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Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Broad City Chronicles Comedic Twenty-Something Life in NYC

Broad City Chronicles Comedic Twenty-Something Life in NYC

Wednesday night will bring two new faces to Comedy Central’s late-night programming.

Broad City brings you into the lives of Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, two New Yorkers who are just trying to get by in the big city. Their everyday struggles are met by comedic solutions. Often times, their unbreakable, yin-yang friendship (illustrated in the above video) is enough to get them through their day when there is very little material wealth.

Jacobson and Glazer started Broad City as a web series in 2010 that took off in popularity, catching the eye of several high-profile comedians that make appearances in their videos. One of those big time actors is the show’s executive producer, Amy Poehler.

As Upright Citizens Brigade alumni, Jacobson and Glazer gained support from peers to polish their product into what would eventually become the television series that will premiere this week.

While two single, broke and socially awkward girls sounds like a familiar plot line, Broad City is rooted in the day-to-day reality of living in New York City under financial limitation and a lack of romance. Shows like 2 Broke Girls and HBO’s Girls try to hit this chord but miss the mark. While Lena Dunham’s work chronicles life in New York through her group of polarizing characters, one can’t help but feel uncomfortable at watching young women with a financial safety net of their parents ‘struggle’ in the big city. Their personalities and stories are also out of reach for many in the audience to relate to them.

Even when watching the web series with low production value, the vignettes of Jacobson’s and Glazer’s daily adventures are relatable and familiar to the majority of twenty-somethings that have to fight against the tide to ‘make it’ in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or other major cities.

With Broad City, Comedy Central brings a much-needed female presence to it’s solid core of late night shows. Gone now are the days of Comedy Central failing to fill in a solid lineup of programming. The Daily Show, Colbert Report and South Park are the network’s anchors. In recent years, however, the addition of Tosh.0, Workaholics, Key & Peele, @Midnight and now Broad City have strengthened the network’s reputation and success over the rest of its Viacom family.

Broad City premieres this Wednesday on Comedy Central at 10:30/9:30ct.

p.s. The dope mashup of Missy Elliot’s “Pass the Dutch” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Gypsy” in the above video was done by Dan Chamberlain.

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