Comedy Central’s edgiest Brooklyn-based broads are officially back in full force as of the premiere of “Broad City” Wednesday night. With fellow irreverent comedies “Workaholics” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” also premiering Wednesday, “Broad City” had some tough acts to follow. Despite the odds, this season opener was a homerun.
As one of Comedy Central’s newest series, you might not be up to date on "Broad City." Here’s the lowdown — season one of “Broad City” introduced the best female dynamic duo comedy has seen in a long time — possibly ever. Brooklynites Abbi and Ilana are a potent comic creation, a good-natured couple of hilarious, carefree, sexually confident women up to no good.
The season two premiere, “In Heat,” puts our favorite ladies on a relentless search for an air conditioner during a New York City heatwave. With guest appearances from actor Seth Rogen and comedian Kumail Nanjiani, this premiere doesn't disappoint.
Rogen comes on as Abbi’s latest love interest — otherwise known as Male Stacey — and when he passes out from heat during sex, Abbi and Ilana go on a mission to find an air conditioning unit for her apartment. Ilana spends most of the episode discussing rape culture — few shows have the guts to joke about female-on-male rape, but “Broad City” is comfortable enough in its own skin to approach potentially difficult subjects.
The episode plots of “Broad City” tend to be simple, everyday mishaps (lost phone, trying to find a new apartment, etc.), and this episode followed the same formula. Their newly purchased units gets stolen, which leads to our ladies to helping a stranger move to get their hands on a broken air conditioner, eventually bringing them to Ilana’s old NYU dorm.
The episode’s best moment is Abbi and Ilana working a good cop bad cop scenario with Ilana’s room’s new residents. The clearly improvised bit makes for a hilarious scene, especially after they find “illegal contraband” in the room and end up smoking with them for hours.
It’s no surprise that Amy Poehler is the show's producer — female-fronted, witty and mellow humor is what made her a successful actress, and that’s “Broad City” to a T.
The series has a great deal of affection toward its characters, which makes tuning in every week a pleasure. Just over the course of one season and some web episodes, it’s easy to feel like you know Abbi and Ilana on a best friend level.
And aside from the audience’s relationship with the characters, the most charming element of the show is watching Abbi and Ilana’s friendship blossom onscreen. Whether it’s depending on each other for support, advice or entertainment, Abbi and Ilana’s relationship is the best one on television, and it’s extremely charming to see two female characters so comfortable. For example, when Abbi mentions Rogen coming over later that night, Ilana suggests she “watch the Colin Farrell sex tape, just to get back into the swing of things.” The series doesn’t put constraints on their conversations or actions — they’re adults, why not let them be sexually adventurous?
“Broad City” puts value in friendship rather than affection from a significant other. Sure, they have their share of hookups, but they’re not pining for a man to keep by their side. Relationships aren’t the answer to their problems, not even a key plot point. It’s refreshing to see Comedy Central use women as more than props or girlfriends.
The series came back strong after a great first season, and on Jan. 14, Comedy Central announced “Broad City” was renewed for a third season. The series has a unique comic vision, and television is lucky to have it in its future.