Abbi Abrams and Ilana Wexler find themselves in several funny situations throughout Broad City. Plotlines poke fun and the idiosyncrasies of the New Yorkers’ home city as they run into quirky personalities along the way. Episodes feature singular arcs like some of the protagonists’ worst first dates in Broad City.
However, the show also showcases multiple series-long plotlines. Along with these narratives, some of the show’s funniest gags appear again and again. Seeing things like Abbi’s blue dress pop up repeatedly make for some of Broad City‘s best moments.
Bevers and Melody
Abbi’s roommate Matt Bevers may not be the most likable character in Broad City. However, it’s hard to argue he isn’t one of the show’s funniest supporting characters. Bevers is introduced as Abbi’s roommate Melody’s boyfriend. At the beginning of the series, audiences might expect to see Melody eventually.
However, Melody’s absence becomes a running joke. Bevers continues to eat Abbi’s food and overstep in bouts of overfamiliarity. In one episode, Abbi admits to forgetting Melody is her roommate and not Bevers. The joke is perhaps harped on most when Abbi consoles Melody through a bathroom door, although audiences still never see her.
Training Shania Twain
Abbi struggles in her cleaning position at Soulstice. She wants to be a trainer but fails to move up the ranks until she blackmails Trey, and her short-lived training role ends in disaster. However, her dream to be a trainer gives audiences one of the show’s most memorable running gags.
Ilana tells viewers Abbi’s “go-to lie” is that she is training Shania Twain. When the two visit Abbi’s dad, he asks how training Shania Twain is going. The gag comes to a head when Trey actually trains Shania Twain in one of Broad City‘s best guest-star episodes. When Abbi tells Ilana over the phone, she hangs up immediately.
Bingo Bronson
Broad City presents several surreal moments throughout the series. Abbi and Ilana take psychedelic drugs in a mostly-animated episode. When Abbi goes to the DMV, audiences are presented with a stylized dungeon satirizing the institution. One of the most notable abstract characters in the show is Bingo Bronson.
Bingo Bronson is Abbi’s stuffed animal that comes to life in various episodes. When Abbi gets her wisdom teeth taken out, they go grocery shopping together. When Abbi and Ilana have a bad come down from drugs after being barred from a Lil Wayne concert, Bingo comforts them.
Abbi’s Blue Dress
Abbi’s blue dress might be one of the most frequently recurring gags in Broad City. Audiences are first introduced to the outfit when Abbi buys it with her credit card, implying she will return it to get her money back. However, audiences see her wear the dress on several outings after its appearance, like when she and her friends go on a booze cruise.
Perhaps the funniest appearance of the blue dress comes when Abbi’s mother Joanne is introduced. She expresses regret for not living her life to the fullest and asks Abbi to take her out on the town. After changing, Joanne comes into Abbi’s living room wearing the infamous outfit. Abbi acknowledges to audiences her surprise at seeing “the dress” on her mom.
Abbi Loved Jam Bands
Viewers learn about Abbi and Ilana’s past lives through episodes like “Sliding Doors,” which reveals their friendship’s origin. However, audiences learn the most about their pasts through their conversations. Abbi is an artist working odd jobs to pay bills in present-day Broad City but she often speaks about her past following jam bands like Phish in her college days.
Audiences hear about Abbi’s past following bands like Disco Biscuits when she impersonates Ilana at the local food co-op. When they visit Abbi’s childhood home, she shows Ilana the old dreadlocks she sported in her jam band days. She has a Grateful Dead poster on her wall.
Break Up Guy
One of the less obvious callback jokes comes with a man repeatedly showcased talking on the phone about his breakup. When Ilana and Abbi celebrate Ilana’s birthday on St. Mark’s Place, he is seen ranting on the phone about how his girlfriend Christina moved out, until he is embraced by a friend.
Audiences see the man return when Abbi and Ilana are on the hunt for a good time. They overhear him discuss an exclusive club, and the instructions to reference the “Hernandez party” to get in. He addresses Christina on the phone and invites her to the party, saying he is going to win her back.
Trey’s Adult Film
Many fans call Trey one of the funniest supporting characters in Broad City. He is Abbi’s superior at Soulstice, and the two have a brief romance together. Trey seems to have an uneventful personal life. However, Ilana soon discovers he has a past in the adult film world.
After Trey is discovered as a former adult film star, “Kirk Steele,” Abbi blackmails him for a better job position. It is the arc of an episode, but audiences see Kirk pop up again throughout the series. When Ilana is on the phone with her brother Eliot, viewers can see Kirk on his computer in the background.
Trey’s DVDs
Trey is presented as awkward and uncool. He makes lame jokes and often references low-brow or uninteresting movies and TV shows. One of his funniest running gags is his interest in DVDs. The show was filmed during the mid to late 2010s and they were already viewed as obsolete by many as the world of streaming took over.
When Abbi and Ilana go to Trey’s party, he suggests they all watch The Apprentice on DVD, his idea of a wild time. When Trey stays with Abbi after she is robbed, he shows off the portable DVD player his mom gets him so he can “watch DVDs on the subway.” He presents the outrageously unedgy and mixed selection of Babe, Hangover 3, and Ratatouille. They are all burned copies.
