Broad City Season 4
Created by: Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson
Starring: Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Hannibal Buress, Arturo Castro, John Gemberling
Network: Comedy Central
Review by Stephanie Cooke
Broad City is one of those shows that you watch and then you watch over and over again when you’re trying to think of something to watch and you can’t. You always come back to a reliable classic that you can enjoy whether you’re fully paying attention or need something on as background noise. It’s also just a fun show to have on with some pals; who amongst us can’t relate to Abbi and Ilana’s nonsense in New York City?
…actually, that’s probably a lot of people. People who have their lives together and stuff. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. There’s a lot to enjoy about Abbi and Ilana.
Broad City is a delightful mix of Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Dazed and Confused but maybe just the pot smoking portion of that last one. If you haven’t checked out the show before, the previous seasons contain 10 episodes which are 22-minutes long. Although the episodes largely standalone, you absolutely get more out of the show by following it from the beginning. I don’t recommend starting with this latest season and not because it differs from the standalone episode model but mostly because I didn’t feel it was the strongest season to date.
I think it’s hard to fairly judge Broad City as it goes on though. I hold it to such a high standard (ha ha ha) from the first two seasons, which were ridiculous perfection to me.
Anyways, let’s talk about some of the individual episodes. I know this is all subjective but here’s what did it or didn’t do it for me.
Some of the hits…
Abbi’s Mom, Florida, and Friendiversary were some of the standouts within Season 4.
Within the episode Abbi’s Mom, I loved the chemistry and dynamic between Abbi Jacobson and Peri Gilpin (Frasier). Gilpin, who plays Abbi’s mother Joanne, has such a delightful role as she tries to discover new aspects of herself alongside her youthful daughter. Of course, it goes hilariously askew (as per the Curb Your Enthusiasm portion of the show), but it’s such a fun episode to watch.
Florida was G-R-E-A-T. I think this might’ve been my favourite episode of the season as the ladies head down south with Ilana’s family to settle the estate of her late grandmother. Abbi and Ilana are joined by Ilana’s mother, and brother, as well as Fran Drescher who plays Ilana’s aunt. It’s equal parts about Abbi and Ilana’s friendship, as well as family, and two woke women visiting a state that is filled with people who are crazy as f*$#.
And finally, Friendiversary could’ve been a full-length Broad City film for me. After Ilana and Abbi celebrate their “friendiversary”, they witness a murder (a la Girl on the Train) and set off to try and solve the crime when the police don’t believe them and they feel that NYC is at risk while the predator remains on the loose. Once again, factor in that comparison to Curb Your Enthusiasm to imagine how horribly this could all go and you have an inkling of what happens within this episode.
Some of the misses…
Sliding Doors, Twaining Day, and Mushrooms fell a little flat for me. Moreso than the latter, the former two definitely just didn’t do it for me. The writing felt rushed and uninspired for the most part and I noticed that I drifted away from paying attention to the show quite a bit during these particular episodes.
Twaining Day had some potential with a guest cameo by Shania Twain but they really phoned it in with humour which revolved solely around making puns involving Shania’s songs. I love puns so this pains me to write, but I just wasn’t into it. Maybe I’m not a big enough Shania fan to have been thoroughly delighted by it. *shrug*
Broad City Season 4 DVD Special Features:
- Hack Into Broad City (webisodes)
- Behind Broad City
- Deleted/Extended Scenes and Outtakes
Verdict:
If you’re a fan of the series, definitely pick up the show. It’s a silly and mindless series to watch and rewatch again. This season wasn’t up there amongst my favourites but I still really enjoyed myself as well as Abbi and Ilana’s shenanigans.
If you have not seen Broad City before, then I wouldn’t recommend starting with Season 4. Definitely jump back into the earlier episodes and go through them before tackling this season.
Broad City Season 4 is on DVD on February 13, 2018.
