. When the pair meet up at a party, it's electric. But then questions of faith, compatibility, and how much of yourself you're willing to give up for love get in the way. 

Over 10 episodes, it's not just a matter of will they or won't they, there are also uplifting stories of religion and spirituality told in a modern way. That's because the show's creator, Erin Foster, based the story on her love life and conversion to Judaism. While we wait to see if Netflix will bring the show back for a second season, here's what you need to know about Foster and the latest TV series taking over the internet. 

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Who is Erin Foster?

Erin Foster may not appear onscreen for Nobody Wants This, but you've seen her before. She and her sister, Sara Foster, created and starred in VH1's Barely Famous. They also co-host The World's First Podcast and founded the clothing line Favorite Daughter. Foster has also done small TV bits over the years, appearing on shows like Castle, Circle, Law & Order: LA, and The Girlfriend Experience. 

You may also know her as the daughter of David Foster, the famous Canadian composer and producer who once appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills when he was married to Yolanda Hadid. These days, he's married to Katharine McPhee, whom he first met when he was a guest mentor on American Idol in 2006.

Who Is Erin Foster Married to?

Erin Foster started dating Simon Tikhman in 2018, and the pair got engaged a year later. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Foster revealed it was important to Tikhman that he marry somebody Jewish. She told Harper's Bazaar, "It was kind of like, 'Yeah. Whatever. I'll be Jewish.' It didn't really mean anything to me at the time. It was sort of like, 'Yeah, sure, all my friends are Jewish.'" So she agreed.

"If he had asked me to be in a cult, I would've been in a cult," she said. "I was 35 and needed to lock it down. So I thought, 'Of course I will.' But then, when I went through the process and went to the converting classes at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, it was this really fascinating, expansive, cool world."

Why Didn't Erin Foster Star in Nobody Wants This?

Foster initially wrote the series with the intention of starring in it. She also didn't write it with a Hot Rabbi character in mind, but once a producer suggested the idea, everything clicked into place. Meanwhile, Netflix was super interested in the idea, but they had someone else in mind to play Joanne: Kristen Bell. 

"I didn't want a trope-y thing. I wanted an actress who would fall into it in a really relaxed, natural way. And from our first meeting at Netflix, after they bought the idea, immediately for them, it was like, 'It's Kristen Bell. It's Kristen Bell, no matter what. It is Kristen Bell. That is who it is.' They have worked with her many times before, and they are obsessed with her. They love her," she told Harper's Bazaar.

"We had a meeting, and she was so respectful, nice, and complimentary, and she very clearly, very quickly said, 'Erin, I know you wrote this for yourself to be in. I'm not comfortable taking this role away from you.' And I said, 'Well, first of all, it doesn't sound like I really have a choice, so let's do this.'"

Foster had another reason not to star in the series, however. She and Tikhman were trying to get pregnant. And so, this year, Foster birthed two babies: the show and her daughter, Noa Mimi Tikhman.

Will There Be a Second Season of Nobody Wants This?

Nobody Wants This dropped its first season on Netflix on Sept. 26. Since then, the series has moved into Netflix's Top 10 and continues to generate buzz online. The series has also gotten a 93% critical score and a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. So, even though the streamer hasn't announced a second season, it seems like a no-brainer — especially after that cliffhanger ending (no spoilers here!).

"We're getting a really positive response," Foster told IndieWire. "And so I think the conversations have definitely started to happen about a potential Season 2. The story in Season 1 unfolds really slowly. And so I think if there is a Season 2, I would want to just kind of pick up where we leave off and continue to take it slow because I don't want us to get too far ahead of ourselves. I mean, I want my show to be on the air as long as possible!"

Stream Nobody Wants This, now on Netflix.