Broad City, which first premiered as a web series in 2011, found its way to Comedy Central in January of this year, and most recently onto my Roku box directly from Outer Space. A few people told me about this show but I had yet to check it out. That is, until two weeks ago when I was home sick with a cold, my captive eyes would not dart away from the first half of the series that I consumed like a box of Cap'n Crunch: fast and without abandon.
The show follows two twenty-something best friends around New York City as they attempt work, discuss sexual partners, smoke marijuana and generally hang around. Rereading that, it's a terrible description of what they actually do. Yet, can you try and accurately sum up any TV comedy? "They have jobs and lives and make jokes." (Friends) "They have jobs and lives and make jokes." (Seinfeld) "They have jobs and lives and make jokes and drink. (Cheers)
I'd seen Ilana Glazer only once at my friend Kevin's Stand Up show at Alligator Lounge. I remember that she talked a lot about watching porn and then made the audience sing along with her to a Pizza Bagel jingle. I dug it. She and her co-creator and co-star Abbi Jacobson met at Upright Citizens Brigade and according to Wikipedia she is "of Jewish decent." (Abbi is also a great illustrator and you can follow her on Tumblr here.) The two are seemingly breakout performers who hit it big after Amy Poehler signed on as Executive Producer of the show. Even more lucky for them, Comedy Central just renewed it for a second season!
The two live in Brooklyn in separate apartments with varying degrees of hilarious roommates and neighbors. While Ilana is more sexually-liberated and quick to light a joint, Abbi is more reserved and works hard to jump from her janitorial position at a local gym. (Which looks exactly like the one I go to... I think it is! #shoutout #iworkout) The girls are hilarious and often find themselves in ridiculous, yet sort of believable scenarios. (See episodes "Stolen Phone," "Hurricane Wanda" and "Destination Wedding.")
Greg and I got into a discussion about this, comparing Broad City to Girls. Broad City wins by a landslide in its believability factor. This looks and feels like the New York City/Brooklyn that I know. It's not always glamorous, neat or tidy, but it's the most fun I've ever had watching a story about the town I live in.
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