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Broad City

Comedy Central’s amazingly funny ode to New York is wrapping up

broad city Comedy Central
Emily St. James was a senior correspondent for Vox, covering American identities. Before she joined Vox in 2014, she was the first TV editor of the A.V. Club.

There are few funnier TV shows than Broad City. And there are almost zero TV shows that combine such a devastating sense of humor with such an impressive visual style. On some level, the show — which centers on Abbi and Ilana, two young women just trying to make it in the big city — is a love letter to New York, but it’s also a love letter to female friendship, great sex, great sex jokes, and marijuana (among other things).

That description might make Broad City sound a little too trite, but the beauty of the series is in how it puts a new spin on a bunch of things you’ve seen over and over again. And at all times, the show uses inventive filmmaking to tell its stories in a way that makes them pop off the screen. Indeed, the season premiere of its currently airing fifth and final season takes the form of an Instagram story, showcasing the series’ visually inventive style that will be sadly missed once it leaves the air.

“You’ll still laugh a fair amount when you watch Abbi and Ilana’s swan song. But when it’s over, you’ll also feel ready to say good-bye.” Jen Chaney, Vulture

Metacritic score: 80 out of 100

Where to watch: New episodes of Broad City air Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern on Comedy Central. The first four seasons are streaming on Hulu.

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