‘Portlandia’ is a sketch comedy series created by Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel. Armisen and Brownstein star in the show while Krisel directs it. The concept for the series developed back in 2003 when Brownstein and Armisen decided to make a series of sketches for the Internet. Portland hadn’t been particularly in their mind when they started writing it. However, it soon became a common element in a number of sketches. Finally, it was decided that it would be a great place to set their stories in.
The series harmlessly triggers fun at the perfectly calm Pacific Northwest city and the many extraordinarily outlandish people belonging to the place. The series is executive produced by Lorne Michaels, Krisel, Armisen, Brownstein and Andrew Singer. Broadway Video and IFC Original Productions serve as the production companies. It originally aired on IFC. For its intelligent comedy, ‘Portlandia’ received a Peabody Award in 2011. It was a constant presence at the Emmys since 2011, till the end of its term, and won for Outstanding Costumes. Krisel received nominations for directing, and along with Armisen, Brownstein and Karey Dornetto, he has also been nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. It has also received nomination nods by Writers Guild of America.
Portlandia Season Cast: Who is in it?
The stars of ‘Portlandia’ are Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. Armisen was a part of the regular cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’ from 2002 to 2013. He received a Peabody Award in 2008 for his work on the show. He was also a member of the American rock band, Trenchmouth, which disbanded in 1996. He assembled the 8G band which serves as the house band for ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’. He is also known for his work in ‘Documentary Now!’, ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt‘, ‘Anchorman’ and ‘Cop Out’. Brownstein is a writer and a musician, apart from her work as an actress. She is best known for playing the role of Syd in ‘Transparent‘. She has also been a guest star on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’.
The series also stars Kyle MacLachlan (‘Twin Peaks‘) in the recurring role of the Mayor of Portland. The real mayor of the city, Sam Adams, who served in the office from 2009 to 2012, plays the role of his assistant. Steve Buscemi (‘Boardwalk Empire‘) is another actor who has been a regular part of the series. He plays the role of Fred and Carrie’s landlord. Buscemi has also directed various episodes of the show.
Kristine Levine and Ebbe Roe Smith appear as a swinger couple, while Angel Bouchet appears as herself. Jeff Goldblum, in his own quirky manner, plays the role of a man who owns various shops. Mickey Ronningen appears on the show as Carrie’s mom. Over the years, ‘Portlandia’ has welcomed actors like Ed Begley Jr., Natasha Lyonne, Kumail Nanjiani, Kirsten Dunst, Selma Blair, Olivia Wilde, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Sudeikis and Gus Van Sant, among others. The eighth season welcomed guests like Rachel Bloom, Tessa Thompson, Rashida Jones, John Mulaney, David Wain and Shannon Woodward, among others.