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Is This the Beginning of the End of ‘Broad City’? And Are You an Abbi or an Ilana?

As the show’s two stars take on more and more solo projects, time to start thinking about what comes next

by
Gabriela Geselowitz
July 28, 2017
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images
Getty Images

This summer we’re bringing you daily posts from our sister site, Jewcy.com, edited by Gabriela Geselowitz. You can find more from Jewcy here.

Hang in there, Broad City fans.

Even though Season 3 debuted well over a year ago (February through April 2016), viewers will have to wait a little bit longer. Season 4, meant to debut August 23, was pushed back, to September 13.

The show was renewed for a fifth season (Lord knows when that will air), but nothing lasts forever. With the duo taking longer between seasons, and each of them accruing side projects, could this be the beginning of the end?

It’s a question that’s been asked before, but it bears repeating, up-to-date: Are you an Abbi, or an Ilana?

Abbi and Ilana sort of fit the fox and hedgehog parable. An Abbi knows many things, and an Ilana knows one great thing. Ilana is a comedic genius, and Abbi is a creative person with many ways to express herself.

An Abbi has many passions and many talents, and wants to explore them all, even if they’re not traditional paths to fame and fortune. Jacobson’s first passion was illustration, and her acting career has actually given her a platform to return to visual art, like her recent Carry This Book. On top of that, add her lead role on Matt Groennig’s new animated show, as well as an art podcast and a role in a new indie film that also features Tavi Gevinson. Abbi was your high school valedictorian; it wasn’t clear what she would do, but you knew she would succeed at whatever it was she decided to do.

While Ilana’s success may seem inevitable today, think about the Ilana in your own life—funny and bold, keeping Hebrew School bearable with her cracks, but it might not have occurred to you how far she’d take herself. An Ilana marches to the beat of her own drum, sure, but her rhythm is impeccable.

Ilana hasn’t been working on much else other than Broad City over the last couple of years, but she’s made them count. Her highest profile project to date has been a supporting role in the Scarlett Johansson-led comedy Rough Night. She may seem more zany to Ilana’s straight-man, but she’s laser-focused in carving herself an identity. She’s the heir of the Gilda Radners of the world, and she can take her time working on something that will knock the wind out of all of us.

Remember, this world pits women together all too often, and there is plenty of room for Abbis and Ilanas alike, whether they work together or separately. Whatever happens in Broad City Season 4 (opening with a flashback to the duo first meeting), as long as you’re into “two Jewesses” looking to keep us on our toes, you’re going to be fine.

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Gabriela Geselowitz is a writer and the former editor of Jewcy.com.