Subhi Agrawal
Netflix’s latest rom-com series, Nobody Wants This, draws inspiration from the real-life love story of its creator and producer, Erin Foster.
Inspired By Erin Foster’s Real-Life Love
The 10-episode series, streaming since September 26, explores the blossoming romance between newly single rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) and sex podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell), all while facing skepticism from those who doubt their relationship can succeed.
The show’s idea originated in 2019 when Erin Foster, daughter of Grammy-winning producer David Foster, was converting to Judaism after meeting her now-husband Simon Tikhman. They first crossed paths at a Los Angeles gym in 2018 and got engaged the next year.
During her conversion, Foster’s producing partner and manager encouraged her to create a show about her journey, initially titled “Shiksha”—a term often used by Jewish people to refer to a gentile woman. She explained on her podcast, The World’s First Podcast, that the concept resonated with her and “clicked.”
Foster and Tikhman married during a New Year’s Eve celebration in 2019 and welcomed their first child, a daughter, in May. Although Tikhman isn’t a rabbi and the significant conflicts faced by characters Noah and Joanne aren’t reflective of her real-life relationship, Foster has referred to the series as a “love letter” to her marriage.
Erin Foster Aims for Humor and Charm
From the many similarities between Tikhman and the charming Noah to the moments of “ick” that briefly turned Foster off, here’s how Erin Foster’s real life influenced the new show.
In Nobody Wants This, Joanne and Noah meet at a dinner party, but Foster and Tikhman’s meet-cute takes place at a Los Angeles gym. While Tikhman isn’t a rabbi—he’s a record label owner and talent manager—he served as Foster’s inspiration for developing Noah’s character.
Using her husband as inspiration, Foster aimed to create a character who was “emotionally available, chivalrous, old-fashioned, yet really funny and confident,” she shared on an episode of The World’s First Podcast with her sister Sara Foster. Above all, she emphasized that Noah needed to possess “rizz.”
Erin Foster’s Awkward Sunflower Moment
In episode 6, aptly named “The Ick,” an unprepared Noah meets Joanne’s parents for the first time. Trying to make a good impression, he arrives in a sport coat over his gym clothes, holding a large bouquet of sunflowers. However, the awkward moment causes Joanne to feel “the ick,” turning her attraction to Noah into disgust, and she considers ending things right then and there.
The scene featuring Noah with his “giant flower-holding hands” is inspired by Erin Foster’s real-life experience. When she started dating Tikhman in 2018, he brought a massive bouquet of sunflowers to meet her mother, Rebecca, for the first time. This gesture initially overwhelmed Foster, mirroring the awkwardness seen in the show.
“The flowers were so long, and they kept falling over,” Foster recalled to New York Magazine.
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