Netflix’s new romantic comedy Nobody Wants This has proven remarkably popular, and it may shockingly have a connection to one 15-year-old comedy show that ended a year ago. Nobody Wants This follows a 10-episode romantic arc between sex and relationships podcast host Joanne and Rabbi Noah. Because of the very different lives they lead, the couple faces a number of obstacles of varying degrees of concern.

The ending of Nobody Wants This also left a number of questions unanswered, including what the couple’s future will hold. Such questions would undoubtedly be answered in a possible season 2 of Nobody Wants This, although one lingering question from season 1 may not be confirmed in the show. Nobody Wants This dropped significant hints that the show shared a universe with a 15-year-old sitcom co-created by Paul Rudd, but did it really?

Is Ryan Hansen Playing Kyle From Party Down In Nobody Wants This?

Throughout Nobody Wants This, protagonist Joanne struggles with doubt not only about whether her relationship with Noah is right for her but also about her own identity. This comes to a head when her sister Morgan suggests she isn’t kind, sending her on a mission to prove that she’s a good person. She goes to some questionable lengths to get this validation, though, including by contacting Kyle, a man she clearly didn’t like but had been sleeping with on and off for some time.

Kyle seemed like a classically terrible bro archetype, complete with a callous attitude, lewd comments, and a gamer headset, but his character may have been much more significant than the brief appearance he had on screen seemed to suggest. Ryan Hansen, who plays Kyle in Nobody Wants This, played a character with the same name in the show Party Down. The connection between the two characters goes further than a shared name and actor, though.

Not only is Kyle’s personality in both Party Down and Nobody Wants This very similar, but also, Kyle is wearing a Karma Rocket t-shirt in Nobody Wants This. This band is a direct reference to Party Down. In fact, in the show, Kyle is the frontman of the band, making it all the more obvious that this is a direct connection between the two shows, placing them in the same universe.

This is a direct connection between the two shows, placing them in the same universe.

What Happened To Kyle In Party Down’s Ending & How His Nobody Wants This Cameo Fits His Story

Party Down debuted in 2009 and ran for two seasons before being canceled; however, the show was rebooted for a third season in 2023. It isn’t clear yet whether the show will be picked up again, but Party Down season 3 left the door open for Kyle’s story to continue in Nobody Wants This. In season 3, Kyle first faced controversy for a video of one of his band’s songs from 10 years ago, which led to him being ‘canceled’ and needing to put out an apology.

By the end of season 3, Kyle had landed a role in the Lost Boys reboot, but he learns that he is playing the part of the father—which has implications both for his age and his sense of self. He is also up to many of his old antics, though, including by flirting with girls much too young for him, to say the least. This conclusion to Kyle’s story in Party Down (at least for now) could easily mean that he is sitting in a basement playing video games and hoping to sleep with Joanne during Nobody Wants This.

Ryan Hansen’s Nobody Wants This Cameo Connects To Another Great 2000s TV Show Role

Although it does not share a universe with Nobody Wants This in the same way Party Down does, Ryan Hansen’s appearance in Nobody Wants This connects to yet another TV show from that era. Both Hansen and Kristen Bell played roles in Veronica Mars, a show that saw Bell as the titular lead. In Veronica Mars, Hansen played Dick Casablancas, a party boy and major flirt, suggesting Hansen has been cast in similar roles throughout these three shows.

It’s unlikely Kyle will make another appearance if Nobody Wants This does get picked up for a second season, although that isn’t currently confirmed. He didn’t play a major role in season 1, and he served mainly to flesh out Joanne’s character. Season 2 would likely focus much more on the future for Joanne and Noah in addition to their family dynamics, which remain fraught. Even so, it’s incredible to know that Nobody Wants This has a subtle connection to Party Down, placing them in the same universe.