No Activity (American TV series)
No Activity is an American comedy web television series, based on the Australian series of the same name created by Trent O'Donnell, that premiered on November 12, 2017, on CBS All Access. The series was developed by O'Donnell and Patrick Brammall, both of whom executive produce alongside Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Joe Farrell, Jason Burrows, and Joe Hardesty. In February 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which premiered on November 22, 2018. In March 2019, CBS All Access renewed the series for a third season which premiered on November 21, 2019.
| No Activity | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Based on | No Activity by Trent O'Donnell |
| Developed by |
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| Directed by | Trent O'Donnell |
| Starring | |
| Opening theme | "Happiness, Missouri" by EL VY |
| Composer(s) |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 24 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Ashley Chang |
| Cinematography |
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| Editor(s) |
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| Running time | 25–33 minutes |
| Production company(s) | |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS All Access |
| Original release | November 12, 2017 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Premise
No Activity's first series is "set against the world of a major drug cartel bust" and follows "two low-level cops who have spent far too much time in a car together; two criminals who are largely kept in the dark; two dispatch workers who haven’t really clicked; and two Mexican tunnelers who are in way too small a space considering they’ve only just met."[1]
The second and third series juxtapose the double parings, the pair of cops, and a pair of criminals - as well as expanding on the relationships within the dispatch center. In the second series the El Chapo connection acquires an over exuberant FBI agent involved in the case, and his perspective on matters. Cameos are more frequent.
The third series revolves around the demoted officers, from detectives to patrol, and the cleanup of the El Chapo events and the FBI agent. The patrol car features more cameos, and there is a general resistance to robotic replacements introduced to the dispatch center and other areas of life.
Cast and characters
Main
- Patrick Brammall as Nick Cullen, a police detective
- Tim Meadows as Judd Tolbeck, a police detective
- Amy Sedaris as Janice Delongpre, a dispatch officer
- Sunita Mani as Fatima Khorasani, a dispatch officer
- Jesse Plemons as Angus (season 1)
- Jason Mantzoukas as Dustin Kasprowicz, an undercover FBI agent who goes by the name Marco
- Arturo Castro as Miguel (season 1)
- Adrian Martinez as Roberto (season 1)
- Cristin Milioti as Frankie (season 2)
Recurring
- Will Ferrell as Adrian
- Nina Pedrad as Helen
- Bob Odenkirk as Greg, a port security officer
- Darren Gilshenan as Tony
- Chris Gethard as Zach Ataque, a dispatch officer
- Matt Walsh as Larry Turnbull
- Jack Axelrod as Steve
- Alexandra Rodriguez as Gabriella
- Jake Johnson as Josh Haldeman, a special agent for the DEA
- J. K. Simmons as Leon Fordham, an internal affairs senior detective
- John Leary
- Max Greenfield as Cotric
- Joe Manganiello as Dugan
Guest
- Mackenzie Davis as Pat the Rat ("The Metric System")
- Bridget Everett as Bonnie Lehman ("Golden Age of Tunnels"), a special agent for the DEA
- Michaela Watkins as Erin Saunders ("Golden Age of Tunnels"), an internal affairs detective
- Courtenay Taylor as Officer Eastman ("The Raid")
- Jessica Alba as The Actress ("The Actress")
- Harriet Dyer as Hazel ("The Actress")
- Nasim Pedrad ("Honesty & Action")
- Allison Bell as Leary ("Honesty & Action")
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 8 | November 12, 2017 | December 31, 2017 | ||
| 2 | 8 | November 22, 2018 | |||
| 3 | 8 | November 21, 2019 | |||
Season 1 (2017)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Night 35" | Trent O'Donnell | Patrick Brammall & Trent O'Donnell | November 12, 2017 |
| 2 | 2 | "Deep Sea Fishing" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | November 19, 2017 |
| 3 | 3 | "Dig a Hole" | Trent O'Donnell | Patrick Brammall | November 26, 2017 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Metric System" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | December 3, 2017 |
| 5 | 5 | "Golden Age of Tunnels" | Trent O'Donnell | Seth Cohen & Amy Pocha | December 10, 2017 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Crow" | Trent O'Donnell | Adam Zwar | December 17, 2017 |
| 7 | 7 | "Team Coyote" | Trent O'Donnell | Matteo Borghese & Rob Turbovsky | December 24, 2017 |
| 8 | 8 | "The Raid" | Trent O'Donnell | Patrick Brammall & Trent O'Donnell | December 31, 2017 |
Season 2 (2018)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Big Boy Has the Flu" | Trent O'Donnell | Patrick Brammall & Trent O'Donnell | November 22, 2018 |
| 10 | 2 | "The Actress" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | November 22, 2018 |
| 11 | 3 | "Honesty & Action" | Trent O'Donnell | Nina Pedrad | November 22, 2018 |
| 12 | 4 | "The Duck Egg" | Trent O'Donnell | Patrick Brammall | November 22, 2018 |
| 13 | 5 | "Good Cop, Tolbeck Cop" | Trent O'Donnell | Steve Toltz | November 22, 2018 |
| 14 | 6 | "Mr. X" | Trent O'Donnell | Ali Schouten | November 22, 2018 |
| 15 | 7 | "By the Siege Side" | Trent O'Donnell | Nina Pedrad & Allison Lyman | November 22, 2018 |
| 16 | 8 | "Operation Meat Puppet" | Trent O'Donnell | Steve Toltz | November 22, 2018 |
Season 3 (2019)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "Tooth and Nail" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | November 21, 2019 |
| 18 | 2 | "Flight JA761" | Trent O'Donnell | Patrick Brammall | November 21, 2019 |
| 19 | 3 | "There's No Ocean in Wichita" | Trent O'Donnell | Nina Pedrad | November 21, 2019 |
| 20 | 4 | "Death Knock" | Trent O'Donnell | Steve Toltz | November 21, 2019 |
| 21 | 5 | "Leon's Retirement Party" | Trent O'Donnell | Trent O'Donnell | November 21, 2019 |
| 22 | 6 | "Kasprowicz vs. Haldeman" | Trent O'Donnell | Steve Toltz | November 21, 2019 |
| 23 | 7 | "Googy" | Trent O'Donnell | Patrick Brammall | November 21, 2019 |
| 24 | 8 | "Oops Sorry" | Trent O'Donnell | Nina Pedrad | November 21, 2019 |
Production
Development
On August 1, 2017, it was announced that CBS All Access had given the production, an American adaptation of the Australian television series No Activity, a series order. Executive producers were expected to include Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Patrick Brammall, Trent O'Donnell, Jason Burrows and Joe Farrell. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of CBS Television Studios, Gary Sanchez Productions, and Funny Or Die.[2] On October 4, 2017, it was announced that the series would premiere on November 12, 2017.[1][3]
On February 13, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season.[4] On September 25, 2018, it was announced that the second season would be released all at once on November 22, 2018.[5]
On March 3, 2019, it was reported that the series had been renewed for a third season.[6] On October 15, 2019, it was announced that the third season will premiere on November 21, 2019.[7]
Casting
Alongside the series premiere announcement, it was confirmed that the series would star Patrick Brammall and Tim Meadows with guest stars including Will Ferrell, Mark Berry, Arturo Castro, Mackenzie Davis, Bridget Everett, Darren Gilshenan, Travis Guba, Jake Johnson, Sunita Mani, Jason Mantzoukas, Adrian Martinez, Jesse Plemons, Fred Pohl, Alex Rodriguez, Amy Sedaris, J. K. Simmons, Courtenay Taylor, Michaela Watkins, and Daniel Zolghadri.[1]
Release
On October 4, 2017, a teaser trailer for the first season was released.[1] On October 30, 2017, the official trailer for season one was released.[8] On November 12, 2018, the official trailer and key art for season two were released.[9]
Reception
The first season was met with a mixed reception from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 70% approval rating, with an average rating of 5.58 out of 10 based on 10 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "No Activity feels refreshingly slapdash and agreeably aimless for a cop comedy, welcoming viewers to bask in its gentle mirth – though its hook may be less than satisfying for some viewers."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 56 out of 100 based on 5 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]
In a positive review, The Guardian's Luke Buckmaster gave the series a rating of 3 out of 5 stars saying, "No Activity plays in minor key, a reminder of some of comedy’s essential ingredients. Shticks combine irreverence with mundanity, there is generous give and take between performers, and it shows an appreciation of incongruity in various iterations."[12]
References
- Andreeva, Nellie (4 October 2017). "'No Activity' CBS All Access Comedy Adds Tim Meadows As Co-Lead & Guest Cast Led By Will Ferrell, Gets Premiere Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Andreeva, Nellie (2 August 2017). "CBS All Access Greenlights Drama Series 'Strange Angel' & '$1', First Comedy Series 'No Activity', Mulls More 'Big Brother' – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Otterson, Joe (4 October 2017). "Will Ferrell, Adam McKay CBS All Access Comedy 'No Activity' Sets Cast, Premiere Date". Variety. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Andreeva, Nellie (13 February 2018). "Funny Or Die's 'No Activity' Comedy Renewed For Season 2 By CBS All Access". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- Petski, Denise (25 September 2018). "'No Activity': CBS All Access To Release Second Season All-At-Once In November". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (4 March 2019). "CBS All Access Comedy 'No Activity Renewed For Season 3". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- "Binge the New Season of CBS All Access' "No Activity" Beginning Thursday, Nov. 21". The Futon Critic. 15 October 2019.
- Petski, Denise (30 October 2017). "'No Activity' Redband Trailer: First Extended Look At Will Ferrell CBS All Access Comedy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Petski, Denise (12 November 2018). "'No Activity': CBS All Access Unveils Season 2 Trailer & Key Art". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- "No Activity: Season 1 – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- "No Activity: Season 1 – Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- Buckmaster, Luke (21 November 2017). "No Activity review – Will Ferrell and Bob Odenkirk join faithful US reboot of Aussie cop comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2018.