Today in super cool girls being rewarded for doing super cool things, Broad City, the delightful web series written by and starring young New York comedians Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, has been ordered to pilot by Comedy Central. The series follows two best friends — coincidentally also named Abbi and Ilana — as they navigate their awkward young adult lives in New York City. Remind you of another widely discussed show featuring the trials and tribulations of young women in Brooklyn? Don't be fooled — Broad City isn't some Girls rip off (though I'm sure the success of Girls didn't hurt Broad City's chances during pilot season). Jacobson and Glazer have actually been producing 2-7 minute webisodes of the series since 2010. (Check them out on YouTube — they're well worth the watch.) Also? The show's being produced by Amy Fucking Poehler. Still need convincing?
Broad City's chances of series pick up are exciting for several reasons, the fact that it's a show written by (and for) smart young women being chief among them. And then there's what the success of Broad City says about the the internet and its ability to make the inaccessible accessible. What Jacobson and Glazer have created is independent. It's DIY. It's punk rock. The two have made something on a tiny budget with the help of friends and shared it for free. It gained attention because it's well-written, funny and has a voice that's somehow both unique and relatable. While being based in New York definitely gave Broad City a leg up, something as solid could be made anywhere, just so long as the talent is there.
It's exciting to, for once, not think of the internet as a network of terror, but rather as an equalizer of opportunity. Work hard, make something cool and, whether you're Issa Rae, some kid from the University of Michigan or two girls who met in a UCB improv class, the right person could take notice and reward your talents and effort. We're living in exciting times — let's not lose sight of the forrest through the Reddit trees.
Now let's hope that Broad City gets a full series order!
