Is Aussie comedy too niche to adapt for an international viewership? The disastrous 2008 American reboot of Kath and Kim is firmly in the “yes” camp. But then there’s Comedy Central’s genius, pitch black series Review, a remake of Australia’s Review with Myles Barlow! If only there was a show that fit perfectly somewhere in the middle…
For two seasons, the US adaptation of the Stan Original No Activity has walked the line between honouring its Aussie roots and being entirely its own thing, to rave reviews. Now, the comedy series’ third season is set to premiere on Stan on November 21st – on the same day as the United States.
Based on the Australian ‘Seinfeld of cop shows’, No Activity follows cops Detective Cullen (Patrick Brammall) and Tolbeck (SNL’s Tim Meadows) as they waste time and government resources while on stakeout. So far, the series has featured American megastars such as Will Ferrell, J.K. Simmons and Jessica Alba, as well as legendary comedic talent Jason Mantzoukas, Amy Sedaris and Bob Odenkirk.
It’s pretty darn exciting seeing an Australian series garner an international audience, as well as attracting award-winning talent like No Activity has…even if the talent doesn’t feel quite as excited. In the below announcement for the series’ upcoming third season, Brammall (a lead actor in both the US series and its original incarnation!) tries to whip up some excitement from J.K. Simmons, who is unfortunately more comfy with “drama, serious, actor, thespian…respected…veteran character actor” stuff.
Unfortunately for J.K, the full third season of No Activity premieres on Stan on November 21.
