More than 20 years after portraying Seth Cohen in ‘The O.C.,’ the actor reconnects with his teenage audience — now adults in their late thirties — in a romantic comedy that has quickly become the hit series of the season.

It took just a few days for the Netflix series Nobody Wants This to become one of the standout hits of the season. And much of the show’s success is thanks to Adam Brody, 44, whose performance has been key to what many are calling the best romantic comedy of the year. For Brody — still fondly remembered by many as the iconic Seth Cohen from The O.C. — the series marks a triumphant return, with a leading role that feels tailor-made for him.

In the 10-episode series, Brody plays Noah, a charming and unconventional rabbi fresh out of a relationship, who meets Joanne, portrayed by Kristen Bell — whom many will remember from Veronica Mars, another early 2000s teen series. Joanne is a podcast host with a vastly different outlook on life, which is a source of friction that drives much of the plot. Without giving too much away, the series follows the couple as they navigate various obstacles in their attempt to make their relationship work.

Nearly 20 years after the end of The O.C., many viewers have noticed similarities between Brody’s character from the 2000s series and his role in the new Netflix hit. “They both have my bone structure, they both are Southern Californian and theoretically they’re the same age, if Seth Cohen carried on,” Brody jokingly told Vanity Fair. “I think Noah is somebody who has known exactly what he wanted to do since he was very young, and has led a life—while having fun and being a fun person—of rigorous study and in ancient texts. Which is, I think, a marked difference.”

A surfer arrives in Hollywood

Before joining The O.C. — what would become the most successful teen series of its time —, Adam Brody had secured a few television roles, although acting wasn’t always his initial career path. He has often shared that he spent much of his childhood and teenage years surfing on the beach — no surprise, given that he was born in San Diego, California.

No one in Brody’s immediate family had a background in film, but at 19, he dropped out of school to pursue acting in Hollywood. Opportunities came quickly, and while his early roles were relatively minor, they gave him valuable on-camera experience. In 2002, just a year before The O.C., Brody secured a recurring role on Gilmore Girls. Then, everything changed. At 23, he was cast as one of the four leads in The O.C., the teen drama set in Orange County, co-starring Mischa Barton, Rachel Bilson, and Benjamin McKenzie.

The cast of ‘The O.C.’ in 2003. From left to right, actors Adam Brody, Mischa Barton, Benjamin McKenzie and Rachel Bilson.KMazur (WireImage)

Overnight, the four twenty-something stars of The O.C. became the obsession of a generation eager to know everything about them, both on screen and off. While the female stars, especially Mischa Barton, bore the brunt of constant media scrutiny, Brody wasn’t immune to the pressures of fame either. However, he has acknowledged that the exposure would have been far worse in today’s social media-driven world. “There wasn’t the same level of interaction and contact that there is today, even if most of it is digitally,” Brody told BuzzFeed in 2019. “It’d be a whole different ballgame. And I wouldn’t want that exposure or that power.”

For a time, Brody was one of the most famous people on the planet, but after The O.C. ended in 2007, that fame gradually faded. His personal life, however, occasionally brought him back into the spotlight, particularly due to his relationship with another teen series star, Leighton Meester, best known for playing Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl. The couple married in 2014, and they remain together, now parents to two children, born in 2015 and 2020.

Leighton Meester and Adam Brody at the premiere of ‘American Fiction,’ in December 2003 in Los Angeles.Stewart Cook (Getty Images for MGM)

That’s not to say Adam Brody has been short of work since his time as Seth Cohen. On the contrary, a glance at his filmography reveals numerous productions he has been part of, although most have had little impact. Given this, it’s surprising when some colleagues describe him as very selective when it comes to choosing projects. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Californian actor made it clear that he has no regrets about any of the projects he turned down, though he did not specify which ones.

“There was a moment earlier in my career where I think I was more self-conscious,” he said. “But, at the same time, I don’t look back on anything I didn’t do and think, ‘Wow, I really missed the boat,’ or ‘I should have done something else.’ I’m so lucky to be on the path I found myself on career-wise. It’s my road. It’s so clear to me that there are no regrets.”

A new stage

Since 2019, Brody’s career choices have gained more traction. In 2020, he appeared in a minor yet pivotal role in the acclaimed film Promising Young Woman, which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The following year, he found success on television with the premiere of Fleishman Is in Trouble, one of the most highly-rated series of its time. In 2023, he again joined the cast of an Oscar-favorite film, the black comedy American Fiction. While his roles in these projects have been secondary, they have paved the way for his second major TV role.

Those who weren’t born when Adam Brody was a teen idol may not resonate with the plot of Nobody Wants This, but millennials who grew up with the quirky and endearing Seth Cohen have rediscovered the actor thanks to a character that likely reflects their own experiences. The series creator, Erin Foster, drew inspiration from her personal experiences with her husband to write the script.

While she mentioned in interviews that they auditioned “every hot Jewish guy in town,” she knew Adam Brody was the perfect fit for the role. Although he comes from a Jewish background, Brody describes himself as “non-religious and non-believer.” “I don’t believe I went to a Bar Mitzvah except my own,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. Taking on the role of a rabbi added an extra layer of responsibility: “I wanted to make as many people happy as I could. I had the job before the [actors] strikes, and when the strikes happened, I had an abnormal amount of time that allowed me to really dive in. I really did learn so much about the history of Judaism.”

The chemistry between Adam Brody and his screen partner, Kristen Bell, has become one of the most talked-about aspects of Nobody Wants This. Fans have taken to social media to share montages and compilation videos of the couple’s romantic moments in the series. Interestingly, Brody and Bell are no strangers to one another; they have a long history of collaboration that adds an extra layer of familiarity to their on-screen relationship.

Brody says that while they have worked together on several projects before, this time feels different. “We had a great time working together and it certainly worked, but there’s a reason this time that the show is getting more of a response in this way. That has to do with the shape of the writing,” he said.

The chemistry between actors Adam Brody and Kristen Bell is one of the keys to the success of the rom-com.Jamie McCarthy (Getty Images for Netflix)

So far, Nobody Wants This has garnered over 10 million views on Netflix. With the finale having aired, many fans are left wondering: will there be a second season? While nothing is confirmed yet, showrunner Erin Foster’s recent statements have fueled optimism. “We’re getting a really positive response,” she told IndieWire ahead of the show’s Sept. 26 premiere. “And so I think the conversations have definitely started to happen about a potential season two.”

Now, all we can do is wait and see what unfolds.