No Activity
No Activity is an Australian comedy television series which debuted on Stan in 2015, about two detectives on a stakeout. The show was the first commission for the Australian streaming service. It comes from the production company Jungle Entertainment, a partnership between Trent O'Donnell, Jason Burrows, Chloe Rickard and Phil Lloyd. It is written and directed by Trent O'Donnell with executive producer Jason Burrows and producer Chloe Rickard.
The first season, consisting of six episodes, premiered in its entirety on 22 October 2015. The second season was released on 26 October 2016.
Cast
Main cast
- Patrick Brammall as Detective Hendy, an ambitious detective keen to restore his reputation after a disastrous drug bust. He talks a lot.
- Darren Gilshenan as Detective Stokes, a hopeful dreamer whose detective work leaves a lot to be desired.
- Daniel Wyllie as Jimmy, a colorful character who has returned to a life of crime after his failed endeavour in hospitality.
- Harriet Dyer as April, a young police officer on dispatch duty who is waiting for reinstatement into active duty after she tasered a man to death because he did not listen or take her seriously.
- Genevieve Morris as Carol, a straight talking police dispatch officer, who isn't afraid to call you out if you're an arsehole; babies and disabled people included.
- David Field as Bruce, an older career criminal with an unlikely passion for fine art and a talent for the mandolin. His prior attempts at going straight have met with mixed success, but after sensing something isn't right about the kidnapping job, he comes up with an idea for a new venture.
- Damon Herriman as Bernie, a wealthy businessman who spends most of his money on unsuccessful charity fundraisers hosted by his wife. In a marriage that has been loveless for years, the kidnapping might be the best thing that's ever happened to him.
- Rose Byrne as Elizabeth, Bernie's wife who hasn't seen him naked in ten years. She enjoys his credit card much more than she does his company. The kidnapping forces her to question how she'd wish to die, with some unexpected results.
- Chum Ehelepola as Steve, a budding criminal who desperately wants to be Australia's best kidnapper of Sri Lankan descent, even if he's the only one. Learning the ropes as an underworld criminal, he's sure his parents would be proud of what he's accomplished in his first outing in the big leagues.
- Anthony Hayes as Neddy, a criminal partnered with Steve by the powers that be in the criminal hierarchy. Neddy's been around the traps, seen a lot and done some bad things. Prior to becoming a criminal, he worked as security in a brothel, a job that gave him a lot of hands on experience, and he's not shy of sharing it with his inexperienced partner in crime.
Guest cast
- Sam Simmons as Glen, Bruce’s replacement.
- Tim Minchin as Jacob.
- Kat Stewart as Tanya.
- Jaxon Graham-Wilson as Lachy, Carol’s son.
- Jake Johnson as Cutler.
- Kim Gyngell as Rainer, an older detective who, some say, should have retired 10 years ago. His clear disdain for his new partner Stokes raises his temper to deadly effect.
- Alan Dukes as Lee, a disabled police dispatch officer who Carol openly dislikes.
- Susie Youssef as Anousha, a young, tech- and social media-savvy dispatch officer. A product of modern society, who challenges Carol's more traditional ideas of Muslim culture, she's a keen roller derby aficionado and introduces Carol to the sport.
- Steve Le Marquand as Voice.
Episodes
Season 1 (2015)
Season 2 (2016)
Release
The first season, consisting of six episodes, premiered in its entirety on 22 October 2015. The second season was released on 26 October 2016.A one-off Christmas special titled No Activity: The Night Before Christmas was commissioned and premiered on Stan in December 2018.
Reception
The show was met with positive reviews. Justin Burke of The Australian wrote that it is "the funniest new comedy I’ve seen in years". James Mitchell from The Sydney Morning Herald suggested it was "the Seinfeld of Cop Shows".Awards and nominations
No Activity became the first SVOD program ever nominated for a Logie Award in 2016.| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result | Refs. |
| 2016 | Logie Awards of 2016 | Most Outstanding Supporting Actor | Dan Wylie | Nomitated | |
| 2016 | Logie Awards of 2016 | Most Outstanding Supporting Actor | Tim Minchin | Nomitated | |
| 2016 | Logie Awards of 2016 | Most Outstanding Comedy Program | No Activity | Nomitated |
American adaptation
In October 2017, it was announced that CBS was developing their own version of the Australian series, No Activity with Will Ferrell, Adam McKay along with their production company, Funny or Die, as executive producers. The series was greenlit for an 8-episode first season which premiered on 12 November 2017 on CBS All Access. The series stars Patrick Brammall as Det. Nick Cullen and Tim Meadows as Det. Judd Tolbeck with a range of guest stars such as Mackenzie Davis, Jason Mantzoukas, Jesse Plemons, J.K. Simmons, Michaela Watkins, Jake Johnson along with Ferrell himself.Arabic adaptation
In August 2021, it was announced that OSN was developing their own version of the Australian series with Sally Waly along with their production company, S Productions, as executive producers Trent O'Donnell and Chloe Rickard. The series was greenlit for an 12-episode second season which premiered on 5 September 2021 on OSN Yahala Bil Arabi, OSN & S Productions collaborate on their first comedy-drama series: No Activity - الوضع مستقر.The show saw some of Egypt's top comedic talent such as Khaled Mansour, Shadi Alfons and Sayed Ragab, take a satirical, light-hearted look at the misadventures of cops and criminals.