The series creator also deep dives into the origin of the Netflix romcom’s most memorable line.

From launching a clothing line—Favorite Daughter— and a podcast—The World’s First Podcast with Erin & Sara Foster—over the last four years, to more recently being behind the breakout series Nobody Wants This, it’s clear that Sara Foster is in her “dividing and conquering and trying to do it all” era. Her sister, Erin Foster, on the other hand, quips that “trying to be really successful from bed is the era that I’m in.”

The latter created the hit Netflix show, which they both executive produced. Inspired by Erin’s real-life love story with her husband, Simon Tikhman, the rom-com series centers on the relationship between an agnostic woman, played by Kristen Bell, and a rabbi, portrayed by Adam Brody.

Nobody Wants This is one of the most talked-about Netflix shows of the year, and was renewed for a second season less than a month after it debuted. Season 2, Erin tells Parade, is “just gonna be a continuation,” explaining, “It’s like that first year of the relationship, the discovery period where you figure out who each other really are.”

Erin and Sara spoke exclusively with Parade about creating Nobody Wants This and Season 2. Plus, the Barely Famous alums revealed who they’d like to see appear on the Netflix series.

Nobody Wants This. I feel like it’s such an ironic title given how well the show has been received. Did you guys think the show was going to have the impact that it’s had?

Erin Foster: No. I mean, we all talked about how risky it was to name the show Nobody Wants This because it was gonna be so easy for critics to just say–
Sara Foster: Yeah, correct. Nobody does want this [Laughs].
Erin: We were split on if it was a good title or not, because it was gonna be just handing a critic an easy way to diss us. So we took the risk.
Sara: But what’s funny is, I was thinking about the other day. Our tagline for Barely Famous Season 2 was “Nobody wanted Season 1.” It’s sort of in line with our humor. Just sort of always being in on the joke.

Why do you guys think Nobody Wants This is resonating with millennials?
Erin: It wasn’t something that we thought was gonna happen. But I think that millennial women are really sick of watching toxic relationships. If you’re a millennial, that means that you’re in mid 30s to 40s. And it means we’ve been through our 20s where we were in so many bad, toxic relationships. And now we’re landing in a place where we want normalcy and we want something healthy. And I think watching that on TV just feels fresh and new, which it shouldn’t be.

Let’s talk about one of the most notable lines of the show: “I can handle you.” What’s the genesis of that line, and why was it important for you to include it in the show?
Erin: When I met my husband, Simon, there was a point early on in our relationship where I got kind of spooked and pulled away. I just freaked out at the idea of this normal, healthy relationship and a person who was emotionally available and not playing games. And usually, when you pull away from someone, they kind of panic and grab on tighter. But he did something different. He sat me down and was like, “I see what you’re doing, and I’m not gonna let you scare me off. And so you can do whatever you need to be doing right now. But I’m not going anywhere. So figure it out, and I’ll be here.”

And it just sort of shook me, and I always, in the show, really wanted to give Noah and Joanne a moment like that, where he sets her straight and stands confidently and says, “Stop it.”

What has the reaction been like for the series? Do you have people coming up to you reciting lines from the show?
Erin: Yeah. It’s really cool. We’ve been developing the show for over four years. And so many projects you work on for years, and they just never see the light of day. Or they see the light of day, but you’re not proud of it because it’s so easy for things to take a wrong turn. So us being able to see people have this reaction is so validating.

Sara, were you on set every day?
Sara: I wasn’t on set every day. But I was on set a fair amount, for sure. You could tell there was magic happening. But I don’t think anybody can anticipate being a part of something that’s resonated the way it is. You know you have something good, you know it’s working. But you don’t know to this degree.

I know writing on Season 2 is already underway. How are you feeling about the second season so far? Has the success of Season 1 shaped the vision for Season 2, or has it added any pressure?
Erin: I don’t feel pressure because we have the special sauce–
Sara: And you know what people want and what people like and what people gravitate to. So you lean into that.
Erin: Yeah. It feels like we’re just gonna continue doing what we did before.

Erin, I saw on Instagram you recently shared some storyline clues for Season 2, and it kind of looked like a cruise ship and a groundhog…
Erin: [Laughs.] That is a very, very good, good eye. You caught that. Yep. Those are two things I was thinking, “Are people going to decode these?”

Can you elaborate a little bit on that?
Erin: I can’t elaborate much, but I would say you’re correct that it’s a groundhog. Good eye.

Are there any particular arcs that you’re excited to explore further in Season 2?
Erin: No, no, I can’t. I got in trouble giving spoilers to The Hollywood Reporter. I didn’t mean to.
Sara: No, but I think you can say it’s still gonna be exploring the early days of the relationship. You’re not gonna all of a sudden see them with kids.
Erin: Yeah. It’ll be the same slow storytelling.

Will we get more of the “loser siblings” Morgan and Sasha in Season 2?
Erin: Oh yeah. People love the loser siblings, and you will see more of them.

Do you have a vision for how many seasons you’d like Nobody Wants This to run?
Erin: I mean, I want to be employed for as long as possible.
Sara: [Laughs.]

You had plenty of guest stars on Barely Famous, from Kate Hudson to Courtney Cox. Have any of your friends asked about appearing on Season 2 of Nobody Wants This?
Erin: Good question.

Sara: Good question. And they haven’t. Nobody.

Who would you like to see appear on Nobody Wants This?
Sara: I mean, Jen Aniston would be cool.
Erin: Honestly, you’re right. Jen Aniston.

What kind of role would you envision for her on the show? Who would she play?
Erin: That’s a good question.
Sara: [It] is a good question. Noah’s ex?
Erin: I was just thinking Noah’s ex. Because you’d be so intimidated and threatened by that!
Sara: But Noah’s ex is Jennifer Aniston. [Laughs.] Joanne’s like, “How did you not mention you dated Jennifer Aniston?!”
Erin: That’s really funny.

Would either of you be open to appearing on the show?
Erin: We just talked [about] this, and we are open to it. It’s just, there’s so much work that goes into this, we don’t even have time to figure it out. I’ve never come up with what the clever way is to put us in.
Sara: Season 3!
Erin: [Laughs.] Everything that we can’t figure out, we just push to Season 3.

When are we gonna see the two of you together on-screen? Are there plans for a future project?
Erin: We always want to do a Barely Famous–
Sara: Revival?
Erin: Yeah, whatever that looks like. We’ve always wanted to do it. We just haven’t figured out how.
Sara: I think being behind the camera has just been a little bit more rewarding lately. But I think, ultimately, when the time is right, we will do something back on camera.

How does it feel to have sparked this Adam Brody renaissance that we’re currently living in? And how has he reacted to it?
Erin: We’re very proud of the gift we’ve given women everywhere. He’s so humble.
Sara: He hates a compliment.
Erin: He’s very humble and very flattered.
Sara: He doesn’t have social media, so I don’t know that he grasps it to the level that it is. I mean, I think he grasps it, but not to the level that it is.
Erin: We have to like send him clips.

Sara, have your daughters watched Nobody Wants This?
Sara: Yeah. They’re obsessed. Even Josie, the nine-year-old. She loves it.

And Erin, what was Simon’s reaction to the show after he watched?
Erin: I mean, he’s just so proud. He’s watched this for the last few years us working so hard on it. And he’s so proud-
Sara: A few years? Five years.
Erin: Yeah. [He’s] roud that it’s finally out in the world.

As he watched, did he feel a familiarity with Noah?
Erin: Yeah. I think he feels very flattered of the portrayal of him, and definitely the conversation you’re talking about. “I can handle you” feels very him. But he also is excited to take the focus off of him, and just for people to remember this is a character in a TV show. He’s kind of a private person. He’s like, “Can you just like stop bringing all this attention to me? Leave me alone!”

How has the experience been for you two to work together on a show again?
Sara: We sold this under our production deal. So we were working on a bunch of other shows, trying to get them off the ground, pitching them. Just nobody wanted them! [Laughs.] This was the only one they wanted.

Before I let you go, based on your own experiences, what advice would you give to Nobody Wants This fans who are looking for their own Noah or Joanne?
Sara: Adam Brody had the best advice ever. He just did our podcast last week, and we asked him that question. He said–
Erin: Don’t ignore red flags.
Sara: Don’t ignore the red flags. I think, as women, we like to ignore them when something feels good. But you can’t ignore the red flags.