'Portlandia' characters discover 'Battlestar Galactica'
We've all seen it happen. Sometimes, it's years after something we love is long gone.
Yes, I'm talking about friends or family members discovering television shows that many of us have been geeking out about for a long time.
A CNN.com story back in 2010 covered this phenomenon, and it's now been captured brilliantly in this past Friday's episode of the IFC sketch comedy show "Portlandia."
Doug and Claire (Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein) start watching a "Battlestar Galactica" episode on DVD, on a whim. After all, some of their friends say it's great, and they just haven't had the time to watch.
Before they know it, they're obsessed, to say the least. Check out part one of the sketch below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQttrkzWOo4&w=560&h=315%5D
What followed in Friday night's episode involved members of the show's cast, "BSG" executive producer Ronald D. Moore and a certain Doctor. Don't worry - if you missed the episode, it airs again Monday night at 10:30 ET.
CNN Geek Out spoke with series co-creator Armisen (also known for his many years on "Saturday Night Live") about the sketch. (Just like his character, Doug, Armisen is hoping we'll get more "BSG" one of these days, and he's already obsessed with "Game of Thrones.")
CNN Geek Out: What inspired your "Battlestar Galactica" sketch on this week's episode?
Armisen: We ("Portlandia" co-creator Jon Krisel, Carrie, and I) were talking about how people really get into watching a whole season of a show at once. We all do it. Just going from one episode to the next, all the way through. And a show we love is "Battlestar Galactica." It all just kind of came together. We had to juggle a bit to get the cast members all in one place. But it was worth it.
CNN Geek Out Did you get hooked on "BSG," watching the DVDs back to back?
Armisen: Oh yes. It's an incredible show.
CNN Geek Out: How did you get people involved with the show to participate?
Armisen: We have a very hard-working talent department and production team. It's a lot of moving around schedules. And also, it's the kindness and willingness of the "BSG" cast. They flew all the way to Portland, and taking the time out to go to a different city is not easy, in my opinion. It was so cool of them. And they were great.
CNN Geek Out: What is it about "Portlandia" that makes it the kind of show that can pull off this sort of sketch?
Armisen: I think maybe it's just that there are sketches that are hyper-real. Just a little removed from reality.
CNN Geek Out: Do you think the sketch comments somewhat on the recent phenomenon of people finding a show, that maybe they wouldn't have thought to watch, years after it is off the air?
Armisen: Yeah. It seems to be happening a lot. Carrie keeps telling me to see "Six Feet Under," which I will.
CNN Geek Out: Do you think that Doug and Claire might make a return appearance on "Portlandia"?
Armisen: I hope so!
@cnngeekout on Twitter
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(ASSUMES CBG VOICE): "Ummm, excuse meeeee. But They would need to watch the pilot movie first and that is more than 45 minutes long."
Thanks to this article this is the first time I feel really pleased not to own a DVD player.
SO SAY WE ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apparently the dream of the '00s is also alive in Portland
I absolutely love Portlandia!! Huge fan.
Portlandia is friggin' hilarious ... I'm glad I discovered it during the first season instead of waiting ten years from now before discovering its awesomeness.
Portlandia rocks
Yep, happened to me. BSG I saw when it originally aired, but I got a media streamer for Christmas, and since then, I have watched the entire series of Lost, which I'd never seen before. Definitely going to have to check out this episode of Portlandia.
I wish BSG managed to keep up the intensity of it's first episode. The series was just all over the place in terms of quality and had some serious character consistency issues.
Shut up.
Not the time or place for your BSG whining.
Portlandia=Funny.
Lame Drivers Have Not Received The Recognition They Deserve From The Internet Posted by Jason | Music,shows | Friday 21 January 2011 1:14 am Lame Drivers are an interesting band. a0No doubt, they are good. a0Their live show is tight, ciconse, and churns out alt rock that would make Robert Pollard smile. a0They’ve been around on the scene for so long it’s almost as if they came along ten years too late. a0I can only imagine that if this were 1995 they’d have a pretty big record deal and be getting interviewed by Matt Pinfield on MTV. I really feel that they have not received the recognition they deserve from the Internet.. (New York Rock Market)
CNN front page material.
Front page? This is the internet; you can have virtually (get it?) every article on the "front page," genius.
YAY BATTLESTAR! That's totally how I watched the first season. Up all night, no sleep and calling out sick for work the next day. Waiting a week for each new episode (plus that over a year hiatus) was painful.
I'm trying to rembmeer if I laughed out loud at anything probably the idea of the diners getting to know their chicken's name and the fact that an adult hide and seek league would exist (which provided the interaction between Fred Armisen and the older woman who was sitting at a desk he was hiding under). Be interested to see how much they squeeze out of this idea.
Just picked up all 7 seasons of Hunter!! Addicting.