Gentle on my mind

While many cable comedies try to be as outrageous as the censors will allow, "Portlandia" settles for subtler, sweeter digs, delivered with a kiss. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, who directed today's season premiere, sincerely love their granola-munching characters, which include a couple who hire an identity thief (Claire Danes) to make them better storytellers at cocktail parties. Vanessa Bayer and Jeff Tweedy are also in on this season's antics.

9 p.m., IFC

Cruise control

"Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" is back on the road with an impressive list of passengers: Kristen Wiig, Lewis Black, Cedric the Entertainer, Christoph Waltz, Norm Macdonald and Bob Einstein. I still don't feel like Jerry Seinfeld deserved an Emmy nomination for these joy rides, but there's no denying the pleasure of watching great comic minds swap anecdotes, especially after a few cups of caffeine.

Now streaming on Crackle; new episodes weekly

A groundbreaking career

Viola Davis has an Emmy and Tony, and soon may add an Oscar to her mantel thanks to her performance in "Fences." In the meantime, she'll sit down with James Lipton for a new episode of "Inside the Actors Studio," in which she'll share memories of working with Cicely Tyson on "How to Get Away With Murder" and how she has tried to counter stereotyping as an actress.

7 p.m., Bravo

Davis

Neal Justin