July 9, 2019
Broad City: The Complete Series
Karin McKie READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson met doing comedy at UCB New York. They shot a web series about 20-something hipster chicks in New York. Amy Poehler executive produced their jump to a fabulous, frenetic Comedy Central series, in which they were creators, leads, writers, directors, producers, show-runners and feminist icons.
"Broad City" has now wrapped and I'm bereft. But I'm also exhilarated that this quirky, perky slice-of-life found a home and landed a following, and the entire kit and caboodle – five seasons and a special feature disc – are available as a box set to cuddle with and binge on when going through withdrawal.
Their namesake characters start season five with a jaunt from the top to the bottom of Manhattan for Abbi's 30th birthday, a travelogue love letter to the island in the city that's a prominent character. Joie de vivre, weed (plus a hit of Molly) and a steady stream of farts and fart jokes propel the pair into new yet final adventures along with guest stars Rachel Dratch, Janeane Garofalo, Amy Sedaris, and Alan Cumming as himself.
The special features disc offers a fan surprise event, "The Making of Season 5" stories (iPhone video, phone wigs, and the yellow hat of gender identity), all the "Hack Into Broad City" segments, and "A NYC Broad City Send-Off Fit for a Queen," footage of their farewell party.
The behind-the-scenes extras show how Abbi's and Ilana's apartments were designed and dressed, provide a salute to "The Blue Dress" and a chat with the costume designer, who explains the construction of Ilana's "Matrix"-inspired catsuit.
"Abbi & Ilana's Broad City" talks about their "magical and real relationship" and their leadership skills, the genesis of the project to the final production meetings, plus the writing process, props, more costumes, and a brief interview with Poehler, who reminds us that "the real romance in the show is between Ilana and Abbi." She's also grateful we have the privilege to say goodbye to the characters and creators. As are we.
"Broad City: The Complete Series"
DVD
$43.27
http://www.cc.com/shows/broad-city
Karin McKie is a writer, educator and activist at KarinMcKie.com