The story
Abbi, a hesitant aspiring artist working at a gym, and Ilana, a cheerfully work-shy free spirit, are best friends trying to make it in New York City on next to no money. Each episode sends them chasing some small, ordinary goal that quickly spirals into chaos across the boroughs, from odd jobs and errands to parties and dates, with their unshakeable devotion to each other the one fixed point in a frantic city.
Why it matters
Broad City is a model web-to-TV success: two Upright Citizens Brigade improvisers made scrappy YouTube shorts, gained Amy Poehler as a mentor and landed a Comedy Central series that lasted five seasons. Its acclaim and best-of-the-decade placings showed networks that homemade online comedy could be a serious talent pipeline, and later shows such as PEN15 have been described as following its lead.
From web series to TV
Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson launched Broad City as a YouTube web series in February 2010; it ran for two seasons, with Amy Poehler appearing in the finale. Poehler went on to mentor the pair and executive-produce the TV version, which Comedy Central committed to in 2012 after FX bought the pilot script and then passed.
Notable facts
- FX originally bought the pilot script but passed a year later; Comedy Central committed to the show in 2012. (source)
- The YouTube web series ran for two seasons, and its finale starred Amy Poehler, who later executive-produced the TV show. (source)
- Its first TV season averaged 1.2 million viewers an episode, Comedy Central's highest-rated first season since 2012 among younger demographics. (source)
- It has been named as an influence on later comedies such as PEN15 and Tuca & Bertie. (source)