More than two decades after his breakthrough role in The O.C., Adam Brody is finding a new legion of fans with Netflix's Nobody Wants This.

The 44-year-old actor plays newly-single, Noah, a witty basketball-playing rabbi who finds himself tangled in a relationship with Joanne — Kirsten Bell — an agnostic sex and relationships podcaster.

The pair must contend with their religious differences, as well as their respective chaotic family dynamics. 

In the series, Noah is also referred to as 'hot rabbi,' an apparent nod to Fleabag's hot priest. And it's proven even more popular than the hit BBC show, boasting more than 10 million views in the first four days alone of streaming. 

Fans have swarmed to social media to praise Adam Brody's middle-aged sex appeal, intelligence and vulnerability. 

One wrote: 'Adam Brody the absolute green flag you are.' 

Another said: 'Adam Brody healed all girls who have ever been told they were "too much". I cried actually.' 

A third declared: 'Save me Adam Brody as hot rabbi, save me.'

'Adam Brody is the perfect romance lead and we have severely underutilized [sic] that in the last 10-15 years', a fourth said. 

Now, research has indicated exactly why Noah could be considered 'perfect', pinpointing three different characteristics.

Kindness and understanding, not always wanting the same things, and compromise are among the top three qualities repeatedly emphasised in studies. 

In one US study, researchers quizzed 184 participants on their most and least desired characteristics in a romantic partner. 

Both sexes agreed on the characteristics of kindness and understanding, having an exciting personality, and intelligence as being the most important. 

In another, published earlier this year, scientists in Brazil found regardless of sexual orientation, people prioritized intelligence and kindness over physical attractiveness, when choosing a partner. 

They asked 778 straight, bisexual and gay men and women to construct their ideal partner based on a set of predetermined traits: intelligence, kindness, physical attractiveness, health, and socioeconomic status. 

Participants were also presented with three budget scenarios: low, medium, and high. 

But despite the universal appeal of intelligence and kindness, the researchers also uncovered variations in how these and other traits were valued through the lens of sex. 

Straight men, for instance, rated physical attractiveness significantly higher than their counterparts.  

It comes as the series is being praised by critics for delivering the best and kookiest story in the romcom genre since 1989's When Harry Met Sally.

The 10-part series stars Brody and Bell as the leads, and comes from writer Erin Foster, daughter of David Foster and step-daughter of Katharine McPhee, who converted to judaism before marrying her husband.

In the show, Noah tells Joanne there's nothing worse for his professional image than falling for a 'shiksa'. '

Technically, it's a Yiddish insult that means you're impure and detestable, but these days it just means you're a hot, blonde non-Jew,' Noah says to Joanne.

Part of the appeal, viewers say, is Noah's intrinsic lack of availability. 

Like the 'hot priest' before him in Fleabag, Noah is not supposed to date a secular woman. 

And like Phoebe Waller Bridge's character, Joanne is a committed atheist. 

They both represent forbidden crushes, forcing the protagonists to compromise. 

In one 2017 study, researchers concluded that holding on to the idea you shouldn't have to compromise in a relationship is unrealistic and 'compromises are unavoidable'. 

But Noah's relationship with Joanne also highlights that couples are not always going to want the same things — another factor research repeatedly suggests makes the 'perfect partner'. 

One US study assessing the personality traits of 360 couples found both partners bring their own unique qualities to the table, and those qualities influence the relationship independently.

Writing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the researchers said: 'Each partner's personality contributes independently to relationship outcomes but not in a synergistic way — a whole relationship is not greater than the sum of its two parts.' 

Relationship psychotherapist Charisse Cooke also told Refinery29: 'People often confuse compatibility with being the same. 

'It’s often the differences in relationships that can cause problems and conflict. 

'So we may imagine someone having the same interests as us protects us from misunderstandings or disagreements.'

But she added: 'When dating someone with the same interests, there's less room for growth. You may find that you stop trying new things.'

In an interview with Vanity Fair this week, Brody said fans can expect his characters to be 'progressively more generous and self-aware' as the actor himself gets older. 

'This could either be because I'm old and I'm slowing down,' he said, 'or because I'm wise and I'm grounded and confident'.