Portlandia ran from 2011 through 2018, eight seasons and 77 episodes, and it remains one of the funniest shows about Portland ever made. The sketch comedy series follows Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein as a pair of oddballs living in the city, with each episode taking aim at some local quirk or cultural trend. The show was created by Armisen, Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel, who directed it. It premiered on IFC on January 21, 2011, and ended on March 22, 2018.
Trailer, via Michelle N.
Fred and Carrie
The heart of the show is the pair of leads. Armisen and Brownstein play Fred and Carrie, a naturalistic couple whose onscreen relationship was inspired by Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street. They wear minimal makeup, costumes and hairstyling, which means they look like themselves, living in a house together in Portland. That restraint is the joke. The show sets up these characters as versions of the actors themselves, then watches them navigate the city’s weirder corners.
“Fred and Carrie” is supposed to represent versions of the actors as if they were friends living together in a house in Portland.
The Other Couples
The show also features a rotating cast of other couples, mostly played by Armisen and Brownstein with makeup, costumes and wigs. These pairings range from young to old, and sometimes cross-dressing is involved. One example is Armisen as Candace, co-owner of the Women and Women First bookstore, while Brownstein plays Andy, a men’s rights activist. Another sketch swaps their genders entirely, casting them as the couple Nina and Lance. These characters are often absurd, but the show commits fully to each one, which makes them land harder than a passing gag.
Recurring Guests
A few recurring characters appear outside the main pair. Steve Buscemi plays Fred and Carrie’s landlord, Milton, and also directs several episodes. Kyle MacLachlan and Sam Adams play the Mayor of Portland and his assistant, a nod to the actual mayor who served from 2009 to 2012. Angel, played by Angel Bouchet, appears in multiple episodes as herself. A swinger couple, played by Ebbe Roe Smith and Kristine Levine, and an owner of many quirky shops, played by Jeff Goldblum, round out the guest list. Carrie’s mom is played by Mickey Ronningen, who appears in seasons 2, 3 and 5.
Jedediah P. Aaker has appeared on more episodes of the series than any other actor, not including the series’ two leads.
The Title Sequence
The show shares its name with the sculpture of the same name that sits above the entrance of the Portland Building on Fifth Avenue in downtown Portland. The sculpture appears in the show’s title sequence, tying the program directly to the city it mocks.
Sketch Comedy With Teeth
The humor leans satirical rather than slapstick. Portlandia takes aim at the city’s reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters, and the show rarely lets that reputation off easy. It mocks the city’s food carts, its artisanal obsessions, and its earnestness without losing sympathy for the people caught up in it. The show’s best sketches land because they understand the city’s contradictions: the earnestness is sincere, the irony is real, and the result is often funny.
The show won a Peabody Award during its run.
What Works
The show’s strength is its specificity. It is not a broad satire of hipsters, but a sharp-eyed portrait of a particular city at a particular moment. The recurring characters give the show a sense of place, and the writing trusts the audience to follow along even when the jokes get strange. The show also benefits from its two leads, who have a chemistry that makes the silliest sketches feel earned.
Where It Falls Short
Not every sketch lands. Some episodes rely too heavily on the premise of the day, and the show can repeat itself across its eight seasons. The show’s later seasons lean more heavily on guest stars and recurring characters, which dilutes the focus on Fred and Carrie. Still, the show’s best moments justify the weaker ones.
Final Word
Portlandia is a smart, funny show that captures a specific moment in a specific city. It is not for everyone, but for anyone who lived in Portland during the early 2010s, it will feel like a time capsule. The show is available to stream now, and it holds up as a reminder of a city that has changed since it left the air.
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