When the show first
premiered I called it the female version of "Workaholics." And
I called it that for a long time. By version I didn't mean "take"
because as a female I enjoy "Workaholics" very much. Like
"Broad City," I consider "Workaholics" one of my favorite
shows and I know men can enjoy "Broad City" just the same
(just thinking about gendering TV shows is stressing me out). But I meant
"version" as in "these are the female Blake, Ders and
Adam." I can see now that I wrong. Very wrong.
"Broad
City" conveys something that is so overlooked in today's culture.
Friendship. We are so set in a culture that is very "me me me me"
(and I love that), but female friendship is perhaps one of the most
important things, yet overlooked, in a woman's life. In college it is the first
time it's truly all about you. I realized it's my life and everything I do is
for me. But even after realizing that it's all about me I never
stopped thinking about my friends.
I like to
think that I am all of my friends' biggest supporters and cheerleader. Their
successes make me feel like I'm on top of the world with them. I am Ilana
(sidenote: in an episode Ilana states that she has already made a playlist for
her own funeral. That is truly me. I make a playlist for every
occasion). I am obsessed with you and for very good reason. I will brag about
you to people who don't even know you and to people who are already friends
with you. My closet is your closet, I'll always tell you what music is
worth your time, and properly tell you the truth about the boys you're crushing
on. It's friendship at its finest.
All pop
culture should aspire to the condition and comedy of "Broad
City." Abbi and Illana are two BFFs raising hell in a city that is
theirs - not much different than myself and my own best friends. The two girls,
who couldn't be more opposite, are the best of friends, every friendship a
girl aspires to have. Abbi and Illana scrape together money for a secret
Lil'Wayne show, learn about vagina drug smuggling, crush on their neighbors,
buy everything from Bed, Bath, & Beyond, dine at fancy restaurants
they don't belong, and have a good time doing it all.
The show
taught me what FOMO is (Fear Of Missing Out, a term I use regularly now),
the weirdness of St. Mark's Place, and the importance of your female friends.
Being in college and away from home for most of the year made me realize how
much I had to depend on other people. I never thought I depended on other
people, but after I made an amazing group of friends at college, I realized how
much I needed them in my day-to-day life, just like Abbi and Illana need each
other every day.
The show, now in its third season, has only gotten weirder. It has completely lost it actually, but not in a bad way. Abbi pretends to be Illana so Illana can get a discount at the co-op, Illana meets Hillary Clinton, and Abbi is so competitive she has to be calmed down by being coddled. Abbi's dad is even played by Tony Danza. Ilana hooked up (or attempted to) with Blake Griffin. Illana can't live without Abbi and Abbi knows it and it's one of the best parts of the storyline. Not only friendship at its finest, but comedy too?
The show is nothing short of a masterpiece. It started off as a webshow on YouTube while the girls were in the 20s after meeting at an improv class post-college. The best way the show can be described is a show about friendship. In such a cutthroat world, it's hard to find people who would do anything for their friends and I like to believe there are some Abbis and Illanas in this world.
The show is nothing short of a masterpiece. It started off as a webshow on YouTube while the girls were in the 20s after meeting at an improv class post-college. The best way the show can be described is a show about friendship. In such a cutthroat world, it's hard to find people who would do anything for their friends and I like to believe there are some Abbis and Illanas in this world.