Comedy Central
Four and three and two and ... our favorite small-screen duo is back!
Season 3 of the Comedy Central hit "Broad City," starring Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer as two single women toking, loving and living in the big city, premieres Wednesday night. Based on the previews, we can expect more Abbi-Ilana love, irreverent humor and the spot-on portrayal of what its like to be a semiprofessional millennial just trying to have a good time.
If one new episode isn't enough, try one of these eight books on for size while you wait for the next one. They capture mid-20s malaise, female friendship and raucous, low-budget New York living in the same shades as "Broad City."
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Interesting, hilarious women on TV and in print? We'll let Ilana take it from here to explain how we feel.
"Animals," Emma Jane Unsworth
Europa
There's nothing like a good, rowdy friend who will join you in debauchery for years -- until said friend decides to go ahead and get engaged to a teetotaling classical pianist. In Animals, character Laura is pulled between her fiancé and the party-loving BFF Tyler. Unsworth writes a worthy homage to intense connections and the thrill of a night out. It's hard to imagine either Abbi or Ilana giving up their lifestyles in the name of settling down, but the super-close friendship portrayed here shows shades of our favorite TV friends.
"Legs Get Led Astray," Chloe Caldwell
Future Tense Books
Chloe Caldwell knows what it's like to be young in New York. The wonder, devastation and falling-apart apartments are captured in this collection of essays, where Caldwell describes babysitting, former lovers, taking drugs and more. It's messy and relatable, much like the scenes we see in Abbi and Ilana's lives.
"Paulina & Fran," Rachel B. Glaser
HarperCollins
This book doesn't quite showcase the same ever-supportive love that Abbi and Ilana share, but the titular Paulina and Fran's story is just as compelling. Brought together by a school trip to Norway, the polarizing Paulina and sweet Fran's friendship ebbs and flows through new boyfriends and art school drama. It's a skillful look at the fierce love and complications that come with close relationships.
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"The Fallback Plan," Leigh Stein
Melville House
Leigh Stein's novel is how I'd imagine Abbi's life might look like if she had to move back to her parents' house after graduation: living at home, pursuing dead-end relationships, rereading beloved books from her past. It sounds bleak, but Stein's tale is a genuine-feeling investigation into the ennui that accompanies our entrance into the dreaded "real world," the point where our formal education typically ends and a whole other form of learning begins.
"Bright Lines," Tanwi Nandini Islam
Penguin
Biking around Brooklyn, heading to huge warehouse parties: Tanwi Nandini Islam's Bright Lines fits in well with the colorful, interesting New York City of "Broad City." Our protagonists here are slightly younger than Abbi and Ilana, and experience the kind of transformative summer that stays with someone for a lifetime.
"Jillian," Halle Butler
Curbside Splendor
Halle Butler's world in Jillian is populated by funny, sharply written characters that aren't too dissimilar from the disgruntled workers of Soulstice gym or Deals, Deals, Deals. Megan, new to the workforce and suffering in a bleak secretarial position, fixates on her infuriating co-worker (the titular Jillian) as a means of dealing. Neither character is particularly lovable, but no matter -- you'll be transfixed by the obsessive, issue-laden story within.
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"The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance," Elna Baker
Dutton
The real-life Abbi and Ilana got their start doing shows at the seminal Upright Citizen's Brigade theater in New York, and Baker's story isn't too far off. A comedian and writer trying to make it in the big city while grappling with her Mormon roots, Baker tells a twisting story of missed connections and feeling comfortable in one's own skin.
"Friendship," Emily Gould
FSG
Bev and Amy have been longtime best friends, but as they reach their 30s, their lives diverge in unexpected ways. Major life changes force the two to confront their differences and mature sooner than they'd hoped, and their friendship hangs in the balance -- all set against the backdrop of a funny, ironic New York. Bev and Amy might not have hung out with Abbi and Ilana, but they might have waved, crossing paths in the same neighborhood.
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