No Activity
No Activity is an Australian comedy television series which streams on Stan. The series is about two detectives on a stakeout. The Australian series was the first commission produced for the Australian streaming service. It comes from the production company Jungle Entertainment, a partnership between Trent O'Donnell, Jason Burrows and Phil Lloyd.[1] It is written and directed by Trent O'Donnell with Executive Producer Jason Burrows and Producer Chloe Rickard.[2] The first season, consisting of six episodes, premiered in its entirety on 22 October 2015.[3][4] The second season was released on 26 October 2016.[5]
| No Activity | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Written by | Trent O'Donnell |
| Directed by | Trent O'Donnell |
| Starring | Patrick Brammall Darren Gilshenan Damon Herriman Harriet Dyer Genevieve Morris Dan Wyllie David Field Sam Simmons |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jason Burrows |
| Producer(s) | Chloe Rickard |
| Production company(s) | Jungle Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | Stan |
| Original release | 22 October 2015 – 14 December 2018 |
| External links | |
| No Activity - A Stan Original Series | |
A one off Christmas special titled No Activity: The Night Before Christmas was commissioned and premiered on Stan in December 2018.[6]
Cast
- Patrick Brammall as Detective Hendy, a young and ambitious detective keen to restore his reputation after a disastrous drug bust.
- Darren Gilshenan as Detective Stokes, a lovable 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 who is ready for reinstatement into active duty after a stint in dispatch following an unfortunate tasering incident. When the opportunity finally arises, she has mixed feelings about leaving Carol and the dispatch crew behind.
- 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 (season 2), 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 (season 2), 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.
- Kim Gyngell as Rainer (season 2), 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.
- Chum Ehelepola as Steve (season 2), 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.
- Sam Simmons as Glen.
- Susie Youssef as Anousha (season 2), 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.
- Jake Johnson as Cutler (season 1).
- Tim Minchin as Jacob (season 1).
Episodes
Season 1 (2015)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Dolphin" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 22 October 2015 | |
| A large concrete dolphin makes waves on the stakeout, bringing into question Stokes’ professionalism. The cops debate the erotic advantages of Siamese twins. April has her first day in dispatch. Jimmy updates Bruce on the search for his dad. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Two Vomits" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 22 October 2015 | |
| An overly eager security guard (guest star Tim Minchin) disrupts a dockside stakeout. April tells Carol the grim tale of why she was taken off the beat. Hendy prepares to make an important call to dispatch. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Date" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 22 October 2015 | |
| Hendy and April have an awkward radio exchange. The crims (including guest star Sam Simmons) lament the lack of imagination in the Aussie crime industry. Carol’s son Lachy is suspended from school in unusual circumstances. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Witness" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 22 October 2015 | |
| What would a high quality TV show of Hendy and Stokes be like? Tanya (guest star Kat Stewart) a witness with the cops, finds out. The crims have a reunion. Carol brings Lachy to work, with awkward consequences for April. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The American" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 22 October 2015 | |
| Hendy’s is starstruck by U.S. detective Cutler (guest star Jake Johnson) but airline food has them off on a wrong foot. Stokes is in therapy and it all starts with a handsome pilot. A chance meeting over takeaway results in an earnest chat about family. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Coffee Raid" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 22 October 2015 | |
| The cops are bullet proofed and raid ready, staying alert with good coffee. | ||||||
Season 2 (2016)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Missing Persons" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 26 October 2016 | |
| Stokes and Hendy receive an emergency call. Meanwhile, wealthy couple Bernie and Elizabeth Doolan have been reported missing from their mansion. Newly single Stokes asks Hendy to help him with a non-hipster profile pic for Tinder. | ||||||
| 8 | 2 | "Death of an Eel" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 26 October 2016 | |
| Stokes gets surprised by Hendy and dispatch for his 50th birthday until they realise he’s only 48 so the celebrations are cut short. Later, Stokes and Hendy watch a video of Burrows’ acts with an eel. | ||||||
| 9 | 3 | "Silent Night" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 26 October 2016 | |
| Stokes has manicured his pubes and the boys find out there's been a surprise passenger with them all along. April gets a haircut that's very similar to Carol's causing some tension in the dispatch. | ||||||
| 10 | 4 | "The Butterfly Tattoo" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 26 October 2016 | |
| Stokes wakes up from a big nap. Carol meets her new dispatch partner, Anousha, who’s Muslim and she tells her she's glad Waleed Aly’s Logie win ended racism in Australia. Jimmy and Bruce discuss losing their art cafe during honesty hour. | ||||||
| 11 | 5 | "Noughts and Crosses" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 26 October 2016 | |
| Stokes and Hendy have been separated for Code 4 Misconduct. Stokes has a new partner, Rainer. He calls Hendy, who also has a new partner... April. | ||||||
| 12 | 6 | "La Traviata" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | 26 October 2016 | |
| Hendy and Stokes are outside the house where Stokes thinks the Doolan’s are being held captive. Hendy is jealous when Stokes reveals what he wants to say at Rainer's funeral. | ||||||
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".[7] James Mitchell from The Sydney Morning Herald suggested it was "the Seinfeld of Cop Shows".[8]
Awards and nominations
No Activity became the first SVOD program ever nominated for a Logie Award in 2016.[9]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Logie Awards of 2016 | Most Outstanding Supporting Actor | Dan Wylie | Nominated | [10] |
| Tim Minchin | Nominated | ||||
| Most Outstanding Comedy Program | No Activity | Nominated | |||
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 (from the Australian series) 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 (guest starred on the Australian series) along with Ferrell himself.[11]
gollark: This is singleplayer.
gollark: The bees are directly wired into life support.
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gollark: Bees have now reached the GTech™ space station, none are safe.
gollark: Go achieve.
References
- Michael Idato. "Stan is first streaming service in Australia to commission local series with No Activity". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- David Knox. "Stan announces first local commission, No Activity". www.tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- Knox, David (15 October 2015). "Airdate: No Activity". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- Knox, David (15 December 2015). "Renewed: No Activity". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- Bastow, Clem (26 October 2016). "No Activity: Patrick Brammall and Darren Gilshenan deliver Australian farce at its finest". The Guardian Australia. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- Knox, David (6 June 2018). "Stan tops 1 million viewers, announces new dramas & output deals". TV Tonight. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- "No Activity: the hilarious new Australian comedy". The Australian. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
- "No Activity: Streaming first cops it sweet". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
- "Stan's No Activity scores first Logie nominations for SVOD platform". IF.com.au. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
- Knox, David (8 May 2016). "Logie Awards 2016: Winners". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- Petski, Denise (30 October 2017). "'No Activity' Redband Trailer: First Extended Look At Will Ferrell CBS All Access Comedy". Deadline. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
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