Broad City appears in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on these single-sided, double-layered DVDs; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. The episodes came with up and down visuals.
Sharpness was one of the inconsistent elements. Most of the shows came across as acceptably accurate, but they lacked great definition even for SD-DVD. Still, clarity was usually fine given the nature of the episodes.
Occasional instances of jaggies and shimmering occurred, but not to a severe degree. No edge haloes appeared, and I saw no source flaws.
Colors also tended to be erratic. Given the breadth of all the episodes, hues varied a lot, and they usually seemed fine, but they lacked a lot of pep. Still, they were decent, and blacks also seemed adequate.
Low-light shots could be a bit dense, but not too badly so. Ultimately, the shows were more than watchable and that’s about it.
I felt a little more impressed with the series’ Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack for Seasons One and Two, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 for Seasons Three through Five. Given the comedic focus, dialogue and music dominated, so the soundscape didn't open up in a consistently dynamic manner.
That said, some situations allowed for a more vivid sonic approach. New York street and subway scenes added immersiveness, as did bars and restaurants. These weren’t in the majority, but they gave the shows more pizzazz.
Audio quality seemed fine. Speech was accurate and natural, with only a smidgen of edginess at times.
Music appeared fairly full and rich, and effects showed good clarity and range. The soundtrack added to the episodes.
Across all five seasons, we get a slew of extras. For Season One, DVD One starts with various Alts and Outtakes.
We find these for “Lincoln” (one minute, 10 seconds), “Killian Casey” (2:58), “Rachel Dratch” (1:41), “Garol” (2:02), “Janeane Garofalo” (1:18), “Improv Show” (), “Amy Sedaris” (2:37), and “Amy Sedaris Car” (7:47). All provide amusement.
We also locate three Uncut Cold Opens: “Pu$$y Weed” (3:35), “Working Girls” (1:08) and “Apartment Hunters” (2:11). Both bring longer versions of those scenes, and they’re fun to see.
With Chicken Kicks, we get a 45-second compilation of shots in which Abbi boots a cooked chicken. It’s mildly enjoyable.
Abbi Sells Her Drawing for $17.50 fills one minute, 50 seconds with an alternate scene. It’s another funny clip.
More cut footage comes through three more segments: Janelle Caricature (0:23), Talent Show (3:08), Improv Show Extras (1:37), Dale Off the Phone (2:06), Abbi Carrying Ilana (1:08), Bed Montage (2:31) and Amy Poehler and Seth Morris (1:40). Expect plenty more good comedy from these.
Under Galleries, we view two compilations. “Behind the Scenes” brings 35 photos and “Mike Perry Animations” offers two animated reels. The shots from the production are the most interesting.
On DVD Two, we find four video commentaries. Along with “Pu$$y Weed”, “Apartment Hunters” and “Last Supper”, we hear from creators/actors/writers Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, while “Working Girl” features writer/director Lucia Aniello and writer/actor Paul W. Downs.
The three Glazer/Jacobson tracks disappoint, as they tell us little about the series and its production. We get a handful of minor insights, but they mainly joke around and act goofy.
Aniello and Downs don’t fare a lot better, but they do offer a few more useful notes about the series. Still, none of the four episodes tells us much that I’d call memorable, so don’t expect much from these video commentaries.
As for the video aspects, we watch the participants as they chat, and episode-related art also appears onscreen. For instance, a reference to marijuana brings up animated pot leaves. The visual elements don’t add to the chats.
We shift to Season Two and Hack into Broad City includes five clips: “Breakfast of Champions” (1:41), “Ilana Hates Gym” (1:26), “Body Dysmorphia” (2:25), “V-Drum Circle” (1:00), and “What’s This?” (1:32).
These present Abbi/Ilana shorts that ran on the web, and they chat over the Internet. These aren’t the funniest bits, but they’re decent.
Body By Trey comes with five segments of its own: “Welcome to Body By Trey” (2:53), “City As Your Gym” (2:02), “Training the Female Body” (1:37), “Slow-Mo” (0:47) and “Tri-Pod” (2:17).
These give us workout tips from “Trey”. Like “Hack”, they offer some amusement but generally seem meh.
Nicole Memos runs three minutes, 35 seconds, and offers commentary from Ilana’s co-worker. This reel offers more passable amusement.
Along the episode “In Heat”, we get a Pop-Up Enhanced option. This offers text and animation that give us information about the episode. It’s a reasonably fun way to watch the show.
More deleted/alternate scenes appear as well. We see 15 of these with a total running time of 14 minutes, 26 seconds. They’re too short to add much, but they’re amusing for the most part.
As we head to Season Three, six more Hack Into Broad City clips appear: “Yom Kippur” (3:15), “The Purge” (1:22), “Dinner” (2:00), “Spa Day” (1:54), “Columbus Day” (2:22) and “Halloween” (1:48). These continue the concept seen in Season Two, though these are more coherent and funnier.
12 Deleted/Extended Scenes fill a total of 21 minutes, 52 seconds. Expect more fun material here.
Behind the Scenes with Broad City goes for two minutes, 29 seconds, and it includes notes from Jacobson, Glazer, boxing coach Reese Scott, art department Mollie Knopf and producer/director Matt Silvestri.
We get short notes a fantasy boxing scene. It’s mainly promotional, so don’t expect much.
S3 finishes with NOMO FOMO: An Art Show About Broads in the City. It spans seven minutes, 44 seconds and involves artists Christy Steadman, Carmen Acosta and Jess Yost.
They tell us about a Broad City-themed art show. It’s interesting to see the various art featured in the display.
With that, we go to Season Four and eight more Hack Into Broad City segments. These occupy a total of 16 minutes, 18 seconds and present the same decent laughs as prior shorts.
Nine Deleted/Extended Scenes and Outtakes span a total of seven minutes, one seconds. Though not great, they’re still fun to see.
Under Behind Broad City, we locate 14 short featurettes. These go for a total of 37 minutes, 51 seconds and include notes from Jacobson, Glazer, Downs, hair department head Marcel Dagenais, makeup department head Mandy Bisesti, animator Mike Perry, production designer Angelique Clark, costume designer Staci Greenbaum, and actors Hannibal Buress, Arturo Castro, Sandra Bernhard, Stephen Schneider and Jane Curtin.
“Behind” gives us insights into various aspects of a few episodes. Though each one seems short, they include useful detail and they add up to a solid overview of the season.
Finally, we move to Season Five and seven more Hack Into Broad City shorts. These take up 11 minutes, 41 seconds and follow the same pattern from earlier sets, so they’re moderately interesting.
22 Deleted/Extended Scenes fill a total of 20 minutes, 28 seconds. Expect a lot more amusement on display here.
A compilation of Outtakes goes for four minutes, 52 seconds. They’re mostly goofs/giggles, but some alternate lines appear as well.
Set around two pals in the urban jungle, Broad City brings us a bold and brash comedy. While the quality varies, overall this becomes a highly satisfying series. The DVDs offer mediocre picture and audio along with a decent array of supplements. City offers a lot of hilarity.