By Kristi Turnquist | The Oregonian/OregonLive
For a small budget show that airs on a low-profile network, “Portlandia” sure has made a lot of noise. When the Portland-filmed comedy series airs its series finale on IFC Thursday, March 22, it will mark the end of eight seasons of accomplishment, including 20 Emmy nominations, four wins, and a Peabody Award, just to name a few accolades.
Co-creators Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein and Jonathan Krisel have all gotten significant career boosts from “Portlandia,” with Armisen and Brownstein juggling various projects, and Krisel co-creating and serving as showrunner for the quirky FX comedy, “Baskets.”
“We wanted to end the show while we all loved doing it,” Armisen said during a “Portlandia” discussion at the Television Critics Association winter 2018 press tour, in Pasadena. “We had good feelings about it, and it just seemed like the right time. And also, eight seasons is a lot. It’s a lot of time.”
For Portlanders, saying goodbye to “Portlandia” means putting to rest a complicated, love/hate relationship. From the beginning, when “Portlandia” premiered in 2011 with the “Dream of the ‘90s” music video and Peter (Armisen) and Nance (Brownstein) wondering if the chicken they’re about to order in a restaurant had a happy life, “Portlandia” has divided Rose City residents.