Few modern rom coms have made an immediate impression quite like Netflix's new series, Nobody Wants This. It's well-cast, witty, heart-warming, and most importantly, it feels true. Well, it turns out that's because it is – at least to an extent.
The series, starring an immaculately dressed Kristen Bell and very lovable Adam Brody, is created by Erin Foster and it is largely based on her own experiences of meeting her husband, Simon Tikhman. In the show, host of the sex and relationships podcast 'Nobody Wants This', Joanne meets Jewish Rabbi Noah at a friend's party and the pair begin dating despite their ostensibly opposing cultures.
In ten episodes, we see them overcome awkward interactions with each other's friends and families, learn to challenge their preconceptions about one another and ultimately fall in love. It's a story inspired by Erin Foster's own experience of meeting her husband at a gym in LA and eventually converting to Judaism – with most of the details amped up for dramatic effect.
Who is Erin Foster?
Erin Foster is a writer, performer and entrepreneur. She was a writer on the NBC sitcom, The New Normal. She and her sister Sara created the satirical series about reality TV, Barely Famous, which aired in 2015.
She has also starred in a number of shows including House, Gilmore Girls, Barely Famous and The OC. So yes, for eagle-eyed fans of The OC (or Adam Brody fans, let's be honest), Erin and Adam have appeared on the same call sheet before. Erin played Heather in The OC, Kevin Volchok's ex-girlfriend who had it in for Marissa Cooper. Heather was in the car when Kevin crashed into Ryan's car, causing him to drive off a cliff which led to Marissa's death.
In 2024, she created, wrote and executive produced the hit Netflix romcom, Nobody Wants This, starring The OC's very own Adam Brody, alongside Kristen Bell, Justine Lupe and Timothy Simons.
Erin is also the daughter of record producer and songwriter David Foster and former model Rebecca Dyer. Her stepmother is former American Idol star and House Bunny actress, Katherine McPhee.
Who is Sara Foster?
One of the most entertaining dynamics on the show is Joanne's relationship with her sister Morgan. That is inspired by Erin's relationship with her sister Sara, who she works with in real life. They even co-produced Nobody Wants This.
The two blonde sisters look so alike that you might think they are twins, but Erin is 42 and Sara is 43. Sara is an actress who starred as Naomi's older sister Jen Clark on 90210, Amy in the 2004 film D.E.B.S. and Nancy in the 2004 film The Big Bounce. She's also made a guest appearance in Entourage. Since 2010, she has been married to former tennis player Tommy Haas and they have two daughters.
Does Erin Foster have a podcast with her sister, Sara Foster?
Yes, the Foster sisters host the popular podcast, The World's First Podcast. They started the show in 2021 and it can be found on Spotify. The sisters regularly share episode clips on Instagram, which often feature an array of expert guests and media personalities.
On the show, they discuss everything from love languages, dating red flags, scrolling on social media, male vulnerability and women's intuition. For those who have already seen Nobody Wants This, it sounds pretty similar to Joanne and Morgan's podcast on the show.
Speaking about what makes their show so popular, Sara said, 'I’m not endearing to a woman because I’m perfect and killing it in all aspects of my life. What endears us is vulnerability, and we talk a lot about that in our podcast.
Her sister echoed this sentiment and added, 'In your younger years, you’re trying to be something you aren’t: “I want to be the cool girl, I want to be the girl who doesn’t care. I want to go sleep with that guy and not think about it later.” You are who you are. There was some point around 30 where I just started to get a little bit more comfortable about the truth of myself. There’s just a point when you have to be real.'
Do Erin and Sara Foster work at Bumble?
Not anymore, but they used to. From 2017 to 2020, the two sisters worked as the creative heads for the dating app, Bumble.
The sisters have also worked together on a number of projects together including their first show Barely Famous, a clothing brand called Favorite Daughter and collaborated with another brand called Sub Urban Riot, and launched a consumer-focused venture capital firm called Oversubscribed Ventures.
Are the Foster sisters related to the Jenners and the Hadids?
Erin and Sara did not have an entirely conventional upbringing. One of the reasons is that their dad David has been married five times – and to several famous people. His first marriage was to singer and actor BJ Cook, his second was to Erin and Sara's mother Rebecca Dyer in 1982 and his third was to songwriter Linda Thompson in 1991, meaning Caitlyn Jenner's sons Brandon and Brody Jenner were his stepsons.
David's fourth marriage was to Dutch model Yolanda Hadid in 2011, meaning models Gigi and Bella Hadid and their brother Anwar were his former stepchildren. Finally, in 2018, David married his current wife Katherine McPhee, and they welcomed a son in February 2021.
Is Nobody Wants This based on a true story?
Yes and no. After watching Nobody Wants This and hearing it's loosely based on a true story, inquisitive fans will be left with a lot of questions. The truth is Erin's husband Simon is not a Rabbi in real life, he is the co-founder of a music management company. While he does not identify as particularly religious, Erin claims he did tell her in one of their earlier conversations that he wanted to marry someone Jewish and not a 'shiksa' aka a gentile/ non-Jewish girl.
His parents were Jewish immigrants who fled the Soviet Union and settled in San Francisco and Simon promised them he would continue the Jewish lineage and didn't want to 'disappoint' them. Erin then converted to the faith ahead of their wedding in 2019.
Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Erin said, 'A big part of what drew me to Simon was that he was someone who was funny and cool and modern, but he had a bit of an old-fashioned feel about him. He’ll be like, "Hey, we should go check in on that person," or "We need to go see your grandma." I didn’t grow up with etiquette around those things.' These are qualities that are certainly recognisable in Adam Brody's character, Noah in the show.
The couple's first child together, who was born in May, is in fact called Noa. She was born after they went through 20 rounds of IVF over a six-year period.
As a more private person, Simon was concerned during the early stages of their romance when he realised Erin was a public figure. He was even more concerned a few years later when she told him she'd sold an idea for a TV show about their love story.
In the end, with some significant character changes and storylines that weren't directly lifted from their real lives, Erin got her husband's blessing. And the blessing of his family (who were on board with the project before he was).
Nikki Peach is news and entertainment writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and current affairs. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).