• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, October 1, 2024

The first episode of Netflix’s new romantic comedy “Nobody Wants This” had me right up until the show’s final line. This was uttered by Tovah Feldshuh in the role of “Bina,” the mother of a rabbi who is smitten by a woman who is not Jewish.

The line is merely two words as Bina answers a question from another congregant in a synagogue after the conclusion of Friday night Shabat services.

“Who the hell is that?” asks the other congregant, referring to an attractive woman they are seeing from afar for the first time.

Then, Feldshuh conjures up the angriest, most bitter facial expression she can adopt from more than 50 years as an actress, and says with all the disgust she can muster, “A shiksa!”

That’s a Yiddish word referring to a non-Jewish, gentile woman. It is an ugly, low-class word meant to be dismissive, demeaning and derogatory, especially as it is applied here. It categorizes non-Jewish women as stereotypes who are all unfit for marriage to a Jewish man, reflecting an aversion to intermarriage that flourishes in some Jewish communities.

The subject of interfaith romance is the central theme of “Nobody Wants This” (although it remains to be seen if the couple in “Nobody Wants This” will eventually marry).

The show is an L.A.-based rom-com with charm to spare. Kristen Bell, 44, plays the non-Jewish woman, Joanne -- a dating and sex podcaster whose romantic life is a shambles. 

Adam Brody, also 44, plays the rabbi, Noah -- a man who is recovering from the end of a long-term relationship. 

Episode One had a great script until shiksa. Among other things, the two do not meet cute in the manner of most rom-coms. Instead, they simply meet each other at the dinner party of a mutual friend and immediately hit it off.

They are intelligent, modern, outgoing adults -- refreshingly real and far from stereotypical.

By contrast, the Jewish mother played by Tovah Feldshuh who stereotypes Joanne is herself a tiresome stereotype -- something Jews can live without at the present time.

The TV Blog is not condemning “Nobody Wants This” from the uttering of one ill-chosen slur. Up until then, I loved the show, and plan to watch more. 

The show has 10 episodes approximately a half-hour each. It started streaming last week on Netflix.