10 Reasons Abbi & Ilana Of Broad City Are The Best Comic Duo On TV

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are gaining new fans by the minute for their work on Comedy Central’s Broad City, and we here at Paste couldn’t be happier about it. With only 10 episodes aired, the show has unleashed a zany style of humor that’s all its own, while still being weirdly realistic and, above all, deeply humane. At the core of the show are Abbi and Ilana, who effortlessly play off each other to create one of the most authentic and hilarious friendships in recent comedic history. If you haven’t already been watching their new teaser web series, we suggest you do so immediately, then bide your time until January 2015 by revisiting 10 moments when Abbi and Ilana proved themselves to be the best comic duo on television.

1. They know the meaning of teamwork.
Desperate to catch Lil Wayne on tour, Ilana convinces Abbi to partake in a get-rich-quick Craigslist scheme, indulging a creepily hilarious Fred Armisen’s fetish for nude housekeepers. C’mon, Weezy tickets don’t come cheap!
Best line: “We just cleaned for an hour! I don’t do that at my house!”

2. They make going to the bank the most adventurous thing ever.
When Abbi sells an art design to a website and gets a check for $8,000, the pair’s imaginations run wild when they go to the bank to deposit it. It’ll make you want to call Human Resources to get your own checks written out with expletives on them.
Best line: “I wasn’t sure if there was a special teller I should go to for checks that are this large.”

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3. They are excellent wingwomen.
A hurricane forces the gang to stake out in Abbi’s apartment, so she and Ilana hatch a plan to take advantage of the moment and get Abbi and her neighbor-crush Jeremy together. Ilana, in her loving way, manages to make things awkward for everyone.
Best line: “I wanna, like, make sure you’re optimizing your fantasy.”

4. They’re basically feminist heroes.
When Abbi and Ilana go on an old classmate hunting spree on Facebook, they think they’re taking a stand for strong, independent women everywhere, à la Amelia Earhart. Rejection can be hard to face, however. We also learn that liking Roseanne is likely the best way to Abbi’s heart.
Best line: “This is the Abbi I love…and fell in love with…and am obsessed with.”

5. They’re there for each other in the roughest of moments.
Abbi’s knack for finding herself in embarrassing situations reaches a new high when she realizes her toilet won’t flush with Jeremy right outside in her living room. Luckily, Ilana the “doo doo ninja” is there, always having her friend’s back.
Best line: “Who’s your competition? Marla Bevers?!”

6. They embrace the facts of nature… or at least, Ilana does.
Abbi is seriously taken aback by Ilana’s weed transportation method of choice, causing her to take control of where she gets her “goods.” We all have to become independent at some point, right?
Best line: “I’m gonna call some old college buds, bunch of weed heads, HIT ‘EM UP!”

7. They’re on the same page regarding hot-button social issues.
Ilana and Abbi go out for a night on the town to a party that’s a fundraiser “for change.” They’re blissfully unabashed about both their desire for appetizers, and their unawareness for third world issues.
Best line: “Out of the way, clavicle.”

8. They go all out for one another’s birthday celebrations.
Things go somewhat left when Abbi and Ilana go out for a fancy dinner for Abbi’s birthday, with Ilana devouring shellfish (despite her allergies), and Abbi accidentally stabbing herself with an EpiPen. But when you’re at a restaurant at which Jay Z and Beyoncé ate, you eat every last bite of your meal, no matter what.
Best line: “I can’t even imagine how many dudes would love to lock you down with an unexpected pregnancy.”

9. They’re basically like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
While sharing their love for all things Bed, Bath and Beyond, the duo becomes homeless for a day. Abbi’s apartment is being fumigated and Ilana can’t find the keys to her own. Even the most famous of friends have had unglamorous beginnings.
Best line: “We’re, like, doing that, just involuntarily.”

10. Their personalities are so contradictory, they compliment each other perfectly.

Poor Abbi works hard and doesn’t get her deserved due, while Ilana’s primary activity during the day is napping on the job. Perhaps these stark differences are the key to their dynamic friendship, as illustrated here.
Best line: No lines in this montage, but their respective interactions with strangers on the subway are spot-on depictions of their characters.