‘Portlandia’ co-creator on why the locally filmed comedy series doesn’t feel dated

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA -- Even as viewers have a plethora of new TV series, movies and reality shows to choose from, thanks to streaming services, a current trend finds many consumers watching shows that not only aren’t new, but have been off the air for a while.

For example, series such as “Suits,” “Friends,” “Gilmore Girls,” “The Office” and other shows have turned out to be comfort food viewing for audiences who may not want to delve into darker, more dystopian current fare.

At a recent appearance at the Television Critics Association 2024 summer press tour in Pasadena, Jonathan Krisel had some thoughts about “Portlandia,” another show that ended its run years ago, in 2018, but still appeals to viewers who may be belatedly catching up with it.

Krisel was at TCA for a panel on another comedy, the upcoming FX series, “English Teacher,” created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez. Krisel is an executive producer and director on the show, which is set in Austin and filmed in Georgia, and premieres Sept. 2, on FX.

As a co-creator, co-writer and frequent director of “Portlandia,” among other series, Krisel is in a position to have some opinions about what makes a show feel fresh as opposed to stale.

“Portlandia” was a sketch series that starred Krisel’s fellow co-creators Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, and which took good-natured pokes at Portland’s reputation as a capital of artisan everything, political correctness, and assorted eccentricities.

Though some of the sketches may have seemed pegged to how Portland felt from 2011 through 2018, when “Portlandia” first aired on IFC, Krisel says the creative team took pains to avoid references that felt too specific to a particular moment in time.

“We thought about it,” Krisel says, and the creative team tried to avoid saying things or making references that might not hold up.

That said, Krisel says with a smile, “Portlandia” did do a renowned episode with an extended bit about a couple obsessively watching DVDs of “Battlestar Galactica,” which now seems like an echo of the long-gone days when viewers ordered Netflix DVDs.

Generally speaking, though, “The comedy is not dated,” Krisel says. And much of the time, “Portlandia” had limited references to celebrities, because those names may have been relevant back when the episodes aired, but the writers realized there was no guarantee that would be the case in the future.

“You know, if I go back and listen to a Monty Python album or something, there’ll be some name -- I mean, Monty Python is timeless, but sometimes, those references make me think, ‘Who is that?’,” Krisel says, adding that such a reference might have been funny in 1970, but now it doesn’t resonate.

As for why older shows have proven so popular with viewers, Krisel says, “During the pandemic, people would go back to the ‘90s for comedy.”

During Barack Obama’s adminstration, for example, Krisel theorizes that audiences were “like, ‘Hey, we can watch drama, because our life seems so easy.’”

By contrast, the current political climate may make people think, “We can’t deal with drama, because the world is too scary.”

Want to see more of “Portlandia”? The series is streaming on platforms that include Philo, Sling TV, and Amazon Prime Video.

— Kristi Turnquist covers features and entertainment. Reach her at 503-221-8227, kturnquist@oregonian.com or @Kristiturnquist

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