Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are very busy people. Fred Armisen spends his time as one of the key players on Saturday Night Live. Carrie Brownstein used to be a member of the band Sleater-Kinney and started a new band recently called Wild Flag. These accomplishments would qualify as full-time jobs for most people, but Fred and Carrie don’t stop there. They also write and star in IFC’s Portlandia and their second season begins tonight.

Portlandia‘s first season had a six-episode run at the beginning of last year. The sketch-comedy show spoofed and skewed the city of Portland, a place where the dream of the nineties could come true. You know, where young people retire and you can still save the planet and not give up clowning. Each episode has three or so sketches starring Fred and Carrie as various residents of Portland and I swear they must spend half of their budget on amazing wigs. If you haven’t watched it, you’ll recognize a number of popular actors that appear as the many unique citizens.  Using their vast network of connections, the list of guest stars is very impressive. Season two will bring on Kristen Wiig, Jack McBrayer, and Eddie Vedder among others.

In fact, if you really want to get a jump on the season, the second episode is available online.  “One Moore Episode” will be of particular interest to fans of Battlestar Galactica. Fred and Carrie portray a couple that lose everything when they get hooked on BSG, which is a symptom that those of us that have watched BSG will understand. They get outraged that there aren’t any more episodes and decide to hunt down Portland’s very own Ronald D. Moore. I won’t ruin the ending, but I will say that it culminates in what might be the greatest table read of all time.

Portland has taken very well to the series, I think, because they’re able to laugh at all the weird things that they do. They know full well that they’re outside the norm and they like it that way. The REAL mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, held a Portlandia Day last year and even cameos on the show occasionally. You can take a Portlandia-themed bike ride around the city, hitting all the show’s landmarks. Carrie and Fred are currently involved in a sold-out six city Portlandia tour.

The second season of Portlandia starts tonight on IFC, at 10/9 C. They have a ten-episode order and I can’t wait to see what kind of wry outlook they bring to the City of Roses this time around. And remember, when in doubt, put a bird on it!

Tags: Carrie Brownstein, fred armisen, Portlandia