Is Nobody Wants This Based on a True Story? Erin Foster Explains - Netflix Tudum

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Is Nobody Wants This Based on a True Story?

This show hits so close to home, fans can’t help but ask: is it based on a true story?

Creator Erin Foster opens up about how her personal experiences and real-life relationship with her husband, Simon Tikhman, inspired key moments in the series — from self-sabotaging healthy relationships, to obsessing over dinner party lighting, to the “ick.” Like Joanne, Foster says that “when I got into an adult, healthy relationship, I was really excited to do all these things I’d seen other couples do that I admired, like hosting a dinner party.”

Alongside co-showrunner Jenni Konner, Foster shares how real-life moments shaped storylines, romantic dynamics, and emotional truths that anchor the comedy’s central relationship between rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) and agnostic podcast host Joanne (Kristen Bell)

Konner says that the writing team strives to make Nobody Wants This feel based in a reality level that people can feel: “They feel it because Erin lived it.”

While not every scene is autobiographical, much of the show is grounded in reality — making even the silliest parts feel honest, relatable, and fresh.

You can follow Erin Foster on Instagram here.

Sept. 3
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