Portlandia takes a look at religion in this video featuring Ed Begley, Jr., as Father Timothy who reminds us that “church is an option.”
Portlandia, the IFC sketch show created by and starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, is best known for skewering the hipster culture of Portland, Oregon, from 1890s fashion to the millennial generation’s misguided attempts to get political. But what does religion look like in Portlandia?
In this preview from Thursday night’s episode, Ed Begley Jr. is Father Timothy, a religious leader who wants you to know that “church is an option.” He’s the commensurate “cool” priest who will do whatever it takes just to get you in the door.
“Organized religion is stuffy and dogmatic,” he says in the commercial parody. “What do you want, disorganized? We can do that.” Instead of praying, he embraces vision boards. Instead of organ music, “how about some rock ‘n’ roll?” And if Sundays don’t work for you, he says you can drop by anytime you want.