This city is for broads

Two 20something ladies - I mean broads - trying to survive in the city, with no money and SO MUCH friendship. Sounds like a tired premise right? Sex in the City is almost 20 years old at this point - the premise isn't breaking any ground. But it's in the execution. Broad City is weird. It's weird in a wonderful, high, gross, shit-in-your-shoe, Skype during sex, co-dependent, pussy weed kind of way. It's the first female friendship on TV that has ever been really recognizable to me. That's not an overstatement. I've recognized parts of my life in TV friendships before--talking about boys, going shopping, even, god forgive me, mutual body-hating--but never has a show presented a relationship that felt true and recognizable on a deeper level, on the level of how these people care about each other, not just what they like doing together. TV is good at showing female friends that gossip and eat ice cream and go dancing together. TV has historically not been so good at showing girlfriends (just friends!) who sometimes hit on each other, talk about their bowel movements, and generally have no ladylike boundaries. People, girls, who are so comfortable with each other that they almost live inside each other's skin, who know each other so well that the boundaries between two bodies, two lives, start to blur. Friendships that are cornerstones of an identity. And honestly, the struggle that comes with these deep female bonds to remain an individual, to keep track of what is yours and what is her's and when that matters. These are my friends. These are my people.

Plus, it's really funny. If you didn't watch season 1, get your ass immediately to Hulu. The whole season is gold (especially anything that comes out of Lincoln's mouth), but here are my top recommended episodes. Each one is basically a snap shot, there's not a lot of linear storyline (at least not in this first season), so it's hard to get spoiled. If you want a guaranteed new obsession, start with these guys.

Episode 4: The Lockout
The girls get locked out of both their apartments, and basically become homeless on the streets of NYC for 12 hours. Oh yeah, and Abbi has her first art show that night. This is a great one because it shows their friendship under stress - and these girls under stress are a sight to see. I rarely see girls fight on TV if it's not about a boy. For Abbi and Ilana, boys are so beside the point. And both girls get to shine here - Ilana gets to be crazy, do physical comedy, and (try to) take care of Abbi for once; Abbi gets to be totally neurotic, up her own ass, and fake-grownup to the nth degree. It's one of the funniest, most ridiculous, and most heart-warming episodes. And there's garbage bagels, and Keil's.

Episode 5: Fattest Asses
Abbi is fed up with being nice - so she buys a hot (read: expensive) dress and goes to a swanky party with Ilana. There, Ilana picks up two DJ roommates while Abbi literally knocks down doors in the men's bathroom and does coke with the skinny new-waver she finds inside. Abbi is such a joy here. She's usually so wound up, and it's amazing to see her blossom like a majestic, newborn, coked-up butterfly, with maybe only one antenna or some other awkward defect. She's in her own world, but I'm happy to go there with her because she's just having so much fun. It's easy to see here why Ilana and Abbi became friends in the first place. Often, their odd-couple dynamic doesn't seem to compute - why is Abbi friends with such a whacko, and why is Ilana friends with such a narc? But here they come closer to a happy medium, and you get to see Abbi's own whacko side, which pretty much dwarfs Ilana on her craziest days. Plus, the DJ roommates turn out to be lots of fun once the girls get back to their apartment. (Bonus: I challenge you to point out another show where the only sexual activity indicated during a sex scene, beyond kissing, is cunnilingus)

Episode 10: The Last Supper
This is the season finale, and it's the perfect way to wrap it all up. The girls go out to a fancy restaurant for Abbi's birthday (an outing financed by Abbi's father). They request the table Bey and Jay sat at last week, then decide who's who (Ilana is obviously Jay). Ilana is maybe secretly allergic to shellfish, so naturally they order the pre fixe seafood sampler. And as a cherry on top, the B story is a random fight in the kitchen between their waiter--and Amy Poehler! Poehler is actually the executive producer of the series--she plucked these women from their internet fame (Broad City started as a web series) and brought them to Comedy Central, where they consistently outshine Workaholics. It's a fun little easter egg to see her in this last episode, and she never once actually interacts with the girls. I love that she doesn't try to upstage them or insert herself into their dynamic in any way. She's just there as a little wink, as behind the scenes support, and she kills it (as always).

So there you have it - watch these three, and you'll be in it for the long haul. Comedy Central has already ordered season 2, which films in NYC this summer. So you have a few months to catch up (although it will only take you a few days), and then we have more of these glorious ladies to look forward to!