Portlandia: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 88 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 88 Ratings

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Portlandia

Now Playing: Portlandia

Season Details & Credits

IFC | IFC - Independent Film Channel | Season Premiere Date: January 21, 2011

Starring: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein

Summary: The comedy set in Portland, Oregon stars Fred Armisen and Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein.

Creator: Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel

Genre(s): Comedy

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E6. Baseball
Air Date: unknown
tbd
S1:E5. Blunderbuss
Air Date: February 18, 2011
tbd
S1:E4. Mayor is Missing
Air Date: February 11, 2011

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

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Critic Reviews

100

Verne Gay

Jan 20, 2011

Brownstein and Armisen move so effortlessly between characters, then execute their riffs, tics, styles and voices with such skilled abandon that before long this doesn't seem like satire any longer but a fun house mirror reflection of intensely real people. Read full review

Phillip Maciak

Mar 3, 2011

Knowing but not pretentious, snarky but not sneering, Portlandia succeeds both as farce and as faithful representation of a population for whom the dream--of the '90s or anything else, for that matter--is still alive. Read full review

Robert Lloyd

Jan 20, 2011

The series is a better-heeled, better-paced and, within the bounds of its own Portland-ish modesty, a more ambitious extension of the occasional videos that Armisen and Portland resident Brownstein have posted online over the past few years under the name ThunderAnt. Read full review

Rob Owen

Jan 18, 2011

Like any sketch comedy show, IFC's Portlandia has hit-and-miss sketches, but when they hit, they do so with a laughter-inducing amount of comedic force. Read full review

James Poniewozik

Jan 21, 2011

While the first two episodes of Portlandia are hit-and-miss, its good-natured satire generally hits, as they say, pretty close to home. Read full review

Jon Caramanica

Jan 20, 2011

Often Ms. Brownstein, wide-eyed and sincere, gets the best of Mr. Armisen, who's been exaggerating characters for so long on "Saturday Night Live" that it's tough for him to capture the understatement of these caricatures. Read full review

Brian Lowry

Jan 20, 2011

Portlandia, a vanity project from "Saturday Night Live's" Fred Armisen that plays like an awful night at the Groundlings, or worse, a collection of the most uninspired sketches from "SNL's" final half-hour. Read full review

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User Score

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7.4

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User Reviews

turk_fireball

Feb 25, 2011

Absolutely hilarious. If you are a fan of Two and Half Men or most CBS sitcoms, you probably won't care for this show. I have a new respect for Fred Armisen. One of the best shows since The Upright Citizens Brigade.

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

lbarajas723

Feb 19, 2011

This show isn't the funniest show, but the reason I give this show a 10 out of 10 is because of the great cast and the great humor of this show. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are a great duo! The first episode wasn't the best, but ever since, it's been building up steam.This Show is aThis show isn't the funniest show, but the reason I give this show a 10 out of 10 is because of the great cast and the great humor of this show. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are a great duo! The first episode wasn't the best, but ever since, it's been building up steam.This Show is a definite must watch for indie comedy and any kind of comedy lovers out their!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

moxxi

Apr 16, 2012

My 13 year old son and I came across Portlandia on Netflix and I told him that I bet he would like it (having seen a clip of it myself). He was not enthused at first, but I said, come on, give the first episode like10 minutes. Just 10 minutes! He loved it and so did I. Then we watched a fewMy 13 year old son and I came across Portlandia on Netflix and I told him that I bet he would like it (having seen a clip of it myself). He was not enthused at first, but I said, come on, give the first episode like10 minutes. Just 10 minutes! He loved it and so did I. Then we watched a few more episodes and thought they were great. We were a little unsure of what was happening at first but then realized Portlandia is kind of in the same vein as Little Britain in terms of sketch flow. Not to say that it's identical or even made to be like that - it's just recurring characters that are revisited throughout the show. Fred Armisen has been a favorite of mine since I first saw him on SNL and it's nice to more of him, as there isn't enough of him on SNL these days. Carrie Brownstein (whom I was not familiar with, nor her music) is equally brilliant in her characterizations and is a great together with Armisen. Having never been to Portland, you'd think I'd be out of the loop comedically in regards to the satire, but alas I lived in Vancouver, BC and from what I can tell, it's Portland's spiritual sister/brother. As with any sketch comedy shows, it's going to be hit and miss. Not everything can be hilarious to everyone, but there is comedy gold here and more than enough to keep me interested to continue watching. Thanks to Netlix and Youtube, these shows are given a chance to catch an audience and become favorites even if we don't watch them when they air (as I don't get IFC). Special mention goes out to theme song, Feel it All Around by Ernest Greene which hits me on a level so deep, I enjoy it almost psychically, which makes me as much of a flake as the Portlandians stereotypes skewered in this biting satire - but the theme song is hauntingly fantastic. It's like I've heard it all my life and yet never - try and explain that one. Anyway, watch this show. As someone already stated in their reviews, Portlandia isn't for the Two and Half Men or Big Bang Theory crowd, so if you have an adverse reaction to those shows, you might just love this.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

jredekop

Jun 7, 2011

This show's pretty hit and miss. The first two episodes show lots of promise, especially wit the feminist book store. After those episodes, it starts to go downhill. I laughed a couple times per episode, but not nearly as much as the first couple episodes. I'm really not sure how the nextThis show's pretty hit and miss. The first two episodes show lots of promise, especially wit the feminist book store. After those episodes, it starts to go downhill. I laughed a couple times per episode, but not nearly as much as the first couple episodes. I'm really not sure how the next season will turn out. However, with seeing how hilarious this show can be, I definitely recommend it.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CheapSeats

Jul 28, 2013

A pretty addictive show but gets tiresome after a couple to few episodes of watching. Some skits are completely unfunny while others are entertaining. It's a hit-and-miss show but keeps you hooked with its entertainment factor.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JennetP

Jan 24, 2011

Damn, I so wanted to like "Portlandia." Like some other reviewers, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and the culture here truly is hilariously contradictory: idealistic on the surface but judgmental beneath, earnestly zany, educated but anti-intellectual. For me, though, the first episodeDamn, I so wanted to like "Portlandia." Like some other reviewers, I live in the Pacific Northwest, and the culture here truly is hilariously contradictory: idealistic on the surface but judgmental beneath, earnestly zany, educated but anti-intellectual. For me, though, the first episode kept forcing the humor. The musical number was wonderful, but the sketches would start as satire then grow more and more absurd until they became just random collections of improbabilities. If the writers were to observe more and contrive less, the show would be both funnier and sharper. I'll keep watching for a while, though my daily bus ride offers more amusement than "Portlandia," so far.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

txrangersfan72

Jan 21, 2011

I was really looking forward to this series. I love Fred Armisen. However, the first of six episodes ended with a thud and not much promise. I shouldn't watch this much comedic talent in one show and not even crack a smile.

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

SEE ALL 17 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

76

Series Overview
Season 9

tbd
- Season 9 Overview
  Air Date: June 16, 2021
Season 8

tbd
- Season 8 Overview
  Air Date: January 18, 2018
Season 7

tbd
- Season 7 Overview
  Air Date: January 5, 2017
Season 6

tbd
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: January 21, 2016
Season 5

84
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: January 8, 2015
Season 4

87
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: February 27, 2014
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: December 14, 2012
Season 2

73
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: January 6, 2012
Season 1

71
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: January 21, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E6. Baseball
  Air Date: unknown
- tbd
  S1:E5. Blunderbuss
  Air Date: February 18, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E4. Mayor is Missing
  Air Date: February 11, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E3. Aimee
  Air Date: February 4, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E2. A Song for Portland
  Air Date: January 28, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E1. Farm
  Air Date: January 21, 2011