"Have you watched Broad City?" was the question a close friend of mine asked me around this time last year. I had no idea what she was talking about, but she couldn't stop talking about this show and expressing enthusiasm for me to watch. I'm always open to show recommendations, so I gave this show a chance and I have no regrets.
"Broad City" is a Comedy Central show about two best friends, Ilana and Abbi (who are actually best friends in real life). The series follows their lives in New York City and all of the hilarious misfortunes that they experience. The season three premiere was last week and I couldn't help but notice how female driven this show actually is, I mean it was created by women and the main stars are women. When I came to this realization, I was able to pick out a few statements from the season premiere that really illustrate feminist thought.
This episode (Season 3, Episode 1) starts out with Ilana and Abbi meeting for brunch at a chic, corner restaurant. Ilana cannot stop talking about this article she read online about the suppression of women in Saudi Arabia. This issue could have easily been removed from the script and the story-line wouldn't have been jeopardized, but I believe that it's important to these women (who are also the writer's of the show) to show their concern for women issues on a global scale. It was also crucial for Ilana to be the one to express this concern because she is a strong-willed, confident, and daring woman which goes against all of society's standards for what a typical woman should be.
Also, in this episode, and in the show in general, there is a need for Ilana and Abbi to depend on each other to accomplish a common goal, even if that goal is scoring tickets to a concert or attending a friend's art show. This is common in female-female friendships in the real world, but most TV shows will pin women up against each other.
The women in those shows or movies are chasing after the same guy, the same promotion at work, or just down-right don't like each other for superficial reasons. Or there aren't any leading actresses at all, just women who are in the story-line as a component of the husband's perfect life.
In addition, most TV shows with leading actresses include women who are freaking out because they're single and in their late twenties or women who work dead-end jobs to make ends meet and have no aspiration to advance in any career (e.g., The B---- in Apartment 23 or Two Broke Girls). Broad City does the exact opposite.
In summary, this show has allowed Ilana and Abbi to change and become complex characters. They use their New York City street-smarts and their intelligence to form creative solutions to everyday problems. That's right, these women are free thinkers and act as they please. It's refreshing and my enthusiasm for Broad City is off the charts, much like the friend of mine who introduced me to the show. You will not regret watching it.
