Portlandia: Season 2

Episodes

# Air Date Title
1 Jan 06
2012

Mixology

Local artisan curators Lisa and Bryce realize that they can pickle everything; Fred helps Carrie chase a romantic mixologist (Andy Samberg) who forgets his roots when he moves…

2 Jan 13
2012

One Moore Episode

Doug and Claire become a bit obsessed with “Battlestar Galactica” and it begins to take over their lives.
3 Jan 20
2012

Cool Wedding

Militant bike messenger Spyke and his fiancée Iris strive for non-conformity in their upcoming nuptials; Carrie drops her beloved iPhone, and her life flashes before her eyes;…

4 Jan 27
2012

Grover

Michelle and Brendan pull out all the stops to see that their son gains admittance to a prestigious preschool.
5 Feb 03
2012

Cops Redesign

Nostalgia-loving Jason returns to LA from Portland and informs Melanie of another Portland throwback trend; the Mayor of Portland tasks Fred and Carrie with redesigning the Por…

6 Feb 10
2012

Cat Nap

In a boutique clothing store “Two Girls Two Shirts,” the owners (with Miranda July) are momentarily tempted by the idea of having customers; A struggling band finds itself with…

7 Feb 17
2012

Motorcycle

An idyllic music gathering becomes tense when they face the logistics of loading a harp into a sedan (with Joanna Newsom); A middle-aged couple attempts to reclaim the ideals o…

8 Feb 24
2012

Feminist Book Store 10th Anniversary

“Sanitation Twins” Marcus and Madeline Harris take separating trash to a whole new level; Portland’s feminist bookstore “Women & Women First”…

9 Mar 02
2012

No Olympics

A crying infant’s father escalates his attempts to soothe his thrill-seeking baby; Fred and Carrie get the Mayor of Portland’s (Kyle MacLachlan) blessing to create a grassroots…

10 Mar 09
2012

Brunch Village

New brunch hotspot Fisherman’s Porch gets a write-up in the local paper, prompting Peter and Nance to give it a try – only to find hundreds of others had the same idea. Portla…

About Portlandia

The 6-part IFC Original short-based comedy series PORTLANDIA, created, written by and starring Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (vocalist/guitarist, WILD FLAG, Sleater-Kinney), premieres on IFC Friday, January 21, 2011 at 10:30 PM ET/PT. Each episode’s character-based shorts draw viewers into “Portlandia,” the creators’ dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon.

“I love Portlandia. It really represents so much of what I love culturally, musically and in so many other ways,” said Fred Armisen. “This started as just a fun summer activity for Carrie and me. We’d be hanging out in Portland and shooting whatever made us laugh, and that evolved into Portlandia.”

PORTLANDIA’s inhabitants include but are not limited to: the owners of a feminist book store; a militant bike messenger; an artsy couple who attach cut-outs of birds to everything (“put a bird on it!”); an organic farmer who turns out to be a cult leader; an adult hide and seek league; and a punk rock couple negotiating a “safe word” to help govern their love life. The first episode depicts Armisen and Brownstein meeting with the Mayor of Portland (Kyle MacLachlan) who solicits the duo to write a new theme song for the city. This segment features a cameo from the real mayor of Portland (Sam Adams) playing the assistant to MacLachlan’s “mayor.” Much of the series’ original music is written and performed by Armisen and Brownstein.

An assortment of guest stars inhabit PORTLANDIA, including Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Sex & The City), Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Selma Blair (Legally Blonde, Hellboy), Heather Graham (The Hangover), Edie McClurg (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Kumail Nanjiani (Michael & Michael Have Issues), Jason Sudeikis (SNL, The Cleveland Show), and Gus Van Sant (Milk). Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann also guest stars, alongside James Mercer (The Shins), and local Portland musicians Jenny Conlee and Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney).

Brownstein and Armisen spent years observing the joyous eccentricities of Portland, Oregon (when Fred was on hiatus from SNL), which spawned their “Thunderant” project, a compilation of online videos that combined their unique music styles and comedic sensibilities. Their artistic collaboration garnered an online cult following, as their “Thunderant” characters resonated with a young audience celebrating individuality, free spirit and weirdness.

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