12/23/2023 0 Comments Snl mocks liberals![]() ![]() Nearly three years later, it seems liberals are ready to let down their guards a bit and have a laugh among their hipster friends. The Goode Family premiered in the summer of 2009, when George Bush had just left office, Barack Obama had just taken the reins, and progressive ideals didn't feel like as much of a laughing matter. (The season premiere opens with a sketch about an Allergy Pride Parade, featuring a group of soy-allergic punk rockers who march chanting "Oi not soy!")īut timing could be another. It's a pretty nifty trick Armisen and Brownstein have pulled off, creating a show that mocks the quest to be the coolest person in the room, and managing in the process to become the coolest show on the air.Īs for the question of why Portlandia has worked while other attempts at liberal mockery have not, the clever writing is certainly one factor. The season two premiere (which can be viewed early on IFC's website) features Jeff Goldblum, Edward James Olmos and Eddie Vedder. ![]() The first season featured guest appearances from Steve Buscemi, Gus Van Sant and Aimee Mann, not to mention actual Portland mayor Sam Adams (who appears as the assistant to a fictional Portland mayor played by Kyle MacLachlan.) But Armisen and Brownstein have resumés that exude indie cachet, and they're so deeply rooted in the scene they're lampooning (Brownstein is a Portland native) that Portlandia fans know that even when the material hits closest to home, they're being laughed with, not at.Īrmisen and Brownstein also know how to work a Rolodex (or at least ask Siri to make a call) – Portlandia has become the hottest destination for celebrities wanting to prove they're in on the joke. It would be tricky for an outsider to capture the hippy-dippy idiosyncrasies of life in Portland, Oregon, without facing some backlash. Portlandia's success can only mean one of two things: either liberals have finally learned how to laugh at their foibles, or no one had figured out the right tack to take until Armisen and Brownstein came along.Ī big part of what makes Portlandia work is its pedigree. The show garnered positive reviews, generated viral clip after viral clip, put up impressive ratings numbers, and spawned a rabid cult following almost as soon as it aired last January. The Goode Family was hardly amazing television, but it had its moments and deserved a better fate.Įnter Portlandia. Later, it was picked up by Comedy Central, a much better fit for its acidic tone, but was pulled even from the cable outlet after just a few episodes. It ran for thirteen low-rated episodes before being canned. ![]() ![]() The Goode Family never found its footing. (Their dog – Che, naturally – has taken to eating other neighborhood pets after being subjected to a vegan diet.) The show centered on a well-meaning family whose dedication to recycling and political correctness has taken over their lives. Certainly it's not because there isn't plenty of material to pull from, particularly in the pernickety, compost-happy, carbon-neutral world of the far left, which often resembles a no-stakes competition to prove whose granola is the crunchiest.īut Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill, attempted to puncture the liberaler-than-thou sensibility in his 2009 series The Goode Family. Maybe liberals are just funnier than conservatives. In fact, Portlandia has succeeded where others before it have flat-out failed, which makes its success that much more remarkable. But instead of flopping, the show returns this Friday for a second season that's four episodes bigger than its first. Created by SNL regular Fred Armisen and former Sleater-Kinney, current Wild Flag guitarist Carrie Brownstein, Portlandia lambasts ostentatious liberal zealotry in a way that should have lefties screaming uncle. Leave it to liberals to come up with the perfect liberal-skewing comedy in IFC's sketch show Portlandia. ![]()
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