The Return of a True Gem: Portlandia

Tomorrow, IFC's Portandia returns with more humorous portraits of America's grunge capital, Portland, Oregon.  Each show is a series of skits portraying another odd side to life in this great city, with just a little bit of exaggeration.  The show has the ability to take a simple local (or national) trend and quickly make every look slightly crazy.  And while the grunge bits are funny, the parodies on yuppies are my favorite.  One of my favorite episodes from season one is Put a Bird on It! 

For a quick view of a new episode, click here for the season's second show with its parade of allergies, Battlestar Galactica marathon, and more (two BGS actors play a part in the skit as well).  And while some may think this show is pretty mean to the natives, the co-creator and actor Fred Armisen noted in an Entertainment Weekly article "What's So Funny About Portland?" that much of it is true and his own film crew is sometimes the extra to demonstrate a real slice of life. Fred noted that his work in Portland continues to generate new ideas for the show, such as bike valets and a fried eggs on everything.  I look forward to more of this truth-telling (and warping) in the second season.