No Activity

*No Activity*
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	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	12
Production
Executive producer	Jason Burrows
Producer	Chloe Rickard
Production company	Jungle Entertainment
Distributor	MassMedia International
Release
Original network	Stan
Original release	22 October 2015 –; 14 December 2018
External links
	No Activity - A Stan Original Series

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, Chloe Rickard 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]

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 (2015-10-22)
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 (2015-10-22)
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 (2015-10-22)
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 (2015-10-22)
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 (2015-10-22)
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 (2015-10-22)
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 (2016-10-26)
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 (2016-10-26)
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 (2016-10-26)
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 (2016-10-26)
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 (2016-10-26)
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 (2016-10-26)
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]
		Most Outstanding Supporting Actor	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]

Arabic adaptation[]

In August 2021, it was announced that OSN was developing their own version of the Australian series, No Activity with along with their production company, as executive producers Trent O'Donnell and Chloe Rickard. The series was greenlit for an 6-episode first season which premiered on 5 September 2021 on OSN Yahala, OSN & S Productions collaborate on their first comedy-drama series: No Activity - الوضع مستقر (El Wad3 Mostaker).^[12]

Sproductions company, by Sally Wali, cooperates for the second time with OSN through the series “No Activity/El Wadea Mostaker,” which is the first drama that brings the two entities together.

Created by Jungle Entertainment Jungle Entertainment's Executive Producers Trent O'Donnell Chloe Rickard.

Distributed by MassMedia International.

No Activity will be launched exclusively on the OSN channel group, starting from September 5th., and a local version of No Activity produced by S Productions for OSN.

No Activity will be the Arabic version of the series, which was previously released in Australian and American versions.

Meanwhile, Egyptian comedy drama Elwada’a Mustaqer (aka No Activity) sees some of the country'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.^[13]

The 6 x 30-minute series tells the story of two security guards on a stakeout, along with a pair of criminals who discuss their personal lives while all waiting for a crime to take place.^[14]

No Activity was originally created by Trent O’Donnell and Patrick Brammall and written by Trent O'Donnell and produced by Jungle Entertainment and distributed by MassMedia International, executive producers Trent O'Donnell and Chloe Rickard. for Australian streaming service Stan in 2015.^[15]

The series is an Arabic adaptation of the original American and Australian series under the same name. It will air on 5 September on OSN channels and will consist of 6 episodes.^[16]

El Wad3 Mostaker stars Shady Alfons, Sayed Ragab, Khaled Mansour, Entisar, Enjoy Kiwan & Mohamed Gomaa.^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21]

The announcement revealed humorous situations that brought together all the series heroes, which reviews youth problems in a comic framework in a world we do not know much about.

The series stars Shadi Alfons, Khaled Mansour, Sayed Ragab, Intisar, Mohamed Gomaa, Ahmed Sultan, Taa Desoky and Engy Kiwan, dramatist Mahmoud Ezzat, and directed by Wael Farag.

Japanese adaptation[]

Amazon Prime Video has commissioned a Japanese adaptation of Australian comedy No Activity as an Amazon Original.^[22]

Produced by Daiei Film/TV, written by Jiro of the comedy duo Sissone and directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa, the series will follow Shingo Tokita (Etsushi Toyokawa), a constantly low-ranked detective who has given up on building a successful career, and his people-pleaser rookie buddy, Asobu Shiina (Tomoya Nakamura). Together, the two make sensational things happen as they partner on a drug investigation.

The format was originally created by Trent O’Donnell and Patrick Brammall and produced by Jungle Entertainment for Australian streaming service Stan in 2015. It has since been picked up for adaptation in multiple countries, including CBS All Access/Paramount+ in the US, HBO Max in Spain, NPO3 in the Netherlands, Streamz in Belgium, RTL Now in Germany and OSN for the Middle East.

This marks the first adaptation of the format in Asia – and the first third-party format to be adapted for Amazon Japan.

“No Activity is an innovative detective series and a hugely fun ride. We are thrilled to bring this series and these characters to life with some of the most talented creatives working behind the camera in Japan today,” said Erika North, head of Amazon Studios Asia-Pacific. “We hope audiences enjoy this unexpected story featuring your favorite stars as you’ve never seen them before.”

Jason Burrows, CEO of Jungle Entertainment, added: “To see No Activity launching on Amazon Japan is very exciting and a little surreal. When we shot the original pilot for this show in our carpark downstairs we had no idea the series and then the format would do so well around the world.”

The deal was brokered by MassMedia International and India-based talent firm Tulsea, with the series set to debut on Prime Video on 17 December.

“We are incredibly honored and proud to see No Activity become the first scripted format adapted for Amazon Japan. The format is uniquely suited to appeal to audiences in every region while attracting top local talent in front of and behind the camera. Its success continues to grow globally and we have high expectations for great results in Japan and all of the territories producing local adaptations internationally,” commented Tyler Massey, president of MassMedia International.

In August 2021, it was announced that Amazon Prime Video was developing their own version of the Australian series, No Activity Japanese comedy drama No Activity: Honjitsu mo Ijou Nashi (aka No Activity - 本日も異状なし -) with Etsushi Toyokawa, Tomoya Nakamura The series was greenlit for an 6-episode first season which premiered on 17 December 2021 on Amazon Prime Video.^[23]

No Activity was originally created by Trent O’Donnell and Patrick Brammall and (aka No Activity) produced by Jungle Entertainment for Australian streaming service Stan in 2015.

No Activity‘s Japanese adaptation stars Etsushi Toyokawa and Tomoya Nakamura. Tsutomu Hanabusa directs the series, whose scripts are written by Jiro of the comedy duo Sissonne.

The series is an Japanese adaptation of No Activity the original American and Australian series under the same name. It will air on 17 December on Amazon Prime Video and will consist of 6 episodes.

Amazon has commissioned a Japanese adaptation of the Australian comedy No Activity.

This marks the first adaptation in Asia for Jungle Entertainment’s scripted format. The Japanese version will center on low-ranking detectives Shingo Tokita and Asobu Shiina as they embark on a large-scale stakeout mission. It is set to launch with six episodes on Amazon Prime Video on December 17.