The new sitcom by big sportsman Blake Griffin, curiously named Broad City—perhaps in reference to his wide shoulders—debuted this week, and boy is this stuff woke. Even more curiously, the show opens with two anonymous pooping women plotting to rent out their apartments for extra cash. In fact, the Los Angeles Clippers power forward does not appear until about halfway through the 22-minute episode, when one of the poopers bumps into him in a swanky New York City nightclub-type setting.
Griffin most recently made headlines for his four-game suspension after some very silly behavior, so his new show is mostly an exercise in reputation management. Witness his true awokening: you’ll see him vindicating gingers, singing the praises of women’s basketball, giving out free sneakers, and being a sensitive and understanding lover. So woke a bae is he, you might even forget the 6’10” star slugged his 5’6″ equipment manager so hard that Griffin broke his right hand.
As anyone who has seen him hurdling Kias or peddling State Farm Insurance can attest, Griffin boasts keen comedic instincts and impeccable deadpan delivery, which were in evidence even before he entered the league. So it comes as no surprise that he has been offered this Comedy Central star vehicle, though it is a surprise that the pilot episode dedicates so much screen time to two minor characters, Arby and Liliana.
There’s some decent chemistry between these two role-players, but I found my attention waning. Liliana at least appears to be an early love interest for our star, but Arby’s presence is inexplicable. Hopefully the writing will focus on Woke Griffin for the rest of the season, because this perennial all-star put up a highlight-reel performance in only a few minutes of play. Let’s catch up with a play-by-bae recap: