Comedy Central’s Broad City was a refreshing and unique brand of millennial comedy that graced our airwaves for five seasons. The show focuses on the stories of Abbi and Ilana, two Jewish-American women in their 20s trying to make sense of their insane lives in New York City.
Loosely based around the lives of Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, the comedians portraying these characters, Broad Citybreaks boundaries with its female-focused, multi-ethnic cast. Abbi and Ilana’s adventures are supported by a talented crew of supporting actors, including Hannibal Buress, Susie Essman, and D’Arcy Carden.
In honor of a standout comedy from the 2010s, here’s a collection of the best Broad City memes that only make sense for diehard fans.
20% Off
In the second season, Abbi makes her love for Bed Bath & Beyond known, taking Ilana on a wild ride through her favorite home goods department store. Abbi gets down with the deals and selections, even going as far as dancing with a store employee.
Abbi’s favorite thing about Bed Bath & Beyond, which is a juicy piece of insider shopping knowledge, that when the store doles out 20% off coupons throughout the year, they never expire. What a deal.
How “Am I”?
Ilana, like many other 20-somethings, is a bit lost and unsure about what she wants to do with her life. She works a series of odd jobs, likes to smoke marijuana, and engages in a casual relationship with a dentist played by Hannibal Buress.
When she starts babysitting a wealthy white boy named Oscar, she feels it’s her duty to give him a lesson or two about culture, and this meme is derived from her time with the boy. They go around town while Ilana starts philosophizing over important matters. “The four Rs, my friend,” she stresses. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rihanna!”
A Child Bride?
Ilana’s relationship with the dentist Lincoln is a mature, communicative, casual affair. It also works out really well for Ilana when or her best friend Abbi needs dental work.
While Lincoln may want something more with Ilana, and makes attempts to get her to commit, it’s just not in the cards for her. She’s too wild and adventurous to limit her romantic life to just one person. Broad City does a good job of disavowing traditional expectations like marriage with the kind of humor demonstrated above.
I’m An Adult
Broad City encapsulates life for millennials in the early 2010s. While Americans were fed bogus idealisms related to working hard and going to college, Abbi and Ilana both show that the reality for educated adults is far from this.
Both women struggle to survive in the chaotic, capitalistic outside world. Fortunately, they have each other. When Abbi has to have her wisdom teeth removed, Ilana lets her know how she feels as she’s given anesthetic: “If you don’t wake up I’ll still see you because I’m gonna kill myself and meet you in heaven or whatever.”
Yas Queen
Ilana coined one of the terms that has come to define the 2010s: “Yas Queen!” A slogan of sorts for this quirky character, “Yas Queen!” has made its way onto multiple t-shirts, mugs, and other television shows.
This meme, made to look like an album cover, shows Abbi and Ilana rocking out with Freddie Mercury, the iconic singer of rock band Queen. Mercury, like Ilana, is another dramatic, queer star known for his performative flamboyance. Yaaasssss.
I Get It
What does Abbi get, you might ask? Based on the messages inherent in her show, and based on the nature of the headline she’s retweeted here, she gets that a busy woman like Kate Middleton might rewear a jacket. Jackets are, after all, designed to be reworn.
Broad City does its best to undercut many of the assumptions about women and how they should look and carry themselves.
Garol
Mail worker Garol is one of the most memorable and strange characters from Broad City. She made her debut in the first season, also appearing in three episodes into the fourth season.
This meme gives a big shout-out to Garol. This juvenile, idiosyncratic yogurt lover moves from protector of undelivered packages to the owner of a sex shop. Once news surfaced about the death of the actor who plays Garol, fans took the internet to pay their respects.
Bevers The Freeloader
Bevers is the boyfriend of Abbi’s roommate, who is never seen on the show. It’s implied she’s quite attractive, which is hard to believe considering the way Bevers carries himself.
Inconsiderate and slovenly, Bevers lives at Abbi’s apartment without paying rent or helping to keep the place clean. He’s always around, ready to ruin Abbi’s day with a lame joke or insult. He even admits that he eats ice cream in her bed when she’s not around.
Lincoln The Dentist
Hannibal Buress is one of Broad City’s highlights, and his comedic style fits into the show perfectly. As Lincoln the dentist, his strange one-liners and observations stand out in the world created by Abbi and Ilana.
When he’s about to remove Abbi’s wisdom teeth, he calms down a nervous Ilana by declaring, “If I mess up this white girl’s teeth, the black dentistry game is over.”
Abbi And Ilana, Revolutionaries
Broad City is overtly, unapologetically feminist, which makes it such an important milestone in comedic television. While the show has received criticism since its release, it still serves as a good example of how to formulate a comedic show for female voices, and the precedent it set will hopefully be built upon and improved in the future.
In a genre dominated by male voices, Abbi and Ilana provide a much-needed reversal of the norm. However, it’s not this quality that makes their show so memorable. No one would be writing about Broad City if it wasn’t absolutely hilarious, regardless of its political or social messaging.
