This is a classic comedy cold open scene that drops you into the world of the characters: two detectives on a stakeout. The Stan Original comedy No Activity is a police show with a difference. As the title suggests, there are long scenes like this where ‘nothing’ happens. Instead, the appeal of the show lies in the laidback charisma of the performers and their improvised banter.

At the start of Episode 4 (The Witness), Detective Hendy (Patrick Brammall) is trying to convince his colleague, Stokes (Darren Gilshenan), that acting is easy. All you need to do is tell someone you love them and have them believe it. Despite the comically intimate nature of their back-and-forth, the punchline is that the men are not alone in the car. Casting Kat Stewart as the witness completes the joke, especially for those who remember her star-making role in the true crime series Underbelly. She is right at home in this world and plays Tanya’s frustration with eyerolling perfection.

While the laconic humour and blokey repartee have a distinctly Australian flavour, No Activity has proven a rock-solid concept for international adaptation. Arabic, Italian, Japanese, Flemish and American versions have all gone into production in the years since the second season of the Australian No Activity was released in 2016.