Joanne and her sister Morgan host a podcast about sex and love and everything in between, but mainly about themselves. Morgan’s divorced and frustrated; Joann is always swiping right when she should be swiping left. Poking fun at themselves as they explore sex in the 21st century makes for a very popular program.
Noah, assistant rabbi at a prestigious Los Angeles temple, is on the path chosen for him by others. He has been dating Rebecca, the perfect princess, and never colors outside the lines. But when Rebecca pushes too hard for what she sees as her perfect life, he realizes that it’s not his perfect life. Much to her shock, he breaks up with her. It is then that the planets align, or explode, as Noah’s mother would have it.
Independently, Noah and Joanne are both invited to a party given by a mutual friend. The two singletons gravitate to one another over a case of mistaken identity and a propensity for snide remarks. The chemistry between Noah and Joanne is white hot and from there it’s either all downhill or to the moon, depending on who you ask.
It’s not that this story hasn’t been told before. Mismatched duos, fish out of water, unlikely relationships and even religion thrown in as a barrier, these are the backbones of drama and comedy. Here it is comedy with a capital C. The writing is sharp, using overlapping dialogue and set-ups that come so fast that it’s impossible to anticipate the joke before the next one arrives. The producers are a veritable who’s who of comedy writing and it shows. But the best writing still needs delivery and “Nobody Wants This” is overflowing with actors who have the timing to propel this series to the stratosphere.
Leading this brigade are Kristen Bell as Joanne and Adam Brody as Noah. Their chemistry is palpable and it’s impossible not to root for them against the odds they’ll face. Their timing is impeccable, feeding seamlessly into the next joke or incisive remark. The ease of their interactions brings the viewer into their mindsets and vulnerabilities. These are two people totally capable of delivering laugh-out-loud lines with a straight face and elevating the conversation further. Each actor has always been very good, but here their teaming is positively great.
The supporting cast is fabulous. Justine Lupe plays Morgan, Joanne’s sister and best friend. She is a truly hilarious straight woman, skills she honed in both drama (“Succession”) and comedy (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”). Timothy Simons as Sasha, Noah’s brother, brings the doofus he perfected on “Veep.” Not entirely stupid, but he’s definitely a follower and not a leader. And who does he follow? His wife Esther (Jackie Tohn), a witch of the highest order. Also in a starring role is the city of Los Angeles, from Sherman Oaks to Echo Park, Los Feliz to Koreatown, Beverly Hills to the beach, each part of town a character unto itself.
Borrowing from another comedy, “Fleabag,” “Nobody Wants This” is all about the hot rabbi and the (not so) bad shiksa and what should be a doomed romance, but maybe not.
“Nobody Wants This” is a rare bird today, a truly great comedy with a lot of substance that’s very very funny. I’m going to watch it again.
Now streaming on Netflix.
“A Very Royal Scandal”
“A Very Royal Scandal” is a terrific, deep and entertaining dive into the Prince Andrew interview debacle. This limited series covers the same ground as the recently released Netflix film, “Scoop,” but the source material is different and it benefits from the advantage of time accorded to a three-part limited series that leads to a more nuanced depiction. “A Very Royal Scandal” offers a closer view of the mindset inside Andrew’s circle of friends and family.
The BBC newsroom is struggling and they desperately need a coup. Sam McAlister pitches a story on Prince Andrew because she has an inside source. Photos have resurfaced of his relationship with the disgraced Jeffrey Epstein and rumors are flying that Epstein may have procured an underage girl for Randy Andy. The prince won’t bite and the Palace’s position is to wait out this scandal and it will disappear. But it doesn’t.
Interest in the story only increases after Epstein’s suicide in prison. Andrew’s personal assistant, Amanda Thirsk, contacts McAlister believing that the time might be right for that in-depth interview with the BBC. Star interviewer Emily Maitlis and her team are overjoyed at the prospect of an up close and personal sit down with the prince.
It’s all downhill from there. Maitlis conducted a well-constructed, thorough and seemingly fair grilling of her subject. What her questions revealed weren’t high crimes and misdemeanors, but the cluelessness and total lack of empathy of a man totally without a moral backbone. He was given enough proverbial rope to hang himself and he did. Previous newspaper reporting notwithstanding, the damage control specialists at the Palace were always able to cover up his misdeeds, laugh them off or paint them in a different light. But this was on camera, in person, and his inability to understand the malice of his acts or those of his coterie was impossible to ignore. Even after the interview, one he thought went extremely well, he was convinced that he was loveable and respected by his “subjects.” Unfortunately for him, the public, and, more importantly the queen, saw it differently.
“A Very Royal Scandal” handles this story with far more depth than “Scoop,” aided immensely by characters that are better written and played. It’s not so much about the “get” as it is about the “getting.” “A Very Royal Scandal” is based on the book “Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News” by Emily Maitlis, the journalist who conducted the interview with Prince Andrew. Writer Jeremy Brock put his laser focus on the significance of the interview and not the interviewer.
Like “Scoop,” the cast of “A Very Royal Scandal” was drawn from a crème de la crème of British actors. Ruth Wilson plays a very human and flawed Emily Maitlis. Alex Jennings is a chillingly efficient Sir Edward Young whose skepticism of the project is weighed down by his need to protect the sovereign. Claire Rushbrook offers a sympathetic perspective as Sarah Ferguson, and the always watchable Joanna Scanlan plays Amanda Thirsk as someone who doesn’t put her own interests ahead of the prince. Michael Sheen is an outstanding Prince Andrew who knows how to capitalize on being the queen’s favorite and how to irritate Prince Charles endlessly, both self-possessed and self-satisfied.
Director Julian Jarrold propels this story through three fascinating episodes, letting the story arrive at its conclusion by emphasizing what Andrew didn’t do, rather than what he did.
Watch “A Very Royal Scandal” even if you’ve already seen “Scoop.”
Now streaming on Amazon Prime.`
Neely Swanson spent most of her professional career in the television industry, almost all of it working for David E. Kelley. In her last full-time position as Executive Vice President of Development, she reviewed writer submissions and targeted content for adaptation. As she has often said, she did book reports for a living. For several years she was a freelance writer for “Written By,” the magazine of the WGA West, and was adjunct faculty at USC in the writing division of the School of Cinematic Arts. Neely has been writing film and television reviews for the “Easy Reader” for more than 10 years. Her past reviews can be read on Rotten Tomatoes where she is a tomato-approved critic.
