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Portlandia: Season 1
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Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 42 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: The comedy set in Portland, Oregon stars Fred Armisen and Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein.
  • Genre(s): Comedy, Reality

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Jan 20, 2011
    100
    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.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Jan 21, 2011
    50
    Despite the fact that Portlandia features different sketches in each episode, the show already begins to feel like a stretch by the second show.
  3. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Jan 20, 2011
    30
    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.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. turk_fireball
    10
    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.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. egovirus
    5
    Should be funnier(?). The more I think about that statement, the more confusing it becomes. Why should it be funnier? The cast is great. Well, okay, that's well and fine, but if Hollywood has taught us anything, it's that a cast can't save bad writing, or in this case, okay writing. Independent is supposed to = better, right? They could do a whole skit on that: Annoying snobs (from Portland) comment on how everything independent is better than everything that's what, dependent? That would be so funny, to someone else. The problem with Portlandia is simple, it's one great big [not very funny] inside joke. If you haven't been to Portland (Oregon), then you might not realize how many people in Portland are like the people they fun of in this show, and I don't use the word realize lightly here. Of course you realize that they're making fun of annoying Portland people, but only on an academic level. Can you recount specific instances of interacting with stupid hippies, organic food nazi's, or d***heads on bikes, in Portland? Sure they're everywhere, but the nature of the mockery in this show just leaves you annoyed, and not laughing. It feels [too much] like Saturday Night Live, and we know how long ago that particular ship sailed... Please try harder guys!… Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  3. txrangersfan72
    2
    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.… Expand
    • 2 of 4 users said yes

See all 14 User Reviews