While the series has already come to a close, Portlandia is still one of the funniest and quirkiest shows available through various streaming services. The entire show is based around the following premise: Portland, Oregon is weird.
From ultra-feminist bookstore owners to goth suburban couples, there’s a little something for everyone in Portland. These humorous characters and situations are all thanks to the show’s two main stars and creators: Fred Armisen (from Saturday Night Live) and Carrie Brownstein. This rock ‘n roll/comedy duo make the perfect pair in this zany, variety sketch show.
With 8 seasons and hundreds of sketches, some are bound to be better than others. Read on to learn about the 10 most hilarious sketches in Portlandia history.
Women And Women First Bookstore: Air Conditioner
The “Women and Women First Bookstore” provides a treasure trove of funny sketches. Brownstein and Armisen play two ultra-feminist bookstore owners (Candace and Toni), who are much more interested in schooling their customers than actually making any money. While it was hard to choose which of these sketches would beat out the rest, the air conditioner sketch is easily one of the funniest moments in the entire series.
When the bookstore’s air conditioner breaks, an old, friendly repairman comes to fix it. However, Candace and Toni make his life impossible when he uses the word “unit” in their presence. While he does eventually repair the air conditioner, Candace and Toni stay angry the entire time.
The Couple Who Died Of Confusion
In this comedic horror movie parody, Kirsten Dunst makes a cameo as a young woman staying at her aunt’s empty house. However, she soon finds out that the property is haunted by two ghosts who bombard her with conflicting and poorly remembered stories they heard on NPR or read in The New York Times. Desperate to find out why she is being haunted, she researches the property and discovers that the couple died of confusion years earlier.
The couple continues to harass her with vague advice and cautionary tales. For example, Fred Armisen recalls an article that he read about how you can die if you don’t drink enough water. Carrie Brownstein’s character then responds that the article was actually about how you can die from drinking too much water. In the end, the ghosts drive Kirsten Dunst mad, sending her out the window to her death (creating yet another ghost).
The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari
In this sketch, a mailman (played by Armisen) delivers a DVD to the home of a woman (played by Brownstein). The movie is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a silent-era German horror film. The mailman gives it rave reviews, but Brownstein’s character seems skeptical.
Eventually, Brownstein decides to pop in the DVD and give it a watch. She finds that the movie drives her crazy. As a result, she actually becomes a mailwoman, forced to pass the DVD’s curse on to someone else.
One More Episode
To kill time before a friend’s birthday party, Carrie and Fred decide to watch one episode of Battlestar Galactica. However, they find the show so engrossing that they watch a second one, causing them to miss the birthday party entirely. They continue watching through the night, forcing Carrie to take the next day off from work.
Both Fred and Carrie find that they can’t stop watching Battlestar Galactica. As the hours turn into days, Carrie loses her job and the power company briefly shuts off their electricity, causing them to spiral into a panic. When the power does come back on, they watch what turns out to be the finale. Determined to watch more episodes, they try to seek out the lead writer of the show, Ronald D. Moore.
Nina’s Birthday
Nina (Fred Armisen) is the high-maintenance girlfriend to Lance (Carrie Brownstein), a tough, no-nonsense kind of guy. When the alarm clock goes off, Nina wakes Lance to inform him that they only have three weeks until her 32nd birthday. Though Lance would prefer to do something simple, Nina has bigger plans in mind.
As soon as Lance agrees to go along with her plan, Nina sets about sending the invite to all of their friends. The party will start in the early hours of the morning and will continue well into the night. Nina plans to have a mariachi band, horseback riding on the beach, sunset yoga, and a whole lot more!
The Doily Shoppe
Fred and Carrie discover that they really love to have people over at their home. This gives them the inspiration for a new bed-and-breakfast business. Excited for their new adventure, they set off to The Doily Shoppe to decorate their home.
The Doily Shoppe owner, played by Jeff Goldblum, teaches Fred and Carrie about the subtle intricacies of doilies. Much of the dialogue is improvised, giving Goldblum plenty of room to show his funny side. In the end, Fred and Carrie leave, satisfied with their hundreds of new doilies.
Pasta Addiction
Peter (Armisen) and Nance (Brownstein) are a happy suburban couple, but when Peter realizes that he’s gotten fat, things take a turn for the worse. The couple realizes that their pasta-based diet is fattening. So, to encourage a healthier lifestyle for Peter, Nance throws out all of their pasta.
However, the change isn’t so easy for Peter. He begins hiding pasta throughout the house, standing outside of Italian restaurants, and even recording strangers while they eat spaghetti. Eventually, Nance finds Peter in a seedy motel, covered in various forms of pasta.
Is It Local?
When Peter and Nance eat at a local restaurant, they ask the waitress if the chicken comes from a local farm and if it is treated ethically. When the waitress doesn’t provide an answer that satisfies them, the couple decides to take a trip to the local farm to see for themselves. At the farm, they meet a group of conservatively dressed women and the farm’s owner, Aliki.
The couple is immediately drawn to Aliki’s strange energy. When he offers them a place on his farm, they gladly accept. Now dressed in sister-wife dresses, Peter and Nance embrace their new husband.
Blackout
When the power goes out across the city, Peter and Nance gather all of their bed-and-breakfast guests in the living room. However, they weren’t counting on an additional guest known as “Birdman” (played by Bill Hader). This Australian stranger quickly convinces the group to go on a walkabout.
As they walk through the streets of Portland, Birdman finds a place for the group to make camp. Much to Nance and Peter’s surprise, none of their guests want to return to the bed-and-breakfast. Instead, they all choose to stay with the mysterious Birdman.
Instant Garbage
At one point or another, everyone has bought some cheap, low-quality product that didn’t last very long. Whether it’s headphones or phone cases, there are tons of shoddy products on the market. Armisen and Brownstein exploit it by creating a parody infomercial for “instant garbage.”
The duo advertises chargers that will destroy your tablet, phone docks that don’t work, and headphones that are painful to wear. They also price their products so that they’re just cheap enough that you won’t bother returning them. Instead, you’ll just throw them in the garbage!
