Ilana and Abbi are back on the struggle bus for Broad City Season 4, just trying to figure out who they are while paying way too much for rent.
This season begins with a real trip into the past. You will see the origin story of how these ladies became a duo, and we’re totally pumped. Player.One spoke to the leads of the show, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, about the adventures their fictional counterparts will take this year. In fact, those lucky enough to attend San Diego Comic Con this year were able to watch a full episode of the upcoming season, which we detailed for you right here.
“They're still struggling to figure out and find their place in New York City. They're trying to find their footing,” Jacobson said, teasing what’s to come in the show. “There's some new jobs, some new characters that come in. At the end of the day it's very recognizably Broad City, but there are all these new situations they find themselves in. We go to Florida for an episode. We do mushrooms. We meet Abbi's mom. It's expanded more.”
Glazer added, “You'll see the girls dealing with the winter which is a whole thing in New York City. Such a thing. It changes your life. The girls are getting a little bit older, they're getting a little bit wiser but just barely.”
For those of you who didn’t binge watch Broad City on Comedy Central this past Labor Day, here’s a refresher of where we last saw Abbi and Ilana. The girls decided to take a trip to Israel trip through a faith-based travel group for young Jewish singles. It’s an all-expense-paid trip where essentially single Jewish people can meet their potential life partner. Seth Green, Tracee Ellis Ross and Tymberlee Hill were guest stars in the episode. Abbi unfortunately is forced to check her bag after arriving to the airport late. She tells Ilana that she desperately needs a tampon and shenanigans ensue. The ladies end up being held by TSA and questioned about potential acts of terrorism.
“It was fucking awesome,” Glazer said, referring to working with Ross. “She is like a real broad. She really fits into our world and our dynamic. Her counter, her partner-in-crime, in that episode is Tymberlee Hill who is equally as fucking hilarious. They were a dream for that episode...Tracee is a goddess. She's a great example of someone who's been in the industry, well she was born into it, not that changes her situation, but she has a lot of good tips and guidance. She's also hashtag hair goals.”
The show picks up a little bit more than a year later this time around. Glazer and Jacobson are both writers and showrunners for the series, but this year they were also able to direct an episode each. It was important for the duo to reflect that the world of Broad City has continued while not on TV and has become a world of it’s own. Part of the reason why is because Glazer and Jacobson are so involved in the creative process it’s almost second nature to them, as reflected in their natural chemistry on the show.
“The set is really ours. We can do whatever we want,” Glazer said. “We directed this year so it's even more ours than ever before. We've always been the showrunners. Even when it's other directors it always comes back to us. We set up a rhythm where we do about three takes to get in the [headspace], two takes to try and get it down, two more takes to get it down in 'your voice' and then one or two add your own flavor. There's not a lot of ad-libbing. There is ad-libbing, but it's more character based. Our freedom is limited.”
Jacobson added, “It's very scripted. It's a huge compliment that you feel like it's ad-libbed. I think it feels like that because we write it for ourselves and this is how we talk. We spend a lot of time together and we talk to each other the way we write.”
Since time doesn’t stop in the world of Broad City, fans will be able to see where some other staple characters are in the show. You’ll see Hannibal Buress return as Lincoln, Ilana’s on-again, off-again boyfriend. We may get a check-in from Trey, Abbi’s not-so-secret hookup. But most importantly, Bevers is still living with Abbi and becoming more than just her roommate's boyfriend.
“Gemberling is very Bevers,” Glazer said. “We write Bevers, we've always written. We pitched with the character of Bevers thinking of Gemberling. He's one of our many muses. It cracks me up in edit when we're just like, 'He's so cute.' [Laugh] He is! He's just our little friend. He has two sons and he's almost like their age. He's a three-year-old. He's just so cute and so funny. [Bevers scenes] are some of my favorites because you feel two things at once where you're annoyed for Abbi but also loving it.”
Broad City Season 4 premieres Sept. 13 at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.
