Streaming has changed many rules—but one old one feels newly corporate: product placement. In the second season of Netflix’s Nobody Wants This, brands no longer simply appear in the margins. They speak, hover and linger.
The rom‑com series Nobody Wants This follows sex podcaster Joanne (Kristen Bell) and charismatic rabbi Noah (Adam Brody) navigating love, culture and identity. With its second season now streaming, one trend has viewers talking: brand integrations so visible they threaten to hijack the story. From visible Dunkin’ Donuts cups to a Jennifer Meyer necklace handed as a gift, Season 2 doesn’t just include product mentions—it gives them a storyline.
How Brands Become Characters
In one scene, Joanne grabs a coffee from Dunkin’, in another she’s debating with her sister Morgan about boys over a box of Dunkin’ Donuts. Apart from the occasional background references of Aesop soap next to the kitchen sink, Morgan eating Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or Sascha sitting behind an Apple MacBook, there are three stand-out brands that get full attention in season 2.
Do These Placements Distract—or Enhance?
When a necklace appears and is named aloud, it shares fate with the protagonist’s arc. When a skincare bottle is zoomed in, it no longer serves characterisation—it serves commerce. And when a coffee logo dominates a scene, it steals sightlines from dialogue.
The whole of episode four is dedicated to Jennifer Meyer Jewellery. Noah gifts Joanne a necklace for Valentine’s Day, which she doesn’t seem to like and which idea has been gifted before to his previous girlfriends. The necklace dominates the whole episode with the mention of the brand, Jennifer Meyer Jewellery, who so happens to be good friends of the producers.
Dunkin’ Donuts has various appearances in season 2. Whether grabbing a coffee (who knew Dunkin’ had good coffee) or bringing donuts as a treat to Joanne’s mum’s birthday, the Dunkin’ is woven into the dialogue through visual brand mentions.
The last obvious brand mention, not to mention cringy, were the several zoom-ins on Estée Launder night serum. Not only was it confusing to see night serum being applied by Morgan during the day, but also to understand why Estée Launder had such a prominent role in the series?
It raises the question – who was dominating the storyline? The brands or the characters themselves?
Fashion Had It's Moment too
Fashion had it’s moment too in episode 5 at the baby naming ceremony. The mother and hostess of the ceremony Abby, played by Leighton Meester (Adam Brody’s wife), wore a light-blue three piece set consisting of a short-sleeved jacket, miniskirt, and matching bralette. The jacket didn’t need the logo fastenings as it was already clear that the outfit was from Chanel, who is appearing more frequently on screen. In the whole episode, the three-piece was so dominant that you could see it whether Abby was in the background or in front of the camera.
The Effect on Viewer Experience
When a show starts to feel like a branded catalogue, the viewer experience can shift. Instead of being drawn into Joanne’s story, viewers are getting distracted instead of immersed and wonder “Why is that cup always visible?” Emotional flow stutters, when a scene is built for emotion, but stops for brand visibility. It’s an eye-roller for viewers. Product placement evidently supports productions in terms of finance, but when so many products have been placed, it feels more like one long ad rather than a rom‑com.
Product placement can work—when it’s elegant, subtle, and aligned with character. But in Nobody Wants This, the sheer frequency becomes the issue. The Apple MacBook is realistic. But do we need its glowing logo in every apartment scene? The same goes for Joanne’s iPhone, which often takes the visual lead in a frame—overshadowing even the conversation it’s capturing. The result: Nobody Wants This was once praised for emotional intimacy now feels at times like an extended lifestyle ad.
We all love a branded moment—but when those moments stack up, we start watching the props more than the people.
