Growing up, I attended three different churches: a youth group on Wednesdays, an Ethiopian church on Sundays, and an American church on Saturdays. The ritual of going so much Church felt more faithful than my actual devotion to a God I really didn’t understand or was reluctant to understand.

But watching Nobody Wants This, Netflix’s new romantic comedy series that centers on an interfaith relationship between agnostic sex and relationship podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and Noah Roklov – played by a still very hot Adam Brody – turns, religion began to make sense to me again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still agnostic, but the comfort in Joanne and Noah’s gentile romance illustrates the refreshing relationship a person can have with religion. Or maybe it was my long-standing crush on Brody that influenced my openness.

Either way, “Nobody Wants This” walks the line between the chaos of Joanne and Noah’s relationship, from their sweet introduction to the calm in their ever-evolving understanding of each other’s stark and sometimes glaring differences and conflicts.

But their will-they-won’t-they falter when the couple struggles to bridge the gap in their religious differences, while progressive, cool Noah seeks a promotion to chief rabbi of his Los Angeles synagogue. Even Noah’s liberal interpretation and practice of Judaism is not enough to ignore the striking differences in his relationship with the non-Jewish “shiksa” Joanne.

Although the resolution of the conflict in their relationship depends on whether Joanne converts to Judaism or Noah gives up his dream of running a synagogue, the faith issues addressed in the show are a breath of fresh air. As more and more young people – especially women – move away from organized religion, the series’ portrayal of faith by the ever-charming 2000s heartthrob Brody is cool and poignant.

Joanne and Noah’s relationship begins like most millennial relationships – no, not on dating apps – at a friend’s party. Joanne enters the party wearing an over-the-top fur coat and assumes she’s there to meet men: a divorcee, a rabbi, and a financier. But she falls in love with the man she least expected. Noah plays up his charm until, gasp, it turns out it’s him The Rabbi. “It’s hot. Right?” he tells a confused Joanne.

Kristen Bell as Joanne and Adam Brody as Noah in “Nobody Wants This” (Adam Rose/Netflix)Later, as Noah walks Joanne to her car, the inexplicable lightness of their dynamic allows her to admit: “I don’t believe in God. I’m sorry, is that an insult to say that to a rabbi?” Noah replies, “You can say whatever you want.” This is the first time that “Nobody Wants This” Noah has spoken to both Joanne and the potentially agnostic or established non-Jewish viewers as an empathetic, non-judgmental character in the series.

But above all, the moment shows that Noah himself is not perfect either. He clearly dresses like an LA Silverlake hipster, smokes weed, and uses curse words like everyone else. He knows that too. Noah is self-aware and plays with the Tora bad boy vibe. Still, it doesn’t negate his faith. When Joanne asks if Noah is a real rabbi, he replies, “I’m all in on this. I am a real rabbi. I swear.”

Even his sermon has a kind of fun youth pastor energy to it – reminding me of my megachurch childhood. Noah summarizes the message of a parable about a man stranded on a roof during a flood who asks God for help. He explains that there are endless possibilities in life and fear should not dominate our decision-making. He says, “Are you thinking about changing careers? Maybe God is pushing you to do it. Are you hesitant about making an important decision? .”

He concludes: “If you think God’s plan is supposed to feel like something specific, and you haven’t felt it… and you wonder if we’re all caught up in some big secret that you’re not privy to “Let me say it.” Tell yourself you’re in.

It’s a message that the series holds dear, even if someone like Noah’s more traditional mother Bina (Tovah Feldshuh) thinks it’s a “weird sermon.”

The relationship between Joanne and Noah feels like a mystery that involves them both, and perhaps God too. Despite challenges such as balancing family expectations and each other’s wants and needs, they never allow fear or lack of understanding of each other to cause the failure of their interfaith relationship.

On the one hand, Noah is willing to be a leader in his religious rituals, leading to a hilarious fifth episode in which the couple’s religious differences are tested by Noah’s own ambitions. When Noah has to fill in for his boss, Rabbi Cohen (Stephen Tobolowsky), at Camp Haverim, a camp for Jewish children, Joanne accompanies Noah on the trip. Joanne learns what the word “Shalom” means, which seems a little far-fetched since she’s a city girl, not to mention a podcaster, and should definitely already know the meaning of the word. Nevertheless, she also learns that the cheeky, youthful Gen Alpha girls are all thirsting for the “hot rabbi” Noah.

When the couple reaches the stage of their relationship where they are ready to “DTR” or define the relationship, they find themselves in a difficult situation. Noah begins to hide Joanne from an unexpected Rabbi Cohen, who shows up at the camp and tells Noah that he is on his way to becoming chief rabbi. Noah’s making his relationship with a non-Jew public would put his dreams on hold. This leads to Noah publicly referring to Joanne as his girlfriend, even though she wants to be introduced as his girlfriend.

A melancholy Joanne leaves the camp for an important work meeting with Spotify and, in true romance form, Noah chases after her to apologize. At a Shabbat restaurant, Joanne disapproves of Noah for causing her to miss her first Shabbat dinner. He then explains the origin of Shabbat: “The candles represent the two destroyed temples in Jerusalem, and we light them to remind ourselves that buildings can collapse, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is meeting people we care about. So Shabbat can take place anywhere. It’s kind of like a pop-up. Welcome to your first Shabbat dinner.

It’s a sweet moment that’s educational for Joanne and the audience. The moment is inspired by Noah’s favorite interpretations of the Shabbat story. It shows the couple shaping their own traditions with those that Noah holds dear in his personal relationship with faith. Now Joanne can appreciate them too.

As the show progresses and the relationship between the two develops, Brody and Bell benefit from each other’s vibrant chemistry. But they also illustrate the growing tension and dynamics in heterosexual relationships across the United States. As more men turn to religion, there is an increase in young women who describe themselves as non-religious. That compares to 34 percent for men, according to a survey by the Survey Center on American Life at the American Enterprise Institute.

“Nobody wants that” is not the answer to the growing gap between men and women’s religious and political beliefs. In fact, the show highlights the particular harshness of their specific situation. A pinch of reality hits Joanne when Noah tells her that she must convert in order for Noah to become chief rabbi. Her boyfriend Ryann (D’Arcy Carden) says of the conflict: “Just . . . be Jewish. It’s not like you stand for things.” So Joanne tries and fails, realizing that her conversion would only apply to Noah and not to herself. Once again, in a perfect ending, Noah chooses Joanne over the job.

Some critics have expressed concerns about the portrayal of the interfaith relationship and its emphasized complications. But one thing that “Nobody Wants This” and Brody’s performance do right is present a calmer, more insightful understanding of a person’s faith. Noah’s faith and spirituality are never questioned and his fortitude reminds us that there is comfort in being certain, but, as in Joanne’s case, there is also grace in not being certain and questioning everything.