‘Portlandia’ Renewed for Eighth and Final Season
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein revealed Saturday that their IFC comedy series Portlandia has been renewed for an eighth, and final, season in 2018.
“For us, it seemed like a way to figure out a way to have a beginning, a middle and an ending,” Armisen told the Television Critics Association, Variety reports.
Brownstein added that having an end in view would allow for the series to neatly tie up the stories involving many of the show’s trademark characters.
“In some ways, just trying to create a container for something that has edges, in terms of intentions…I think in terms of the creation of art, it’s nice to put parameters around it. I think it helps to keep it pointed,” Brownstein said.
The seventh season of Portlandia premiered January 5th, with Run the Jewels, the B-52’s, Abbi Jacobson and Vanessa Bayer among the guest stars for the current season.
Although Armisen and Brownstein said they would end their send-up of the Oregon city, the duo hinted that they would continue to work together on other projects. “I think nothing ever really ends anyway,” Brownstein said.
IFC president Jennifer Caserta said in a statement, “There are very few shows that can be credited with both establishing and helping to define a television network, and that’s exactly what Portlandia has done for IFC.”
In September, Portlandia was named one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
Following the arrival and success of Portlandia, IFC expanded their comedy programming, including Comedy Bang! Bang!, Maron, Stan Against Evil and the Armisen-starring Documentary Now!