About
Broad City is a 30 minute sitcom from Comedy Central, created by and starring two young women, actors Abbi Jacobsen and Ilana Glazer, as they have various comedic misadventures. The show is popular for its portrayal of modern feminism and twenty-first century urban living.
History
Glazer and Jacobsen met as students at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade in 2009, where they began Broad City as a short web series, which they produced from 2009 to 2011. As of April 2015, the Broad City YouTube[1] account had over 43,000 subscribers and more than 7,000,000 views. The web series featured short scenes with the two main characters, named Abbi Abrams and Ilana Wexler.
The web series was seen by Amy Poehler, star and executive producer of NBC show Parks and Recreation, who approached the women with the idea to develop it into a Pilot. In early 2013, the show was purchased by Comedy Central. As of April 2015, it has just aired its second season and has been renewed for a third.
Plot
Broad City follows Ilana and Abbi as they go through their daily lives. Ilana is a slacker and a partier, intent on ever greater acts of hedonism, while Abbi is the more dreamy type, hoping to become well-known for her illustrations. Both of them currently work at jobs they hate, and they both pursue relationships and dating. They are also both stoners.
Several recurring characters round out the cast, including Ilana’s friend-with-benefits Lincoln, played by Hannibal Buress; Abbi’s mysterious roommate’s boyfriend, Matt Bevers (John Gemberling); Ilana’s boss Todd, played by New York City public access television talk show host Chris Gethard; and Abbi’s boss Trey (Paul W. Downs), an oblivious fitness trainer.
Online Presence
Since Broad City began as a web series, it has always enjoyed a large online fan-base. The subreddit /r/broadcity[2] has 4,156 followers, and at least ten different Tumblrs[3] are devoted to posting GIFs and other updates about the show.
Related Memes
Due to the character’s frequent funny catchphrases and their exaggerated physical comedy, GIFs are especially popular.
Yas Queen
Ilana often exclaims “Yas Queen!”[4] when she is praising someone or excited about what they are doing. The phrase is an excited form of yes, adapted from drag culture. The phrase has become popular as a response, usually in .GIF form.
Search Interest
External References
[1]YouTube – Broad City
[2]Broad City – r/broadcity
[3]Tumblr – Search:Broad City