Australia and the USA have always enjoyed a long-standing friendship. Bonding over Australia’s eagerness to follow America into whichever conflict takes their fancy in a particular decade and recent surges of far-right activists. However nothing has brought the two closer together than the realisation that both nations can identify with a pair of low ranking detectives who talk shit on the job.
Stan’s No Activity is the Australian sitcom featuring drawn out and humorous conversations (normally about fuck all) between police detective’s, dispatch officers and clueless criminals.
Star of the US series JK Simmons said that the idea of a US remake was exciting for him due to the cultural similarities of police and criminal culture between the two nations, and the atrocious amount of money he was offered to feature init.
“It makes perfect sense really. Some of the shit US cops get away with…crikey [that’s what you guys say isn’t it?]. They haven’t even bothered recasting Patrick Brammall, that’s how similar the stereotype is!”
Simmons says he conducted a day of field research with members of the Queensland Police Force and was surprised by how much time he spent perfectly relaxed and comfortable.
“Was almost the same as when I did it in the States but with Ice Coffee instead of Dr Pepper.”
With some changes made between the Australian and US versions of No Activity, Simmons says Australian’s will be pleasantly surprised by subtle differences between the two cultures, yet comforted by the multitude of similarities.
“The only major difference I guess is that over there your cops shoot way less people than ours. But the whole sitting around giving each other shit thing is almost identical.”
“Some Australians may be shocked to learn the US police stereotype of doughnuts isn’t so much of a thing as it was. Their cops hit up Maccas just as much as ours! More if anything!”
