The real life rabbi who coached Adam Brody and Kristin Bell for Netflix show 'Nobody Wants This'

A prominent Los Angeles rabbi was involved in the making Netflix's latest hit series, 'Nobody Wants This', starring Adam Brody and Kristen Bell.

Steve Leder, former senior rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, was called in to coach the Hollywood stars on all things Jewish for the interfaith romance that's got everyone talking.

'Anything in the series that is, for lack of a better way to put it, overtly Jewish — I did my best to make sure it was done with authenticity and respect,' Leder told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about his behind the scenes role.

From teaching the proper pronunciation of Hebrew words to arranging the perfect Shabbat table, Leder left no kippah unturned in his quest for on-screen authenticity.

Brody, who plays a charming LA rabbi in the show, confessed he was in desperate need of Leder's guidance.

Despite being famous for playing Jewish characters like Seth Cohen in 'The O.C.', the actor admitted, 'I barely got bar mitzvahed and retained nothing from it.'

But Leder's connection to the show goes deeper.

The show's creator, Erin Foster, who drew inspiration from her own interfaith love story for the series, actually converted in his synagogue.

Foster, a blonde LA native, married Jewish record label owner Simon Tikhman.

But not everyone believes Leder succeeded in making the show authentically Jewish. 

Reaction to the hotly anticipated series has been mixed. 

While many viewers have embraced the series, others have raised concerns about its portrayal of Jewish women, arguing that it reinforces harmful stereotypes.

In a Glamour OpEd, one critic writes, 'While I love Noah's commitment to Judaism... I can't say the same about the other Jewish characters on the show—primarily the women. Would it be too much just to see Jewish characters in shows without feeling othered?'

A review from Time echoes a similar message, with one author writing: 'While it offers up the fantasy of the ideal Jewish man in Noah, the series seems to loathe Jewish women, who are portrayed as nags, harpies, and the ultimate villains of this story.'

'I wanted to be swept away by a rom-com. Instead, I was faced with the reality that maybe this show actually hates me.'

An author in the Jewish Chronicle has also critiqued the depiction of the female lead, calling her insufferable.

'Not because a rabbi wouldn't ever fall in love with a non-Jew but because Joanne (played by Kristen Bell, who seems to be dialling it in) is a truly horrible, narcissistic, whining, and actually rather stupid cardboard cut-out character. She doesn't realise pork isn't kosher, for example, and brings prosciutto as a gift to the rabbi's mother, Bina. Hilarious, eh? '