Quintessential NYC: 5 Things Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens Does Better Than Broad City (& 5 Things That Miss The Mark)

Awkwafina, who recently won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy/Musical for her role in The Farewell (2019), became the first Asian woman to win a Golden Globe in any leading actress category, an extraordinary accomplishment at only 31 years old! Awkwafina has recently released her very own TV show on Comedy Central called Awkwafina is Nora From Queens.

Akin to the New York City smash hit Broad City, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens draws some parallels from the hilarious Jewish duo. Here are five things Awkwafina is Nora From Queens does better than Broad City, and five Broad City does better than NFQ.

10 DOES BETTER: FAMILY DYNAMICS

Awkwafina is Nora From Queens does an outstanding job with family dynamics, filled with both humorous and heartwarming moments. Nora’s grandma, affectionately known as “Grandma,” played by Lori Tan Chinn (Orange Is the New Black), carries each episode of NFQ as the true laugh riot of the series.

Nora’s father Wally (BD Wong, Law & Order: SVU) is also hysterical. There’s a great scene where Wally explains Nora’s horrific birth, disgusted at the request to cut her umbilical cord. NFQ does a much better job with family dynamics than Broad City, but Broad City has NFQ beat on the friendship front!

9 MISSES MARK: FRIENDSHIP

Speaking of friendship– what (semi) platonic relationship is envied more than that of Abbi and Ilana’s? Broad City delivers sweet, encouraging scenes between the two comediennes, their chemistry indisputable.

Nora lacks the best-friend-factor, but there have been some promising guest stars that could fill that role, from rapper Dumbfoundead to Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll), who also directed the Awkwafina is Nora From Queens episode “Paperwork.”

8 DOES BETTER: B-ROLL ANIMATIONS

Both Awkwafina is Nora From Queens and Broad City features cheeky animations as their b-roll footage, but NFQ has the most entertaining set! Both series have colorful, simple, and invigorating cartoons, and they both have a very short animated intro without a theme song.

So far, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens has featured animations of her paycheck, ramen packets, Nora’s fire-blasted car, her Adderall prescription, and other amusing references to the episode’s plotlines.

7 MISSES MARK: NO REPLACEMENT FOR LINCOLN

One of Broad City‘s best attributes is Hannibal Buress’s portrayal of Ilana’s dentist boyfriend, Lincoln. His disarming attitude adds the perfect balance to the wacky Broad City cast. Unfortunately, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens fails to deliver a promising love interest, though there’s finally been a spark of romance introduced in NFQ‘s recent episode, “Launch Party.”

Jaboukie Young-White plays Nora’s high school classmate who she runs into while visiting Edmund at his apartment. The two flirt and exchange numbers and Jaboukie’s character appears to help Nora install gazebos, shirtless and all!

6 DOES BETTER: POOR MILLENNIALS

While both Comedy Central shows portray these young women as struggling to succeed and less-than-wealthy, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens does a better job representing the strife of the poor millennial. Nora lives with her dad and grandmother and barely holds a job, which paints an accurate picture of the typical apathy many millennials have been recently experiencing.

While Abbi consistently works as a gym cleaner, Ilana’s cash flow is mysterious at best, and their apartments (which reside in the most expensive city in the country) don’t match up to their incomes. Broad City takes more liberties when it comes to wealth and accurate portrayal.

5 MISSES MARK: DRUG USE

One thing Broad City seems to nail on the head is smoking marijuana. It’s portrayed as a second thought, as an addition to the storyline instead of what the storyline centers around, which really speaks to the true stoner.

Awkwafina is Nora From Queens also depicts marijuana use, but it’s much less utilized, and definitely less talked about. NFQ depicts Nora on Adderall throughout the episode “Savage Valley,” but the over-usage and played-out stimulant stereotypes weren’t as comical as when Abbi and Ilana took Molly before the Lil Wayne concert.

4 DOES BETTER: ELUSIVE ANCILLARY CHARACTER

Bowen Yang stars as Nora’s elusive cousin Edmund, the tech prodigy who’s been given a $15 million investment for his creation of a new app called Scrubr, which he ultimately conquered with Nora’s help. Edmund is fabulous, does a great job portraying a cousin who is jealous of their grandma’s other grandchildren, and has a vestigial tail.

He even does a ballad rendition of Colbie Callait’s 2007 hit “Bubbly” seemingly out of nowhere in the Awkwafina is Nora From Queens episode “Savage Valley.” Broad City‘s elusive ancillary character Bevers (John Gemberling), Abbi’s disgusting roommate, who isn’t nearly as funny as Edmund.

3 MISSES MARK: NYC LIFESTYLE

Awkwafina is Nora From Queens lacks a certain je ne sais quoi quality regarding New York City and its magic. Broad City covers much more of NYC as a whole, where NFQ focuses mainly on Flushing, Queens. However, the city itself seems to be featured a lot less in NFQ overall, with fewer scenes being filmed in public and more in private homes.

Broad City does an excellent job simulating the feeling of New York City, and especially portraying the territory that comes with it, both good and bad!

2 DOES BETTER: FUNNY MASTURBATION SCENE

Broad City has featured several compromising sexual scenarios involving Ilana. During an early episode, Ilana masturbates to herself in a full-length mirror placed above her. She also puts on green lipstick, eats an oyster, and recognizes Abbi’s uptight boss in the porn video she queued up.

Although this Broad City classic is surely a knee-slapper, Awkwafina is Nora From Queens delivered a fresh yet simple take on bizarre masturbation scenarios when Nora aggressively gets herself in the mood with her Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004) DVD.

1 MISSES MARK: IRRESPONSIBLE DEBT STORYLINE

In the Awkwafina is Nora From Queens episode “Paperwork,” Nora finds herself in a pickle when she finally goes to bail her “car out of jail” and discovers she has to cash her check before paying the towing lot– Nora realizes she no longer has an active bank account to cash her check. Unfortunately, the plausibility factor seems low, considering how many cash-checking places there must be in NYC!

During the second episode of Broad City titled “P—y Weed,” Ilana tries a swing at adulting when she attempts to file her taxes with an accountant and a literal brown paper bag full of her paperwork. This seems a lot more plausible, and made for a great storyline set-up!

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