Throughout our lifetimes, we’ll realistically watch ten or so TV shows that will have an immediate and long-lasting impact on us. For some people it might be Black Mirror, for others, it might be Love Is Blind—just so you know, this is a judgement-free zone. For me, there are a couple of shows that straight away come to mind: The Office, Succession, New Girl, and—while it might not technically count as a specific ‘show’—the entire works of Louis Theroux. And then there are the two shows that I would argue have almost single-handedly shaped my humour and chronic case of equal parts insecure, equal parts overly confident: Girls and Broad City.

@girlsrewatchpodcast

Lena Dunham, girly, you’re a genius. #hbogirls #girlshbo #jemimakirke #lenadunham #hbogirlsrewatch #jessajohansson #hannahhorvath

♬ original sound - girlsrewatchpodcast

@comedycentral

Working hard or hardly working? #broadcity #work

♬ original sound - Comedy Central

Now, before we dive in, I need to preface this article by clarifying that I am not a fan of Lena Dunham, the person. That being said, she did create, write, and star in one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. Glad we’ve got that out of the way.

The purpose of this piece is to unload a completely unimportant thought I had recently and immediately decided had to be shared with the general public. I believe that the TV show Girls, a story of aspiration and identity, is designed to help women in their early 20s, while Broad City, a story of friendship and platonic love, is designed to help women in their mid to late 20s. I know, it’s pretty powerful stuff.

hbo girls edit fancam to ribs by lorde hannah horvath marnie michaels jessa johansson shoshanna shapiro lena dunham allison williams jermima kirke zosia mamet pic.twitter.com/t2iKGutPwc

— becca (@p3ripheralidiot) October 9, 2024

i think broad city is just one of those shows where…. ugh i just can’t believe the universe blessed us with ilana glazer in this lifetime

— Sydney Nicole Sweeney (she/they) (@syderature) October 11, 2024

Broad City was my Sex and the City. I need to rewatch it immediately.

— bri (@ogbrezus) October 17, 2024

While both of these shows are cult classics in their own way, they ultimately tell very different stories and highlight different aspects of what it means to be a modern woman. While some might immediately assume that Girls’ chaotic and free-thinking Jessa Johansson (played by OG it girl Jemima Kirke) is equivalent to Broad City’s messy and impulsive Ilana Wexler (played by Ilana Glazer), they couldn’t be more wrong.

But before we delve more into their differences, I should highlight that the reason these two shows are loved so deeply is because they both spotlight women with flaws. Both series depict girlhood so accurately, showcasing women who are wading through life with absolutely zero clue what the destination is. As a fellow floundering 20-something, both Girls and Broad City helped me feel so much better about the complete lack of direction I have.

So, back to my thesis. Let’s start with Girls. The reason why I think this show is far more helpful/suited for women in their early 20s is because Girls is all about anxiety. Anxiety about relationships, anxiety about friendships, and anxiety about existentialism. Of course, this is not to say that anxiety and mental health is a struggle one will only face at 23, but navigating those first few years of adulthood—especially if you’re living independently for the first time—can be psychologically gruelling.

Dunham’s character Hannah Horvath perfectly encapsulates the idea of complete self-confidence and complete self-doubt. Her arc speaks to all of us young women who’ve entered the workplace with a dream and quickly discovered that a 9 to 5 can only be romanticised so much before the weight of student debt starts to creep in.

@humanbyorientation

A voice... of A generation... #Girls #HannahHorvath #LenaDunham #BeckyAnnBaker #PeterScolari #HBO @HBO @Max

♬ original sound - Human By Orientation

Moreover, the friendship ebbs and flows between all four main characters (all, you guessed it, girls) feels so representative of the teething issues you often have with girlfriends after you leave university and become fully fledged baby adults. It can be heartbreaking realising that people you once had deep connections with don’t serve you in the same way anymore. At 25, I’ve had to consider and reevaluate certain friendships over the past few years. Girls portrays that feeling so well.

@josephine_ct

This scene decompresses me. #girls

♬ original sound - itsnousejo

@girlsrewatchpodcast

Lena Dunham, girly, you’re a genius. #hbogirls #girlshbo #jemimakirke #lenadunham #hbogirlsrewatch #jessajohansson #hannahhorvath

♬ original sound - girlsrewatchpodcast

@lauradragon2

Shoshanna forever #GIRLS #HBO #primetime #lenadunham #fyp #foryourpage #dramatiktok

♬ original sound - Laura Dragon

When you’re 21, 22, 23, or even 24, you feel an immense amount of pressure to make your mark. I don’t think this feeling goes away with age, but you pour love, energy, and attention into the things that matter a whole lot more. Girls, particularly seasons one and two, highlight the fact that aspiration only ever gets you so far. And in the long term, it’s honestly kind of overrated.

Whether or not you get the humour in Girls has more to do with your appreciation for fine art than your age, but I just couldn’t write an article about this show without including a video capturing some of the best screenwriting to exist:

@humanbyorientation

The scarf is not helping the situation... #Girls #HBO #HannahHorvath #ElijahKrantz #LenaDunham #AndrewRannells @HBO

♬ original sound - Human By Orientation

Now, time to tackle Broad City. Although the show ended in 2019, I didn’t discover it until 2024 and I feel as though it came to me at the perfect time. I expect it will age like fine wine, bringing me new joy each and every time I rewatch it.

The reason why I think Broad City better serves women in their late twenties is because it depicts a level of optimism and comfortability with oneself that is a blessing only gifted with age. The older we get, the more okay we are with life’s obstacles. I 100 per cent believe that I’m more stressed about finding a life partner at 25 than I will be at 30. At 30 I will, as Ilana aptly put it, be “a child bride.”

@primevideoca

Quoting this on the daily #BroadCity

♬ original sound - Prime Video Canada 🇨🇦

@paramountplusaustralia

The way we would simply never recover 😭 #BroadCity #ilanaglazer #abbijacobson

♬ original sound - Paramount+ Australia

Plus, Abbi and Ilana’s friendship showcases the type of unconditional love the women in Girls long for so badly. Despite being on different paths, they always support one another and are constantly championing each other’s successes. Their friendship is something to aspire to and, once again, feels reminiscent of the types of platonic love I’ve developed and nurtured in my mid 20s. There’s literally no better feeling than finding your forever cheerleaders.

@comedycentral

It's been five years since #BroadCity ended so here's the last time we saw Abbi and Ilana together 🥲 #AbbiJacobson #IlanaGlazer

♬ original sound - Comedy Central

@aint_it_funneh

I love Ilana and Abbi’s friendship 💖 #dramatic #dramaqueen #leoenergy #bestfriends #catastrophising #relatablememes #memecut #celebritymemes #broadcity #funnywomen #anxietymemes #adhdmemes #friendshipmemes 

♬ Safety Net - Bea and her Business

I think about the BC finale when Abbi&Ilana talk about how cool they feel when they’re around each other, all the time. Feel like that is part of the definition of real love,platonic or romantic. Just feeling so much cooler, smarter, funnier around each other bc u just *click*.

— Bolu Babalola is genuinely on leave 🍯&🌶 (@BeeBabs) May 15, 2019

Oh, and we also have to shout out Broad City for promoting world peace with one simple phrase:  

@primevideoca

In da klerb, we all fam ❤ #BroadCity

♬ original sound - Prime Video Canada 🇨🇦

Long story short, both of these shows are so important to me, and I know they’ll be important to people reading this article. They feature funny and loud women who talk about legitimate real-ass problems and show us every dirty nook and cranny of their lives. And while they offer different perspectives, they’ve both undoubtedly shaped my personality and turned me into the high-functioning crazy person I am to this day. So for that, I can only say: thank you. If you’ve never seen either of these shows, I urge you to check them out—they might end up becoming shows that shape your life too.