Portlandia: Season 1
User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 55
  3. Negative: 4 out of 55

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  1. suepb
    Jan 22, 2011
    10
    I'm from Portland, and I LOVED it. From assessing how much free range the chickens have to the Hide and Seek League and the unironic feministas - wonderful. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Can't wait to see what happens next!
  2. turk_fireball
    Feb 25, 2011
    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.
  3. Mirkosansan
    Feb 3, 2011
    10
    I kind of trailed off in my first review, and I meant to rate it higher than a 5! So this review is to fix that. In fact, Portlandia is over the top, but this compensates for the way the Pacific Northwest is usually depicted in pop culture media, which is either not at all (as if it didn't exist) or very little. Let's face it, as far as comedy goes it's as if the universe ends at the borders of the New York metropolitan area (Friends, 30 Rock, SNL--need I go on?). As for the West Coast, take your pick between Seattle (Frazier--which basically took place largely in an apartment and a simulated radio station studio) and various sketches set in L.A. It's great to see a show that depicts sort of a Northwest zeitgeist. In fact, that's what Portlandia seems to be aiming at.… Expand
  4. alexrmacleod
    Jan 29, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. soo good!knkjjj jkn kjn jn kjn kjn kj on jn ijn ijn ijn in in in n u ininin inijni inijnin injnj ybyby ybybyb ikk9 uunun unhnu ununun uniunin inini iuniuniun… Expand
  5. jrmint
    Apr 18, 2011
    9
    I lived in Portland for two years, and LOVE this show. It takes all the many nuances from a place that really hasn't surpassed the 90's and throws it freshly back in your face. I would not know how to push it on to anyone who hasn't been to Portland for a lot of the jokes are "inside jokes" with the city and pacific NW; such as the bike Fred Armisen plays who is annoyed with the bar being "so over" . But it's neat and clever and there is nothing like it.… Collapse
  6. lbarajas723
    Feb 19, 2011
    10
    This show isn't the funniest show, but the reason I give this show a 10 out of 10 is because of the great cast and the great humor of this show. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are a great duo! The first episode wasn't the best, but ever since, it's been building up steam.This Show is a definite must watch for indie comedy and any kind of comedy lovers out their!
  7. 7dogguy
    Feb 15, 2012
    9
    This show is amazingly funny when they make fun of the people of Portland Oregon and how weird they are too taking real life situations and over exaggerating them. The cast couldnt be better for this show they are witty and clever. My only problem with it is when they over over exaggerate things. Like when carrie goes to get a job and then she goes though like dodge ball rooms and parties which i thought was funny but then she goes into like a blimp made out of wood and starts flying in the air which i thought was stupid. all and all this show is very funny for the most part and i recommend this to anyone… Expand
  8. moxxi
    Apr 16, 2012
    9
    My 13 year old son and I came across Portlandia on Netflix and I told him that I bet he would like it (having seen a clip of it myself). He was not enthused at first, but I said, come on, give the first episode like10 minutes. Just 10 minutes! He loved it and so did I. Then we watched a few more episodes and thought they were great. We were a little unsure of what was happening at first but then realized Portlandia is kind of in the same vein as Little Britain in terms of sketch flow. Not to say that it's identical or even made to be like that - it's just recurring characters that are revisited throughout the show. Fred Armisen has been a favorite of mine since I first saw him on SNL and it's nice to more of him, as there isn't enough of him on SNL these days. Carrie Brownstein (whom I was not familiar with, nor her music) is equally brilliant in her characterizations and is a great together with Armisen. Having never been to Portland, you'd think I'd be out of the loop comedically in regards to the satire, but alas I lived in Vancouver, BC and from what I can tell, it's Portland's spiritual sister/brother. As with any sketch comedy shows, it's going to be hit and miss. Not everything can be hilarious to everyone, but there is comedy gold here and more than enough to keep me interested to continue watching. Thanks to Netlix and Youtube, these shows are given a chance to catch an audience and become favorites even if we don't watch them when they air (as I don't get IFC). Special mention goes out to theme song, Feel it All Around by Ernest Greene which hits me on a level so deep, I enjoy it almost psychically, which makes me as much of a flake as the Portlandians stereotypes skewered in this biting satire - but the theme song is hauntingly fantastic. It's like I've heard it all my life and yet never - try and explain that one. Anyway, watch this show. As someone already stated in their reviews, Portlandia isn't for the Two and Half Men or Big Bang Theory crowd, so if you have an adverse reaction to those shows, you might just love this.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Phillip Maciak
    Mar 3, 2011
    88
    Knowing but not pretentious, snarky but not sneering, Portlandia succeeds both as farce and as faithful representation of a population for whom the dream--of the '90s or anything else, for that matter--is still alive.
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Feb 22, 2011
    75
    Is this hipster-lampooning sketch show a little too cool for school (or, more appropriately, too cool for postgraduate-juggling studies)? Maybe. But there are funny moments, too.
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  3. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    Jan 21, 2011
    70
    While the first two episodes of Portlandia are hit-and-miss, its good-natured satire generally hits, as they say, pretty close to home.
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