Netflix's hit series Nobody Wants This is an excellent rom-com, and like all great rom-coms, it has the perfect cast for its love story. Created by Erin Foster, the must-watch series follows Joanne (Kristen Bell), an opinionated sex podcaster, and Noah (Adam Brody), a very hot rabbi. Although the pair wants to be together (don't worry, Hot Priest fans, rabbis can date), they deal with several societal challenges, including the well-meaning judgment of their families.
To bring the story to life, the Netflix romance series gathered many familiar faces, including legendary Jewish actors and L.A.-based comedy stars (including several The Good Place alums). Now back for its second season, the Netflix original has pulled in some of its stars's real-life partners to appear in the on-screen love story. Below, read on to learn more about the lovable cast of Nobody Wants This season 2.
Kristen Bell as Joanne
Joanne hosts a popular sex and dating podcast, which is in talks to be acquired by Spotify in season 1. She's opinionated, agnostic, and a tad cynical, though she isn't as bad a person as she fears she is. Her dating life mostly serves as fodder for her pod until she meets someone unexpected.
Kristen Bell, 45, began her Hollywood career with the breakout titular role in the hit teen show Veronica Mars, and she went on to play several other iconic characters, including the voice of Gossip Girl, the titular ex in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Anna in Frozen. Her other notable projects include Starz's Party Down, Showtime's House of Lies, NBC's The Good Place, and Apple TV+'s Central Park.
Adam Brody as Noah Roklov
Noah Roklov is an unconventional, modern-day rabbi who dreams of becoming head rabbi and finding his soulmate. Nobody Wants This's epic love story kicks off when he meets shiksa Joanne, shortly after breaking things off with his long-term, perfect Jewish girlfriend Rebecca.
Adam Brody, 45, needs no introduction for millennial women, as he's best known for playing teen heartthrob Seth Cohen in the hit 2000s series The O.C. Since then, he has also starred in 2005's Mr. and Mrs. Smith, 2009's Jennifer's Body, 2015's Sleeping With Other People, Crackle's StartUp, 2019's Ready or Not, 2020's Promising Young Woman, ABC's Single Parents, FX's Fleishman Is in Trouble, and 2023's American Fiction. (He's also married to Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester.)
Justine Lupe as Morgan
Morgan often butts heads with her sister and podcast co-host Joanne over their different views on where the business should go and their opinionated natures. Still, the sisters are always there for each other.
Two years ago, Justine Lupe, 36, ended her run as the call girl and aspiring playwright turned wife of Connor Roy in the HBO hit Succession. The Juilliard grad has also appeared in shows and films, including 2012's Frances Ha, ABC's Cristela, FX's Snowfall, Peacock's Mr. Mercedes, 2022's Luckiest Girl Alive, Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Apple TV+'s The Big Door Prize. (Her husband, artist Tyson Mason, has a cameo in Nobody Wants This season 2.)
Timothy Simons as Sasha Roklov
Noah's brother, Sasha, works for their father's company and has a family with his wife, Esther, and their pre-teen daughter Miriam. He can be self-effacing, dubbing himself and Morgan the "loser siblings."
Timothy Simons, 47, is best known for his breakout role in the HBO comedy Veep, where he played The Pointless Giant, the mildest of many nicknames for Jonah Ryan. Since then, the actor and comedian has starred in movies and shows, including 2014's Inherent Vice, 2016's Christine, 2020's Happiest Season, Max's Station Eleven, 2022's Don't Worry Darling, 2023's Joy Ride, as well as the Hulu shows Candy and The Handmaid's Tale. Next up, he's set to play Tantalus in season 2 of Disney's Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Jackie Tohn as Esther Roklov
Esther, Sasha's wife/Noah's sister-in-law, is a non-nonsense family woman with a dry sense of humor. At first, she doesn't like Joanne because Noah's ex-girlfriend, Rebecca, is her best friend. As her husband and Morgan become good friends, she becomes determined to prove she's "fun" in season 2.
She's played by Jackie Tohn, 45, an American actress and musician who has appeared in shows and films including 2015's Sisters, Netflix's Glow, Prime Video's The Boys and its spinoff Gen V, and 2023's Step Aside. She also competed on season 8 of American Idol in 2009, followed by the songwriting competition show Platinum Hit in 2011. (Her boyfriend, actor and filmmaker Joe Gillette, appears in season 2, episode 5 as Gabe.)
Tovah Feldshuh as Bina Roklov
Tovah Feldshuh, 76, is a stage and screen star who has acted on Broadway for over 50 years and received four Tony nominations. She plays Noah's overprotective mother, Bina, who immigrated to the U.S. from Russia. On the TV side of her career, she's best known for appearing in Law & Order, Flesh and Bone, The Walking Dead, Salvation, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
Paul Ben-Victor as Ilan Roklov
Noah's chill father, Ilan, is played by Paul Ben-Victor, 60, an alum of prestige dramas including The Wire (where he played Spiros in season 2), Entourage, Vinyl, True Detective, and Paul T. Goldman. He has also appeared in films including The Irishman, True Romance, Daredevil, Don Jon, and The Baker.
Stephanie Faracy as Lynn
Joanne and Morgan's wellness-obsessed mother, Lynn, is played by Stephanie Faracy, 73, a Brooklyn-born actress who made her television debut in a 1976 episode of Laverne and Shirley. She has appeared in movies including The Great Outdoors, Hocus Pocus, Sideways, Temple Grandin, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, as well as shows like His & Hers, True Colors, Frasier, Devious Maids, and Uncoupled.
Michael Hitchcock as Henry
Joanne's father, Henry, has recently separated from his wife, Lynn, to explore his homosexuality—but don't worry, the family's all still close. He's played by Michael Hitchcock, 67, an alum of the famed improv group The Groundlings, who has appeared in shows including Mad TV, The Suite Life on Deck, Men of a Certain Age, The United States of Tara, Glee, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Black Monday. He also previously costarred with Kristen Bell in the Netflix spoof The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.
Sherry Cola as Ashley
Ashley is not only Joanne's close friend and podcast producer; she's the mutual friend whose dinner party begins Joanne and Noah's love story. She's played by Sherry Cola, 35, an actress and comedian who rose to fame playing Alice Kwon on the Freeform series Good Trouble. She's since starred in movies and shows including 2022's Turning Red, 2023's Shortcomings and Joy Ride, 2024's A Family Affair, Netflix's Blue Eye Samurai, and 2025's Freaker Friday and Good Fortune.
Leslie Grossman as Rabbi Shira
Rabbi Shira—Noah's old camp counselor-turned-mentor—is played by Leslie Grossman, 53, an L.A.-born actress and frequent collaborator of Ryan Murphy. The longtime TV actress has appeared in dozens of shows, most notably The WB's Popular and What I Like About You, Hulu's Love, Victor, FX's American Horror Story; and Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Hernandez Story.
Emily Arlook as Rebecca
Noah's ex (and Esther's best friend), Rebecca, is played by Emily Arlook, 35, best known for playing Nomi Segal on Freeform's college series Grown-ish. The Jewish-Buddhist actress has also appeared in 2019's Big Time Adolescence, 2023's You People, and several episodes of The Good Place.
D'Arcy Carden as Ryann
Joanne's good friend Ryann (seen above, next to Bernard David Jones as Charles) is played by Kristen Bell's former The Good Place co-star D'Arcy Carden, 45. In addition to her fan-favorite role as Janet in NBC's hit comedy, Carden is an actress, comedian, and UCB alum who has also appeared in shows including Broad City, Single Parents, Barry, and A League of Their Own.
Arian Moayed as Dr. Andy
In season 2, viewers meet Dr. Andy, Morgan's unconventional new boyfriend, a charming psychologist played by Arian Moayed, 45. The Iranian-American stage and screen actor reunites with his Succession co-star Lupe, after his previous Emmy-nominated run as private-equity bro Stewy Hosseini. Moayed's other notable projects include Netflix's Inventing Anna, the Marvel titles Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ms. Marvel, and HBO Max's Love Life, as well as his short-form series The Accidental Wolf.
Leighton Meester as Abby
Blair Waldorf actress Leighton Meester, 39, joins season 2 as Abby, Joanne's former middle school nemesis who's now a mommy influencer. Since her breakout role in Gossip Girl, Meester has starred in movies such as The Roommate, Monte Carlo, and EXmas, as well as shows Single Parents, How I Met Your Father, Good Cop/Bad Cop, and The Buccaneers. Next up, she's set to appear in Rachel Sennott's HBO show I Love L.A.
Seth Rogen as Rabbi Neil; Kate Berlant as Cami
Noah faces a minor crisis of faith in season 2 when he meets Neil and Cami, rabbis at the more progressive Temple Ahava.
Seth Rogen, 43, is a Canadian actor, writer, and filmmaker best known for his popular comedy movies—including Superbad, Pineapple Express, and This Is The End—and his more dramatic roles in films like The Fabelmans. He comes to Nobody Wants This fresh off his Emmy wins for the Apple TV+ satire The Studio. The multi-hyphenate is also a prolific producer for films and shows (ahem, The Boys), and he founded the cannabis lifestyle brand Houseplant in 2019. He has been married to actress Lauren Miller since 2011.
Kate Berlant, 38, is an actress and comedian who made her TV debut on a 2002 episode of Lizzie McGuire. She has since starred in titles including 2018's Sorry to Bother You, 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 2022's Don't Worry Darling, Prime Video's A League of Their Own, and 2023's Dream Scenario. She has also released the stand-up special Cinnamon in the Wind, as well as the Peacock sketch-comedy special Would It Kill You to Laugh? with John Early. In addition to performing at comedy clubs and art institutions regularly, she also won the American version of Taskmaster in 2018.
Alex Karpovsky as Rabbi Big Noah
Rabbi Big Noah, a new face at Temple Chai who becomes Noah's competition for the head-rabbi job, is played by Girls alum Alex Karpovsky, 50. In addition to playing Ray on the HBO hit, the actor and filmmaker is best known for Lena Dunham's early film Tiny Furniture; the Coen Brothers films Inside Llewyn Davis and Hail, Caesar!; 2017's Folk Hero & Funny Guy; Prime Video's Homecoming; and Peacock's Angelyne.