It’s time to put a bird on it! Portlandia is kicking off its fifth season with a hysterical flashback on the origins of the relationship between Candace and Toni, your favorite women’s bookstore owners. This is just the tip of the iceberg. OHSOGRAY attended an exclusive screening of two new episodes and a Q&A with Fred Armisten, Carrie Brownstein, and writer/director Jonathan Krisel at the historic Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. They dished on some of the wacky stories fans can look forward to this season.
The discussion began with the subtle shift in perspective that viewers will see this season. There will be less of an emphasis on small sketches and more on longer narrations. “The whole season is like on long narrative,” Kisel explained. Brownstein shared, “We really focused on the five characters we love.” So you can expect to see Toni and Candace, Nina and Lance, Kath and Dave, Peter and Nance, and Spyke and Iris.
Viewers can also look forward to some of their favorite recurring characters making appearances, such as Kyle MacLachlan, alongside new guest stars, including Paul Reubens, Seth Meyers, Olivia Wilde, Paul Simon, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Matt Groening, Justin Long, and even Oscar the Grouch.
As for possible storylines, there will be a special episode where Peter will face a scary cancer diagnosis. Armisen warned, “He doesn’t die, but he doesn’t beat it. He’s going to die…in 40 years.” Brownstein added, “It’s sad. That’s it. That’s a half hour episode. A medical themed one.” Slightly more upbeat, there will be a fashion episode, a horrific trip to the post office to pick up a package, and a gutter punk love song. There will also be a 4th of July episode where they will hit all the different BBQs they can, including a punk BBQ. Brownstein laughed, “Fred and I went to a punk BBQ in Portland and there was no food.”
Portlandia returns on January 8th at 10pm on IFC.
