The Beauty that is ~Portlandia~

I've recently become obsessed with the sketch-comedy series Portlandia, a show which parodies life in Portland, Oregon. The show was created and written by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, who also star as the various roles throughout the series. Fred Armisen is a former cast member of Saturday Night Live and has guest starred on other comedies such as Broad City. Jonathan Kreisel also co-created the show, and directs it. It is currently in its fifth season and airs on IFC, which airs other shows such as Comedy Bang! Bang! and The Birthday Boys.

Portlandia is a very peculiar (but amazing) show, because it does not have a running storyline that continues for seasons on end; it's mostly sketches that focus on the hipster/feminist/vegan lifestyles that people on the West Coast lead. It's definitely not for everyone- the sketches are very quirky and the jokes can sometimes run a bit dry. The show is scripted, but a lot of the skits are improvised.

Some of my favorite parts of the show include the "Women and Women First" bookstore sketches, where Fred & Carrie play two feminist bookstore owners and they are absolutely hilarious. Here's an example of one of those sketches.

 

Portlandia also has some outstanding costume and set design. It is all very interesting, colorful, and detailed, which is why I think I enjoy the show so much, because it is so aesthetically pleasing. It also has a really cool sound mix, where the music score coincides with the jokes that are occurring. And obviously the script is just plain hilarious, and very easy to relate to.

I highly recommend this show to anyone who loves sketch comedy and quality tv. All seasons are available to watch on Netflix.

Is Binge Watching Really the Way You Should be Watching Television?

If you have Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, or any television streaming website, you know how it feels to binge watch a TV show. There comes a point in the level of binge watching where you should ask yourself, "Is this healthy?".

Where binge watching can't directly effect your health, it's best not to try and over do it. This way of viewing TV shows is kind of like being hooked on drugs, you get addicted and there's no way you're not going to push the button for next episode when it appears.

But there's another question that comes along with this style of television, are you really appreciating the show? If you watch so much of one show at a time there is a point where you will get distracted or become disinterested in what you are seeing. Are these TV streaming websites taking suspense and drama out of TV shows? There's no waiting anymore, you can automatically click on a button to see what is happening next.

Netflix is definitely taking over the television scene and there is no way that it's going to stop. People spend hours and days of their lives watching continuous television and missing out on the "reality" of the world. They are stuck in this virtual world which can ultimately lead to them regretting the decisions that they made to binge watch television. They do this to be caught up with the times, or to watch that one popular show that they missed out on. Either way that you look at it, binge watching television online is hindering the lives of people and their health. There is no looking back now, and we will walk forward in this digitally infused, binge watching obsessed world.

Portlandia

One of the most underrated shows on television, in my opinion, is a satirical sketch comedy series entitled Portlandia. Portlandia is a show that takes place in Portland, Oregon, and basically parodies all of the strange goings-on around that area. In short, we see a lot of material about hipsters, veganism, thrift stores and saving the environment. Part of the brilliance of this show is the way in which it pokes fun at these Portland dwellers. Portland is a city that is definitely known for being different, and a little wacky at times. I have even met a few people from Portland, and when asked about how similar it actually is to the show, they almost always rave about the accuracy with which it is portrayed.

 

Portlandia stars Carrie Bradshaw, alongside Saturday Night Live alum, Fred Armisen. They play a whole host of different characters, and with each one, they bring something totally new and different to the show. Each episode often features well-known comedic guest stars who are recruited to play a supporting role. One of the most exciting things about the show is how unpredictable it can be. You can never tell what they will come up with next. After five seasons of the show, one would think that they might be running out of ideas for new material- after all, how many sketches about hipsters could they possibly make? However they always seem to keep producing ideas. Since it is not a show that follows a specific plot line, it also gives the writers a lot of freedom to create any idea that they want, and it still will fit within the parameters of the show. Another interesting aspect is that the show itself is almost 90% improvised. This gives the actors the ability to know the basic plotline, while still being able to work freely with it and make each sketch their own. It certainly fits with the show and adds a sense of randomness and weirdness that works very well with the overall feel that is trying to be achieved.