By Hope Sloop
Published Oct. 22, 2026, 3:01 a.m. ET
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Over the last decade or so, the phrase “if he wanted to, he would” has entered the zeitgeist with a fervor and spread across social media like wildfire. At the heart of the saying is the concept that if a man is truly smitten, in love, or even generally interested in you, there will be no mixed signals or confusion on where he stands. It’s a relatively straightforward idea that seems self-explanatory, but one that has caught on for a reason: media has often romanticised relationships built on imbalance. Thank god we have a show like Nobody Wants This to counter that BS.
In the newly released third season of the Netflix rom-com series, breadcrumbing and playing games are so passé, as Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah (Adam Brody) are head over heels and full steam ahead. It’s not a major spoiler to reveal that the couple — who broke up for maybe an hour at the end of Season 2 only to race back into each other’s arms with the confidence that they are meant to be — start Season 3 by moving in together, a major step in any relationship. It’s that milestone that kicks off Nobody Wants This Season 3, which goes all in on being the type of romantic comedy that feels both real and aspirational, and makes it the best installment of Nobody Wants This to date.
If you go back and look at active criticisms of Season 2 (and even Season 1, to a certain extent), you’ll find that the one thing fans wanted more than anything was less of the back-and-forth. Noah and Joanne’s love story grabbed us in the first place because of how right it always felt, even if it wasn’t “easy” in the way that some people claim relationships are meant to be. There was always an obstacle, a conversation, a situation that they were avoiding or dodging that made the story feel like it was one short detour away from losing momentum. Thankfully, as though the writers and showrunners got on Instagram themselves to really listen to what the fans were saying, the series removes its own biggest obstacle: getting in the way of this couple’s happiness.
Thanks to top-notch writing and stellar performances from the cast — Bell and Brody kill it again, but Justine Lupe and Timothy Simons consistently steal the show — Nobody Wants This finds a rhythm that feels like it understands the push and pull between wanting to hurry up and get to the good part (i.e. a happily ever after) while also begging the audience to live in the everyday moments with this couple. In doing so, the show makes a night at home, a first couple trip, or a housewarming party feel as monumental as an engagement, wedding, or welcoming a baby. Those are just examples… no spoilers!
Inside a saying like “if he wanted to, he would,” is the idea that we as human beings are not inclined to do things that we do not want to do; perhaps a better way to say it is that to do something for another person, we have to be invested in it for ourselves. I don’t think this is always the case, per se, but it certainly helps when you have an emotional attachment independent of another person’s thoughts or feelings, which is a long-winded way of explaining how the show tackles Joanne’s conversion to Judaism in Season 3, a topic that the first two seasons made clear was not something she saw for herself. With the revelation at the end of Season 2, however, Nobody Wants This makes the important and necessary distinction that Bell’s character is in it for all of the right reasons. This is what the show desperately needed.
Another dose of life is injected into the third season by Lupe and Simons’ characters, Morgan and Sasha, who bring just as fun and intrigue to the 10 episodes as Brody and Bell’s main characters. In fact, one major highlight of Season 3 just so happens to be a near-solo episode helmed by their two characters, who make it clear that while Noah and Joanne are the primary focus of the series, Nobody Wants This is a show without parallel because of its supporting characters. Lupe, who nails the acerbic wit and bored eccentricity of her character after years of solid work in Succession and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, therein becomes a highlight of the season. As does Simons, who makes a character that could become a bad guy in a lesser show feel relatable and worthy of viewers’ empathy.
The stellar ensemble also includes the ever-hilarious Jackie Tohn as Esther, Sasha’s somewhat estranged wife, who navigates a journey of her own that is more than deserved. Like Lupe and Simons, Tohn knows how to take even the smallest of moments and make it her own, giving her series counterparts a run for their money in the scene-stealing category. Make no mistake: the ensemble of Nobody Wants This is truly one of the best on television.
Individually, each element of Nobody Wants This Season 3 works on its own to make the newest installment the most ambitious and exciting season yet, but in harmony with all of its other parts is when the show truly becomes a winner in every sense. It’s the culmination of phenomenal characters, hilarious writing, and outstanding performances that make Nobody Wants This Season 3 the best installment thus far and a show that we never want to end.
Nobody Wants This Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.
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