Current:Home > FinanceErin Foster says 'we need positive Jewish stories' after 'Nobody Wants This' criticism -StockSource
Erin Foster says 'we need positive Jewish stories' after 'Nobody Wants This' criticism
View
Date:2025-04-12 18:42:07
Erin Foster is addressing critics of her new Netflix show "Nobody Wants This."
In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Foster, who created the series, addressed criticism of the show, which follows an agnostic, unfiltered podcast host, Joanne (Kristen Bell), who collides with a man totally her opposite at a dinner party.
"I think we need positive Jewish stories right now. I think it's interesting when people focus on, 'Oh, this is a stereotype of Jewish people,' when you have a rabbi as the lead. A hot, cool, young rabbi who smokes weed," Foster said. "That's the antithesis of how people view a Jewish rabbi, right?"
In the show, Joanne has an undeniable connection with the charming, emotionally available Noah (Adam Brody), but things are complicated by a difference in beliefs.
Foster continued: "If I made the Jewish parents, like, two granola hippies on a farm, then someone would write, 'I've never met a Jewish person like that before. You clearly don't know how to write Jewish people, you don't know what you're doing, and that doesn't represent us well.'"
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
The show is based on the love story of Foster, the daughter of Grammy-winning composer David Foster, and her husband Simon Tikhman, who she tied the knot with on New Year's Eve 2019.
Critics of 'Nobody Wants This' address stereotypes of Jewish women
Criticism over the depictions of Jewish women in "Nobody Wants This" was swift.
"It's a shame the Jewish women in 'Nobody Wants This' are impossible to root for — one-dimensional and painfully trope-ridden. Joanne's interest in converting to Judaism to be with Noah is understandable; he's the perfect boyfriend. But who'd want to become a Jewish woman when this is what being one looks like?" a writer for the Jewish feminist cultural site Hey Alma wrote.
Jessica Radloff wrote for Glamour that she "struggled with 'Nobody Wants This,'" writing that "while I love Noah's commitment to Judaism, and just the fact that he's one of the best TV boyfriends I've seen in some time, I can't say the same about the other Jewish characters on the show — primarily the women."
'Nobody Wants This' review:Kristen Bell, Adam Brody are oh-so romantic and sexy
Radloff continued: "Would it be too much just to see Jewish characters in shows without feeling othered?"
Writer Esther Zuckerman wrote in Time that, "What should be a show about a woman's entrance into and embrace of Jewish culture instead perpetuates the worst ideas about Jewish women. I wanted to fall in love. Instead, I just felt targeted."
Contributing: Erin Jensen
veryGood! (57996)
Related
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Gas prices set to hit the lowest they've been since 2021, AAA says
- Man on trial in Ole Miss student’s death lied to investigators, police chief says
- Jim Carrey Reveals Money Inspired His Return to Acting in Candid Paycheck Confession
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- A fugitive gains fame in New Orleans eluding dart guns and nets
- This drug is the 'breakthrough of the year' — and it could mean the end of the HIV epidemic
- Orcas are hunting whale sharks. Is there anything they can't take down?
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- When does the new season of 'Virgin River' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch
- Krispy Kreme's 'Day of the Dozens' offers 12 free doughnuts with purchase: When to get the deal
- Woman fired from Little India massage parlour arrested for smashing store's glass door
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Analysis: After Juan Soto’s megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soon
- Is that Cillian Murphy as a zombie in the '28 Years Later' trailer?
- Aaron Taylor
Recommendation
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Not sure what to write in your holiday card? These tips can help: Video tutorial
Fortnite OG is back. Here's what to know about the mode's release, maps and game pass.
Morgan Wallen sentenced after pleading guilty in Nashville chair
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Morgan Wallen's Chair Throwing Case Heading to Criminal Court
Timothée Chalamet makes an electric Bob Dylan: 'A Complete Unknown' review
Biden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump did