Ten years ago, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson first graced the silver screen in their hit young-adult stoner comedy series, Broad City. The show followed the raunchy misadventures of two twenty-something best friends in New York City as they grappled with relationships, career changes, sexuality, and, of course, illicit substances. Broad City was a beacon of hope during the first Trump administration and wasn’t afraid to tackle complex topics while strongly emphasizing female friendship. Then, after a successful five-year run, the show ended.
Though several queer and female-led programs attempted to fill the hole Broad City left in its wake, nothing could compare. Following the show’s departure, conservative comedy, emphasizing the male experience, rose to the top.
Then, in 2024, when the world needed them most, Broad City returned – sort of. Babes, Ilana Glazer’s theatrical writing debut, premiered on May 17, 2024. The female-led buddy comedy carries the same energy of Broad City – but picks up ten years later. Instead of starring two 20-something besties in New York, Babes features a now mid-30s Glazer with her best friend, played by the stunning Michelle Buteau, as they enter the next chapter of their lives – parenthood.
Glazer’s Eden carries the same carefree energy and lust for life her character, Illana, possessed in Broad City. Though missing Jacobson, Buteau fills the role of anxious and timid stoner best friend to Glazer’s life of the party.
Full of drug-induced fun, Babes also touches on complex topics of loss, single-parenting, and the need for community and female friendship, even as life picks up. The film’s emotional climax draws on many of Broad City’s themes, revealing once again that the spiritual love between female best friends is often just as valid, necessary, and romantic as traditional love stories.
