Broadly Speaking
Comedy Central’s “Broad City,” (premieres Wed at 10:30pm) from creators Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer and executive producer Amy Poehler, has been pitched by the network as an “authentic” portrayal of two young women navigating the nuttiness of New York City—from dating and relationships to underemployment to the woes of public transportation. And even though it’s female comics delivering it, that doesn’t mean the show is representing something called “female comedy.” “I don’t think there’s a thing called women’s comedy,” Poehler said. “I think it’s just all comedy.”
Well, as a Brooklyn resident, I’m here to tell you it’s pretty darn authentic. At the Television Critics Association press tour last week the girls said that every ludicrous situation they play out is grounded, in part, in reality. I believe it. The two women video chat each other because “it’s really hard to get from Brooklyn to Queens,” Glazer said. And missing the delivery guy by a matter of moments (really, it could be the cable guy) is an experience that we all share with Ilana and Abbi. Fetching a package from the far corners of Mordor could take, like, a day. And when you get there, you’ve likely forgotten something (as Abbi did) and need to retrieve it. (I now cringe at the sight of a UPS “sorry we missed you” note. It’s just not worth it. Socks from my mom will have to wait).
It’s true that myself and other big city-dwellers may not relate to all of the stories within eps 1 and 2. A grown man dressed in a diaper did not pay me to clean his house in my underwear. But one thing is certain—I can’t wait to see what else they come up with. These ladies are hilarious.
