Portlanders were treated with a hint of nostalgia on Wednesday, as Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein stepped back into their “Portlandia” roles as part of a promo video to debut the Portland Fire’s inaugural WNBA schedule.
It’s been eight years since the sketch comedy show last aired, showcasing Portland’s hipster culture. But Kimberly Veale, Portland Fire senior vice president of marketing and communications, said “Portlandia” was a great way to make local fans nostalgic while sharing the culture of the city with a national audience.
“We set out to do something that felt uniquely Portland, and set the tone for our debut season,” Veale told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “‘Portlandia’ has such a strong connection to this city, and celebrating what it represents for Portland was the perfect way to unveil our schedule.”
The promo didn’t hit all of the traditional notes from the original show, but harked back to the show’s classic “Did you hear?” skit where Armisen and Brownstein quickly list off news articles that they’ve read at each other.
The skit also includes Easter eggs, like Brownstein reading a copy of Fire coach Alex Sarama’s book, “Transforming Basketball.”
“I’m not at the end, so I don’t know what it transforms into but it’s a pretty great book,” Brownstein says as the first punchy joke of the promo.
The skit also ends with a cameo by Fire assistant coach Sylvia Fowles.
“They coming back,” Fowles calls out, while also reading a copy of Sarama’s book. “2026 is their debut season.”
Sylvia Fowles makes a cameo in a Portlandia-style skit that announced the Portland Fire’s 2026 season. Fowles will be one of the Fire’s assistant coaches.Courtesy of the Portland Fire
Veale said the duo of Armisen and Brownstein were wonderful to work with.
“They’ve long been beloved faces of the Portland community that working with them was a perfect fit from the start,” she said. “They are both fans of the team, and were immediately on board. We’re incredibly grateful for their partnership – and of course their comedic wit – in bringing it all to life.”
Brownstein and Armisen have also worked with the Portland Trail Blazers in the past. In an early season of the show, Armisen and Brownstein’s characters give a locker room pep talk to Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and other Trail Blazers players about the importance of dunking.
In a later season, Lillard is invited to a house party despite not actually being friends with Armisen’s character.
The schedule launch was planned by the WNBA, but a source familiar with the team told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the teams were given full creative control for their own rollouts. The New York Liberty released their schedule as part of a ’90s-style television broadcast. The Seattle Storm posted a promo video that included a tour of Pike Place Market.
The Chicago Sky did not release a video, but instead posted a series that included pictures from past games next to classic art in the vein of the ArtButMakeItSports account.
The Portlandia skit was met with heavy praise on Wednesday.
“The schedule release by which all schedule releases shall be measured,” wrote CBS Sports writer Carter Bahns on X. “Masterpiece.”
“This is incredible,” wrote Yahoo Sports NFL editor Joey Gulino.
Veale told The Oregonian/OregonLive that the Fire staff “are thrilled the fans have enjoyed watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.”