With this massive “Complete Series” set, we can check out all five seasons of Broad City from its debut in January 2014 to its finale in March 2019. With 50 episodes in all, I won’t attempt a complete review of every show, so I chose a selection across the series’ run.

But first a general synopsis borrowed from Wikipedia:

“Broad City follows Ilana (Ilana Glazer) and Abbi (Abbi Jacobson), two Jewish American women in their twenties, on their adventures of carelessness and frivolity in New York City. Ilana seeks to avoid working as much as possible while relentlessly pursuing a hedonistic lifestyle, and Abbi tries to make a career as an illustrator, often getting sidetracked into Ilana's schemes.”

Note that the following episode overviews come straight from the series’ official website.

SEASON ONE:

What a Wonderful World: “Abbi and Ilana resort to desperate and unusual measures to scrape together enough cash for a Lil Wayne concert.”

I never watched City before this package showed up on my door, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought might be more in the “sketch comedy” realm and less of a narrative series.

City follows the latter path, and “World” launches it very well. We get a good feel for the leads right off the bat, and supporting actors like Hannibal Buress and Fred Armisen add to the mirth. Hopefully the series can keep up the high standard we get here.

Pu$$y Weed: “Abbi decides to stop bumming off of Ilana and buy her own weed, and Ilana tries to be an adult by doing her own taxes.”

It remains to be seen how long I can remain interested in the adventures of two slacker women like Ilana and Abbi, but so far, City continues to entertain. Even with some predictable elements connected to marijuana, “Weed” amuses.

Working Girls: “Abbi goes to the ends of the Earth to get a package for her hot neighbor, and Ilana juggles two jobs - terribly.”

Ilana and Abbi spend less time together than usual, but that’s not a big issue, as “Girls” offers two solid stories. Abbi’s fares best, but aided by guest spots from Janeane Garofalo and Rachel Dratch, Ilana’s entertains as well.

Apartment Hunters: “Abbi looks for a new place to live after walking in on Bevers masturbating, and Ilana tries to confront a cable company that has been inexplicably charging her for months.”

Amy Sedaris guest stars here with an incredibly cartoony turn as a real estate agent. Despite the insane broadness of the performance, Sedaris delights, as her crazed energy helps carry this fun episode.

The Last Supper: “The girls go to a fancy restaurant for Abbi's 26th birthday, but the evening quickly sours after Abbi pees out a condom and Ilana reveals that she has a shellfish allergy.”

After the highs of “Hunters”, “Supper” becomes a minor disappointment. Still, it comes with plenty of laughs, and a small guest spot from director Amy Poehler helps.

SEASON TWO:

In Heat: “Abbi hunts for a desperately needed air conditioner while Ilana tries to find the perfect birthday present for Lincoln (Buress).”

Two more guest stars pop here, as Kumail Nanjiani and Seth Rogen bring some pizzazz to the show. The best parts come from the interaction between Abbi and Ilana, though, especially when they accost some students.

Mochalatta Chills: “Abbi finally gets the opportunity to train someone at Soulstice, and Ilana hires a group of interns to make a sale for her at Deals Deals Deals.”

Bevers gets more attention than usual, and it becomes more and more difficult to ignore how much John Gemberling looks and acts like Zach Galifianakis. Despite that, he creates an amusing character, and Ilana’s power trip works well, too.

Coat Check: “After working coat check for a charity event, Abbi goes on a mission to get Kelly Ripa's coat back to her and Ilana develops a sexual relationship with her doppelganger.”

While not a bad thread, the Ripa theme seems semi-predictable, as her attempt to play against type feels a bit contrived. At least Ilana’s lookalike fares better and becomes pretty satisfying.

St. Mark’s: “The girls head to St. Marks Place to celebrate Ilana's birthday in style, but their plans are derailed by a series of small crises.”

S2’s season finale gets a boost from its focus on one location overall. Throw in an unexpected guest via Patricia Clarkson and this winds up as a pretty solid conclusion to the year.

SEASON THREE:

Two Chainz: “Abbi tries to find a way to remove a security tag from her new shirt before her friend's big gallery show, and Ilana loses the key to her bike lock.”

Earlier I wondered if the series could keep going given its initial orientation, and the answer is yes, mainly because it’s let Abbi and Ilana evolve over that time. While the characters we see here aren’t radical departures from their S1 counterparts, they definitely come across as more mature… ish.

That makes sense, and it keeps City from monotony. S3 shows the changes and mixes the newfound semi-maturity with goofiness to become a satisfying launch to the year.

Co-op: “Abbi impersonates Ilana to cover her shift at a strict food co-op and Lincoln drives Ilana to a doctor's appointment on Long Island.”

Here I comment on the lead characters’ maturity and then “Co-op” starts with a discussion of whether Ilana could identify her own butthole in a lineup. Despite a less wild orientation, it’s not like the show suddenly became Downton Abbi.

“Co-op” provides a satisfying mix, especially when it milks Abbi’s impersonation of Ilana. Toss in a great Melissa Leo cameo as the holier-than-though co-op manager and the show works.

Getting There: “The girls experience a bevy of obstacles on their way to the airport for a very important trip.”

All of us understand the stress of traveling, and “There” takes advantage of that in a comedic way. It capitalizes on the subject matter in a fun manner that makes it a consistent delight.

Jews on a Plane: “The girls are forced to improvise when Abbi gets her period on a plane and doesn't have access to a tampon.”

“Plane” acts as the second part of a double episode, and it finishes the “trip to Israel” arc well. Some of the gags become a little predictable, but the weirdness of the tampon plot adds mirth.

SEASON FOUR:

Sliding Doors: “In a flashback, Abbi and Ilana cross paths for the first time and spend the day together - or don't.”

Flashback shows like this are gimmicky at the core, but “Doors” overcomes those obstacles. In addition to the usual humor, it actually manages a sweetness rare for the series.

Twaining Day: “Ilana lands a new job at a trendy sushi restaurant, and Abbi finally gets the chance to train Shania Twain.”

I’ve not seen guest stars for a while, but “Day” pulls out the stops, as in addition to Twain, we get spots from RuPaul, Wanda Sykes and Sandra Bernhard. This tends toward a few misfires but enough weirdness results to make this a generally positive show.

Bedbugs: “Ilana and Jaime discover that their apartment is infested with bedbugs, and a cash-strapped Abbi gets a confidence boost from her new purse.”

Another guest star pops up here, as we find Steve Buscemi. He doesn’t add much to the show, and it feels semi-mediocre, at least but the series’ standards. It’s enjoyable but a bit flat.

Friendiversary: “Ilana sends Abbi on an epic friendiversary scavenger hunt, and the girls risk everything to bring an apparent murderer to justice.”

The wacky nature of Ilana’s plans bring fun to the first part of the episode. However, the murder investigation sputters somewhat, so this becomes a less than great show.”

SEASON FIVE:

Stories: “To celebrate Abbi’s 30th birthday, Abbi and Ilana travel from the top of Manhattan to the bottom, running into old and new friends along the way.”

“Stories” uses an unusual format, as it mainly comes from the perspective of a social media feed. That gives it added energy and makes it a quality launch to S5, even if it becomes a bit preachy at the end.

Shework and S—-t Bucket: “Ilana embarks upon her latest moneymaking opportunity when she opens an outdoor workspace for New York City smokers. Abbi stands up to her landlord after he refuses to update her plumbing.”

As the series nears its end, it seems to go nostalgic, as “Bucket” brings back characters from the past and also goes more toward the early seasons’ anarchic vibe. This works and turns “Bucket” into a solid show.

Along Came Molly: “Abbi, Ilana and Bevers sell Abbi’s New York City belongings. Abbi gets tickets to a Lil Wayne concert, and the girls take a ‘trip.’”

With the series’ finale ahead, “Molly” takes a slightly sentimental approach, as it concentrates on the leads’ imminent split. It’s not the funniest show but it feels like the appropriate way to push toward the conclusion.

Broad City: “The broads say goodbye.”

The series comes to an end on a bittersweet note, as “City” embraces emotion even more than “Molly”. That seems appropriate, and the episode becomes surprisingly touching. Like its lead-in, you won’t find a ton of laughs but “City” concludes matters in a positive manner.

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.