Creators and stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein reflect on eight seasons
+ READ ARTICLEWhen Portlandia first aired on Jan. 11, 2011, the show featured a sketch about a farm-to-table restaurant with ethically sourced chicken. Eight seasons later, co-creators Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen say that chicken episode remains the one people most often name as their favorite. “It’s like we never made any other episodes,” Brownstein told TIME, in a conversation for the Influencers series.
Portlandia debuted in what Brownstein called “the halcyon days of the Obama Administration,” and much has changed since then. The actors agree that Portland, Ore., has served as a perfect setting to portray life in a bubble, even though that bubble is universal. In our current political climate, Brownstein says, no one can afford to stay isolated. “We can’t even agree on what truth is.”
The final season of the show begins Jan. 18 on IFC.