Rob Batchelor’s Top Ten TV Shows Of 2013

10. Portlandia

You may balk at the idea of hipster comedy, but it was bound to happen at some point. Just be thankful that it occurred not through a horrific, corporate sponsored YouTube channel and instead fell perfectly formed from the surprising twin cloaca of Sleater-Kinney frontwoman Carrie Brownstein and SNL alum Fred Armisen, like a beautiful vegan egg, hewn from tweed.

If ever two characters were more placed to poke an arched eyebrow at the retro-pomposity of hipsterdom, it was Brownstein and Armisen. While it’s an odd pairing, they proved their chops in the sheer quality of off-kilter comedy they manage to mine from that world. Add a roster of cult superstar cameos (Steve Buscemi, Chloe Sevigny, Selma Blair, Eddie Vedder, Kumail Nanjani, Tim Robbins, Jeff Goldblum, and Kyle MacLachlan in a recurring role as the mayor of Portland) and a killer soundtrack, and you’ve got yourself the total package.

What separates Portlandia from your usual hipster-baiting comedy is the imagination and affection it brings to the scene. It’s clear that there’s a lot of love for that culture, and a deep understanding of the motivations and aims that inhabitants of that subculture have. That it picks at them in a relatively unforgiving way without appearing cruel or unjustly harsh is impressive. Portlandia never mocks its targets, just subtly roasts them, perhaps with a lovely vegan tart.

Season three came to a close in 2013 and with season four set for a February 2014 debut, Portlandia has provided one of home channel IFC’s biggest hits in their fledgeling original television roster, receiving numerous awards in the process. With such memorable characters as Peter and Nance, bohemian bed and breakfast proprietors; the ever-reliable Sanitation Twins; and breakout success Toni and Candace, owners of feminist bookstore Women and Women First; along with dozens of other characters (mostly played by Brownstein and Armisen themselves), the show is a gift that keeps on giving.

But remember, I liked it before it was cool. You probably wouldn’t like it.