Jacobson moved to New York in 2006, after studying visual arts in college. After a year of living in NY and attending classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade, she met Ilana and they continued to work together at UCB for two years; Ilana had previously done various other comedy avenues and had been attending UCB without knowledge of Abbi.
After their time at UCB, they begin to film their web series Broad City; which were 1-6 minute short videos they uploaded to YouTube, something tangible they could show their parents to prove they were trying. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube were the social media platforms that catapulted Broad City around the web and got them some recognition.
A recurring theme throughout the Broad City web series and television show, is the presence of dance sequences that the girls partake in. Whether they are paying homage to Spike Lee or Missy Elliot the duo maintain this running joke that they embody the 90's hip hop scene and that they, like many other females, love to dance for any occasion.
During their initial production of the BC web series, the mode of video chat communication played an important role in how the girls intimately kept in contact with each other. It relays, specifically, to the millennial generation and the excessive use of technology in our lives. For the second season of the web series, every other episode was a video chat between Abbi and Ilana; this method transferred over when they got their series with Comedy Central.
In the web series 2nd season finale the girls are on a race through New York to get to their destination. On their way they encounter subway and street musicians, people crowding the park, sidewalks, and streets, catcallers, and they just so happen to meet up with Amy Poehler. This episode was directed towards the style the t.v. show would be structured.
It was soon into their second "season" on YouTube that they got the attention of Amy Poehler, a prominent figure of women in comedy, to whom they decided to pitch their idea for a television series based on the web series and characters they created. It was evident that they had created something that was beyond the spectrum of most comedies involving females in that it spotlighted the importance of female relationships as the main component of the show.
In this 12-minute clip, Amy Poehler discusses the making of Broad City with Abbi and Ilana; it was one of the first interviews done when Broad City was in production getting ready to be aired on Comedy Central.
Promotional Video for Broad City Season 1 Premiere On Comedy Central January 22, 2014.
Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer's dynamic female relationship on their show, "Broad City", supports an untapped interpretation of the modern unruly woman. The duo are, essentially, in a platonic relationship with one another, and they act as each other's guide and confidant on dealing with the dilemmas of twenty-something females who aren't, in essence, proper ladies. Jacobson and Glazer's wacky "weed-head" antics get them in heightened situational versions of reality while simultaneously tackling issues of equality, sexuality, racism, religion, political and systemic patriarchy, and, overall, female behavior.
After dealing with weird fetishists, getting locked out, having their phone stolen, hurricane wanda and the shit shoe, Abbi and Ilana made it through another year and are celebrating Abbi's 26th birthday. Of course, because it's Abbi and Ilana it is not a normal dinner experience. They incorporate bodily and physical humor throughout the entire episode and push the boundaries on female strength.
In the three seasons Broad city has done, they utilize some serial jokes into their episodic narrative structure. Among some of the running jokes are Abbi's obsession with BB&B (Bed, Bath, and Beyond), Ilana questioning Abbi's religious faith, or the both of them playing "f*ck, Marry, Kill", As well as, the use of cinematic approaches to the way they film, such as the street walking, two shot, or running frantically through NYC's streets and subways.
As mentioned, the Hack Into BC idea came from the web series approach and would periodically be released in between seasons.
Women writing comedic roles for women is something that seems common knowledge but in the industry, it is mostly anecdotal in experience and it is mainly because of the male dominated writer’s room. Broad city has redefined the comedic approach of the female fuck-up character by having the writers' presence be the main influence for each of the girls’ personalities. Broad City, also, hosts a number of famous female comediennes and celebrities, including: Amy Poehler, Amy Sedaris, Patricia Clarkson, Kelly Ripa,Cynthia Nixon, Whoopi Goldberg Ellis Ross & Tymberlee Hill. As well as, Hillary Clinton making an appearance in season 3
Hour long Interview with Abbi, Ilana, and Amy Poehler discussing Broad City Season 1 and what to expect with Season 2.
In season two of Broad City, Abbi and Ilana deal with issues involving White Power Suits, pegging and other sexual experiences, FOMO, citizenship graduations, and Ilana turning 23. Each episode funnier than the last season two amplified Broad City's presence in the comedic community.
Jacobson and Glazer's first late night talk show appearance on Jimmy Kimmel.
Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer's dynamic female relationship on their show, "Broad City", supports an untapped interpretation of the modern unruly woman. The duo are, essentially, in a platonic relationship with one another, and they act as each other's guide and confidant on dealing with the dilemmas of twenty-something females who aren't, in essence, proper ladies. Jacobson and Glazer's wacky "weed-head" antics get them in heightened situational versions of reality while simultaneously tackling issues of equality, sexuality, racism, political and systemic patriarchy, and, overall, female behavior.
The season finale of season 2 is similarly shot and composed in the same way as the "I Heart New York" episode from the web series. It, also incorporates the city street level vibe that Broad City has shown to be a main component in the series narrative.
Along with their counter-normative attitudes, Abbi and Ilana's relationship with pot is a vital component in their character development and story structure. It is what fuels most of the crazy situations they find themselves in and somehow it always remains a remedy to whatever stresses were an effect from before.
Online merging of sitcom and other series cinematic style is something that can be commonly found, this was an example of one I found while doing research on Broad City. I thought it was a unique edit and was similar to what we discussed during screen comedy convergence.
There is something about Broad City's Feminist approach to character and story development that delves into aspects of women's and men's lives that gets overlooked in mainstream media. The roles of Lincoln, Trey and Jaimé are counter creations of the ideal male persona in mainstream shows, they are more in tune with their emotions and are more understanding than male characters are perceived to be. As for Abbi and Ilana, they are equally nude on the show the same amount as their male actors and they sexualize men in ways that most female comics are unable to.
In the series premiere of season three, the cinematic style of the dual screen edit shows Abbi and Ilana's bathrooms over the period of a year. They meet up for lunch before an art gallery and calamity ensues, they have the chase scene around the streets of NYC and embarrass themselves beyond belief.
In the two part finale of Season 3, the girls intro is inspired from a web series skit about yoga and the continual use of that setting throughout the seasons on t.v. and simultaneously joking about flatulence. The main plot is that they are on about to meet up to go on the journey to the airport.
Jacobson and Glazer have created a series so profound that it has already been renewed for another two seasons, for a total of five once done. They have used their own influences to create something that truly captures, in a comedic interpretation, what it's like to be women who don't have life figured out and are just trying to get by with a little help from some friends.
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