2 Broke Girls is an American television sitcom series on CBS was aired from September 19, 2011 to April 17, 2017. The series was produced for Warner Bros. Television and created by Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings. Set in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, the show's plot follows the lives of friends Max Black (Kat Dennings) and Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs). Whereas Caroline was raised as the daughter of a billionaire, Max grew up in poverty, resulting in differing perspectives on life, although together they work in a local diner while attempting to raise funds to start a cupcake business.
Since its debut, the series has received a polarized response from critics and audiences alike. The on-screen chemistry between the two lead characters has been praised, while others have condemned the show's reliance on sexualized humor and stereotypes. It was nominated for three 2012 Emmy Awards, winning for Art Direction. On March 25, 2016, the show was renewed for a sixth season, which premiered on October 10, 2016.
On September 26, it moved to what became its regular time-slot, airing after How I Met Your Mother. Its core format was developed, and its central characters created, by Michael Patrick King of Sex and the City and Whitney Cummings.
On May 12, 2017, CBS cancelled the series of 2 Broke Girls after six seasons.[1] The show's title is reminiscent to the six seasons of the show.
Plot
Set in New York City, the series revolves the lives of two waitresses ways to make ends meet.
Other characters include their boss, Han Lee, the diner's proprietor; Oleg, a cook at the diner; and Earl, the diner's cashier.
Press Release Description
2 BROKE GIRLS is a comedy about the unlikely friendship that develops between two very different young women who meet waitressing at a diner in trendy Williamsburg Brooklyn, and form a bond over their dream of one day owning their own successful cupcake business. Only one thing stands in their way - they're broke.
Sarcastic, street-smart Max Black met the sophisticated, school-smart Caroline Channing when the uptown trust fund princess was having a run of bad luck due to her father's Wall Street scandal, which caused her to lose all her money and forced her to give waitressing a shot.
At first, Max sees Caroline as an entitled rich girl, but she's surprised to find that Caroline has as much substance as she does style. When Caroline discovers Max's knack for baking amazing cupcakes, she visualizes a lucrative future for them and they begin to save money to reach their start-up money goal of $250,000. As the girls' cupcake tally expands week-to-week, they become closer to their goal and to each other.
At the diner they are surrounded by their offbeat, colorful "work family:" Oleg, an overly flirtatious cook; Earl, a hip 75-year-old cashier; Han, the eager-to-please owner of the diner and Sophie, the girls' outrageous upstairs neighbor. As Max and Caroline climb toward their goal, we see that their "smarts" plus their "hearts" might just be the recipe for success.
Series Synopsis
Set in the Williamsburg neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, the series chronicles the lives of two waitresses in their mid twenties—Max, who comes from a poor working-class family, and Caroline, who was born rich but is now disgraced and penniless due to her father, Martin Channing, getting caught operating a Bernard Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme—working together at a Brooklyn restaurant. The two become friends and build toward their dream of one day opening a cupcake shop. Among those working with them at the restaurant are their boss, Han Lee; Oleg, an upbeat but perverted Ukrainian cook; and Earl, a 75-year-old African-American cashier.
Also featured starting late in the first season is their neighbor and part-time boss Sophie, a Polish immigrant who runs the housecleaning company Sophie's Choice. During most of the first season Max is also a part-time nanny for the twin babies of Peach Landis, who during the season adopts Caroline's horse Chestnut. At the end of each episode a tally shows how much they have made toward their goal of $250,000 needed to open their business. Early in the second season, Sophie lends the girls $20,000, which is enough for them to start their business. However, the business fails, and in the 18th episode they are forced to give up the lease of their cupcake shop with just enough money to pay off Sophie's loan, resetting the end of episode tally to $5.00.
Cast
Main
- Kat Dennings as Max Black
- Beth Behrs as Caroline Channing
- Garrett Morris as Earl Washington
- Jonathan Kite as Oleg
- Matthew Moy as Han Lee
- Jennifer Coolidge as Sophie Kaczynski
Recurring
- Brooke Lyons as Peach Landis
- Nick Zano as Johnny
- Ryan Hansen as Candy Andy
- Federico Dordei as Luis
- Gilles Marini as Nicolas Saintcroix
- Mary Lynn Rajskub as Bebe
- Eric Andre as Deacon "Deke" Bromberg
- Patrick Cox as John
- Sandra Bernhard as Joedth
- Ed Quinn as Randy
- Christopher Gorham as Bobby
Special Recurring cast
Guest Stars
- Martha Stewart as herself
Episodes
- Main article: List of 2 Broke Girls episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired (U.S. dates) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | |||
| 1 | 24 | September 19, 2011 | May 7, 2012 | |
| 2 | 24 | September 24, 2012 | May 13, 2013 | |
| 3 | 24 | September 23, 2013 | May 5, 2014 | |
| 4 | 22 | October 27, 2014 | May 18, 2015 | |
| 5 | 22 | November 12, 2015 | May 12, 2016 | |
| 6 | 22 | October 10, 2016 | April 17, 2017 | |
Production
Developing and casting
Even before it went to series, the then-undeveloped pilot was the subject of a bidding war, with CBS landing the deal on December 10, 2010, and ordering it to series on May 13, 2011. It was one of two shows commissioned for the 2011–12 television season for which Whitney Cummings served as producer and co-creator, the other being Whitney, which was picked up by NBC but was cancelled after two seasons.
Dennings was the first to be cast in role of Max on February 18, 2011. A week later on February 25, 2011, Behrs won an audition to land the role of Caroline, beating out other established actresses. Moy, Morris and Kite were the last three to be cast on March 16, 2011.
Filming
The series was taped in front of a live studio audience with some sweetening.
Cancellation
The series opted not to renew season seven on May 12, 2017. A combination of factors, including declining ratings, CBS's desire to have an ownership stake, and the network needing to clear space for three new sitcoms in the fall 2017 schedule, led to the show's demise. This series of 2 Broke Girls will replace a new series Me, Myself & I, then it was pulled for the schedule and replace a fresh series Man with a Plan of Matt LeBlanc's series.
Reception
2 Broke Girls has received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the first season holds a rating of 59%, based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs have undeniable chemistry, and although 2 Broke Girls is at times bogged down by predictable jokes, this old-fashioned odd couple sitcom is rich with laughs." On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
In 2015, Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said what started out as "a modern Laverne & Shirley" attracted lots of young people to begin with, until they "realized it was a waste of their time."
The show has appeared on many critics' "Worst of The Year" lists throughout its run.
Ratings
The series premiere was watched by 19.4 million viewers after its lead-in, the first episode of Two and a Half Men without Charlie Sheen. This marked the highest rating for a fall premiere of a comedy series since Fall 2001. It scored a 7.1 rating in Adults 18–49. With DVR viewers included, the premiere rose to over 21.5 million viewers and an 8.1 in adults 18–49. The show has done well in ratings with college students and young males.
DVD release
2 Broke Girls first became available on DVD in 2012 with the first season via Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and was the only season to receive an additional Blu-ray release in countries United States, Canada and Australia. Subsequent seasons have received only a DVD release.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 24 | September 4, 2012 |
| The Complete Second Season | 24 | September 24, 2013 |
| The Complete Third Season | 24 | October 14, 2014 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | 22 | August 11, 2015 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | 22 | September 20, 2016 |
| The Complete Sixth and Final Season | 22 | October 3, 2017 |
Awards and nominations
International broadcasts
Thes series has been picked up in the following countries:
| Country | Network | Premiere Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Nine Network | February 14, 2012 | Season 2 currently fast-tracked 5 days after US airing, Tuesdays at 9pm, with Season 1 being re-run on Nine's digital channel GO! weeknights at 6:30. |
| Belgium | VIER | September 1, 2012 | |
| Canada | City | September 19, 2012 | Simulcast by CBS in Canada. Aires at the same time and date. |
| Germany | ProSieben | August 28, 2012 | |
| Ireland | RTÉ | January 19, 2012 | |
| Italy | Mya | May 21, 2012 | 10:15pm, airing after Suburgatory. |
| New Zealand | TV2 | February 8, 2012 | 8:00pm, airing after Two And A Half Men |
| Sweden | TV4 | September 13, 2012 | Known as Två panka tjejer. Airing 21:30 after New Girl |
| United Kingdom | E4 / Channel 4 | April 19, 2012 | 9:30pm, airing after The New Normal |
Reference
External links
- 2 Broke Girls on Wikipedia
- 2 Broke Girls on CBS Wiki (Fandom)
- 2 Broke Girls on IMDb