Whoever said women aren't funny is a) a moron and b) has yet to feast their eyes on Broad City, a new sketch show on Comedy Central starring Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer (premiering tonight at 10:30/9:30c).
The Upright Citizens Brigade alums and real-life buds bring an honest, much-needed voice to comedy. Namely, one that doesn't have a pair of balls attached to it. After all, who else is gonna perform an interpretive dance to "Fight the Power" à la Do the Right Thing? Certainly not a voice with a pair of balls attached to it. But that's only one reason you should check out Broad City when it premieres tonight. Here are a few more:
1. You probably already love Ilana Glazer. If the last name sounds familiar, it's because her Shit New Yorkers Say sketch went viral last year. The short starred Ilana and her brother, Eliot Glazer — the brain behind the It Gets Betterish web series.
2. The broads are Amy Poehler-approved. In fact, Amy shares the role of Executive Producer with Abbi and Ilana. She also makes guest appearances on the show that occasionally leave her incapacitated and laid up on the sidewalk covered in oranges.
3. Broad City is often WTF (in a good way). Whether you're watching the broads run across New York City for seven minutes with no apparent purpose or you're cringing as they perform a painful rendition of Monica's "Don't Take it Personal (Just One of Dem Days)" in a public park, and all that's left to think is, "What is this, even?" But life is strange sometimes, right?
4. Wall Street Journal called Broad City's brand of comedy "sneak-attack feminism." "We don't consciously try to include feminist issues in the show, but after you have watched a lot of Broad City, you sort of come away with a bit of that — a feeling that these to represent a piece of our generation's women and what they're about," Abbi told Thought Catalog in 2012. "Our generation's women" all agree that dating a dude because he has a washer/dryer combo in his apartment is OK, right?
5. It depicts another side of female friendship. There will be no cosmopolitans or taking baths together in Broad City. There will be mustache waxing and yoga farts, though.
6. They tackle cat-callers brilliantly. For the broads, a cat-caller isn't just some sleazy guy who whispers at you when you're trying to walk in your own neighborhood. He's an incessant, greasy groper who's dropping pet names left and right and leering over you while you're on the phone with your mom. And their reaction to such dudes is equally real: a chorus of "F*CK YOU, MAN" reverberates across the city when the girls confront their oppressors. "I am obsessed with catcalling," Ilana told the WSJ in 2011. "It's one of those things I used to get so fiery-angry about."
7. Broad City appeals to everyone: men, women, and children. OK, maybe not children (unless they're like, really mature). But as the afore-quoted Abbi mentioned, the show isn't written with a particular demo in mind. The get-rich-quick schemes, gracelessness, and general failing at life translates to laughter for anyone trying to hack it in the city, regardless of their gender.
8. You can watch the entire first episode right here. Of course, you can also watch the show in its entirety tonight (and every Wednesday night) at 10:30/9:30c on Comedy Central. Do you, girl!
This post is a sponsored collaboration between Comedy Central and Studio@Gawker.