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.