There are a few love stories at play in Erin Foster’s hit Netflix romantic comedy series, “Nobody Wants This.” There’s our central paramours, brassy podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and “hot rabbi” Noah (Adam Brody). There’s Joanne and her flighty sister Morgan (Justine Lupe). There’s Noah’s brother Sasha (Timothy Simons) and his wife Esther (Jackie Tohn). There’s Foster’s own real life marriage, which inspired the series. And there’s the entire production and the city of Los Angeles, where the show is set and where, crucially, it’s all filmed on location.
Certainly, the choice to shoot in LA makes a huge difference in how the show looks and feels, but it also comes with plenty of challenges. Just ask production designer Claire Bennett, who has worked on all twenty episodes of the series, and is still a little in awe of what it means to work on practical locations you might have very limited time with.
During IndieWire’s Craft Roundtables, Bennett shared her experience with her fellow production designers, who all very much got what a big ask that on-location thing is.
“This is the first show I’ve done where it’s all location,” Bennett said. “So that was very interesting, just as a complete contrast to not have the flexibility, for once, [of] being on the soundstage and being able to control it.”
Two seasons and twenty episodes in, and Bennett and her team are still navigating how this all works, but a positive attitude seems to help plenty. It’s not all challenges, Bennett said, it’s also discoveries. And all that stuff goes down far easier with some good, old-fashioned teamwork.
“Some of the sets, we didn’t actually even have access to until the morning of, so that was its own host of challenges. Challenges and discoveries!,” Bennett said while her fellow production designers knowingly chuckled. “And then obviously our DP Wes [Scardino], his team would come and scout. It was all about scouting and making sure on the tech scout that everyone was supported. … It’s always a massive collaboration, [and] that communication with the DP and his team and the gaffer is critical.”
Both seasons of “Nobody Wants This” are now streaming on Netflix.
“IndieWire Craft Roundtables” is now available to stream on the PBS App.
