Bell — who has been a part of some of the most beloved television series for over two decades now, from Veronica Mars to Gossip Girl and The Good Place — wasn’t looking for her next series when Foster’s script for a comedy about two unlucky-in-love people came her way. “I read Nobody Wants This and the character and the subject matter and the tone was so appealing, so unique and novel, I had to say yes because it’s rare that you read something that you’ve truly never seen before,” she remembers. 

Joanne, an open — yet hardened — book who finds connection with others by putting them at ease with her wit and curiosity, both on and off her podcast, is a role tailor-made for Bell, allowing the actor to draw from her facility with sharp-witted comedy and real human drama. Wielding snappy comebacks and self-deprecating remarks as a defense mechanism, Joanne is not afraid to confront the parts of herself she might not like and is eager to break her own obsessive and impulsive patterns. “I saw in Joanne something I sometimes see in myself and see in the world around me,” Bell says. 

When the self-proclaimed “too much” Joanne finally meets a guy she actually likes in “hot rabbi” Noah, she realizes that just because a relationship is challenging does not mean it’s not worth pursuing: “I thought the dynamic was so interesting, between one person who is bad at adulting and the other person who’s almost too good at adulting. Joanne craves spontaneity, and Noah almost seems allergic to it. They’re polar opposites in almost every way, but their desire for growth, even if subconsciously, [draws] them together.”

Once Bell signed on to Nobody Wants This, which she also executive produces, the star passionately lobbied for Brody to play Noah. “To be honest, when I read this script, by the third scene, I knew it had to be Adam because there’s a lot to pull off in that role [even though] on its surface it may seem simple,” Bell says. “You have to have someone who’s endlessly charming, can show emotion, can also show strength, and can stare longingly into someone’s eyes and make you believe it.”

A generational favorite who came to typify a certain kind of sweetly nerdy romantic lead thanks to his work in the early aughts series Gilmore Girls and The O.C., Brody hadn’t seen himself as that kind of character for some time. “I just love the genre, and I hadn’t done it in [a while],” says Brody, who recently made memorable turns in acclaimed dramedies like Fleishman Is in Trouble and American Fiction. “The opportunity doesn’t present itself for me that much for whatever reason.” 

Not that Brody had set out to find a role like Noah necessarily. “In the moment, I’m [never] looking to make a move in one direction or another,” he says of how he selects his projects. “I’m just like, what’s either the most talented group of individuals I can work with next, or what’s the smartest story I can be a part of telling next? I heard through the grapevine that Kristen was kind of seeking me out [for] this. The idea of being in a romantic comedy opposite Kristen seemed like a true joy.” 

Brody and Bell had worked together briefly on the series House of Lies, shooting “an intimate scene that [Adam] affectionately refers to as our threesome because I was seven months pregnant and hiding it,” Bell recalls. But there was no guarantee that the pair would creatively connect when it came to playing Noah and Joanne. “It was an open question truly to both of us how well it would work,” says Brody.

But neither needed to worry with Foster’s compelling script and the central couple she created for them to bring to life. “The tracks were laid very nicely for you to care about these characters and want them to be together,” says Brody. 

Bell says their appreciation for one another as performers added to their onscreen chemistry. “When you’re acting with Adam, it’s almost as if the lines weren’t scripted,” Bell says. “You’re just talking to someone. He’s so natural.” Brody similarly raves: “Kristen’s a phenomenal talent. She’s so funny but also a flawless dramatic actress. She’s just a wonderful dance partner.” 

Underpinning Bell and Brody’s partnership was a knockout supporting cast, including Justine Lupe (Succession), Timothy Simons (Veep), and Jackie Tohn (GLOW). “This cast got really close quickly because everyone is lovely,” Bell says. “There’s no other way to describe it.” As Joanne’s sister Morgan, Lupe is Bell’s copilot in podcasting and a for-better-or-for-worse sounding board for every relationship challenge that comes her way. Their familial connection carries offscreen. “I fell so madly and deeply in love with Justine as a little sister,” Bell says. “I am so grateful the show brought me into her life.” 

Brody also developed a sibling bond with Simons, whose character Sasha finds himself torn between wanting the best for his brother and meddling for the sake of his disappointed family. “I’ve been wanting to work with him for a long time,” Brody says. “He’s a genius, and [we] couldn’t have gotten along better.”

Tohn plays Sasha’s wife Esther, who is vehemently against Joanne joining the family, though offscreen, she and Bell go back decades. “Jackie was pretty much the first friend I had in Los Angeles 20 years ago,” reveals Bell. “I read this script and thought, Oh my gosh, this is a perfect part for my literal real-life best friend: playing my nemesis.” 

Bringing Foster’s singular characters to life, the ensemble’s comedic connections explode onscreen, and their mutual admiration is palpable. In Brody’s words: “It’s not a coincidence that it was one of the most joyful shoots I’ve had.” 

Yet while there is no shortage of joy in Nobody Wants This, the series is not afraid to embrace the messy complexities of falling in love — which makes it maybe more relatable than a simple happily-ever-after tale. Working from Foster’s blueprint, Bell and Brody were eager to explore just how scary it is to be open and honest with someone who could break your heart, and to try to find a way forward for Joanne and Noah. “It’s not comfortable, and it’s not safe, and there is carnage, [but] watching these two characters make choices to be their higher selves, to be more compassionate, more empathetic, to grow, it’s innately feel good,” Bell says. “We’re all a little bit more alike than we are different, and sometimes it takes a Romeo and Juliet-style love to break your perspective.”