Broad City and its Producerly Elements
By Jalina Brown TA: Jesse Yang Menn Section: Friday, 10:35
Broad City, Comedy Central’s latest situation comedy, features two women in their twenties living and working in New York City. Although it is still a fairly new show, it has already gained a substantial fan base. These fans can be found on the show’s Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter feeds posting clips of the show, quoting their favorite characters, and submitting fan art. The producerliness of the show allows these fans to find their own meaning within the diegesis. John Fiske defines a producerly text as one that contains several elements including excess, obviousness, contradictions, and complexity. Excess and obviousness are illustrated through …show more content…
He writes “Excessiveness and obviousness are central features of the producerly text” (Fiske 92). Abbi and Ilana are constantly exhibiting excessive and obvious behavior. Ilana, in particular, is known for her outrageous and excessive outfits. This is illustrated in the episode “Working Girls” when Ilana comes to work dressed in a crop top that barely covers her midriff and low-rise pants that expose her underwear which she wears pulled up to her waist. Her boss approaches her desk where she sleeps with her eyes open. He wakes her up to point out that her computer is turned off and hands her the employee manual, requesting that she reviews the company policies on sexual harassment and appropriate work attire. Ilana agrees and heads to bathroom saying it’s time for her “top of the morning dump”. This scene demonstrates Ilana’s excessive character in several different ways. Her behavior is outrageous and her language and dress are completely inappropriate for the professional setting of an office. Despite her behavior, her boss does not discipline her and it is clear that Ilana controls the situation. This type of role reversal is commonly used on the show and is often a source of humor. The combination of role reversal with Ilana’s excessive outfits draws fans into the diegesis and compels them to watch the show each week. In a forum with the topic “Broad City on Comedy Central” on Footballguys.com, the user …show more content…
Though it has just finished it’s first season, it has received much praise and attention due to its gross-out humor and somewhat realistic depiction of the modern twenty-something female living in the city. The fans that have been drawn in are already participating in the diegesis of the show through fan art and mention the show on various social media platforms. Fans frequently comment on the show’s producerly qualities such as Ilana’s excessive outfits or how the writers use humor to highlight gender roles and role reversal. As a fan of the show, I find it refreshing to see gender roles being reversed by women who don’t always look perfectly “camera ready.” As one fan mentioned, these women are shown without perfect hair or makeup and that makes them more relatable than the women on a show like Two Broke Girls, who always look flawless. Overall, Broad City has had a successful first season and the producerly elements will continue to draw in fans and encourage and invite them to find their own meaning within the
By Jalina Brown TA: Jesse Yang Menn Section: Friday, 10:35
Broad City, Comedy Central’s latest situation comedy, features two women in their twenties living and working in New York City. Although it is still a fairly new show, it has already gained a substantial fan base. These fans can be found on the show’s Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter feeds posting clips of the show, quoting their favorite characters, and submitting fan art. The producerliness of the show allows these fans to find their own meaning within the diegesis. John Fiske defines a producerly text as one that contains several elements including excess, obviousness, contradictions, and complexity. Excess and obviousness are illustrated through …show more content…
He writes “Excessiveness and obviousness are central features of the producerly text” (Fiske 92). Abbi and Ilana are constantly exhibiting excessive and obvious behavior. Ilana, in particular, is known for her outrageous and excessive outfits. This is illustrated in the episode “Working Girls” when Ilana comes to work dressed in a crop top that barely covers her midriff and low-rise pants that expose her underwear which she wears pulled up to her waist. Her boss approaches her desk where she sleeps with her eyes open. He wakes her up to point out that her computer is turned off and hands her the employee manual, requesting that she reviews the company policies on sexual harassment and appropriate work attire. Ilana agrees and heads to bathroom saying it’s time for her “top of the morning dump”. This scene demonstrates Ilana’s excessive character in several different ways. Her behavior is outrageous and her language and dress are completely inappropriate for the professional setting of an office. Despite her behavior, her boss does not discipline her and it is clear that Ilana controls the situation. This type of role reversal is commonly used on the show and is often a source of humor. The combination of role reversal with Ilana’s excessive outfits draws fans into the diegesis and compels them to watch the show each week. In a forum with the topic “Broad City on Comedy Central” on Footballguys.com, the user …show more content…
Though it has just finished it’s first season, it has received much praise and attention due to its gross-out humor and somewhat realistic depiction of the modern twenty-something female living in the city. The fans that have been drawn in are already participating in the diegesis of the show through fan art and mention the show on various social media platforms. Fans frequently comment on the show’s producerly qualities such as Ilana’s excessive outfits or how the writers use humor to highlight gender roles and role reversal. As a fan of the show, I find it refreshing to see gender roles being reversed by women who don’t always look perfectly “camera ready.” As one fan mentioned, these women are shown without perfect hair or makeup and that makes them more relatable than the women on a show like Two Broke Girls, who always look flawless. Overall, Broad City has had a successful first season and the producerly elements will continue to draw in fans and encourage and invite them to find their own meaning within the