January 20, 2014 | People The Latest
Abbi Jacobson and best friend Ilana Glazer run into many off-kilter situations on their hilarious TV show, Broad City.
Just as your favorite TV shows return from holiday hiatus, we caught word of an exciting new series, Broad City, that chronicles the adventures of one of Philly’s own. A collaboration between Radnor native Abbi Jacobson and her best friend, Ilana Glazer, the show about two 20-something New York City transplants started out as a web series before being picked up by Comedy Central and produced by Amy Poehler for a January 22 premiere. We sat down with Jacobson to get the scoop on what to expect.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
ABBI JACOBSON: Ilana and I were inspired to make the show based on our dynamic as friends and our experiences living in New York City. We were both at a place where we felt like we needed to be creating material for ourselves, and the web seemed like the new frontier. Our relationship in real life is similar to the show and we tried to exaggerate what we find funny about our friendship and point of views.
What has been your favorite moment on the show?
AJ: Oh man, that's a tough call to make! This experience has been so amazing. To get to see our words in action and come to life has really been an indescribable thing. I'll say a few: we ride around town in a smart car driven by Amy Sedaris, we shot a rooftop party scene with 40 extras that was completely surreal, we got to shoot [the show] in the subway, and we rode Citi Bikes.
How does the dynamic between you and Ilana add to the show’s interest?
AJ: We're best friends, but we also constantly agree to disagree. It’s been so amazing to get to play with our real-life dynamic in the show. I think it adds to the tone and feels like a real, meaty, well-rounded relationship between two friends.
Did you ever imagine your web series turning into an Amy Poehler-produced TV show?
AJ: No! We never could have imagined that this would happen. In the beginning, we really just made it to put work out there and to be able to send out a tangible link to our work. Things just grew from that. It's really been such an unexpected and wonderful journey.
How does living in NYC compare to living in Philadelphia?
AJ: I always feel a sense of relief when I stay in Philly—it's a breath of fresh air and a bit of a slower pace for me. I feel pretty lucky to have access to both cities right now, not to mention they're only two hours apart!
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY COMEDY CENTRAL
