The CBS All Access cop comedy “No Activity” is set to go animated for its fourth season, the streaming service announced Thursday.
The newly ordered season will follow Patrick Brammall’s Special Agent Nick Cullen realizing his dream of joining the FBI, but he will soon discover that being an FBI agent isn’t that special after all. After being assigned to a seemingly dull observation detail, he finds a potential career case in the form of an emerging cult. A large scale operation soon takes aim at the cult but it’s unclear which side will break first. Despite the promotion, Cullen’s path continues to cross with former partner Judd Toldbeck’s (Tim Meadows), who adjusts to life with a new partner of his own.
The decision to go animated for Season 4 comes as COVID-19 safety protocols continue to complicate live-action production. Several other series, including ABC’s “black-ish” and Pop TV’s “One Day at a Time,” have previously put out one-off animated installments during the pandemic.
“We are so excited to welcome back the hilarious team behind ‘No Activity’ for a fourth season and can’t wait to show fans their favorite mediocre law enforcement agents brought to life in animated form,” said CBS All Access Head of Programming Julie McNamara. “Patrick Brammall and Trent O’Donnell never cease to amaze with their unique wit and ability to make the mundane lives of these cops extraordinarily funny, and we’re thrilled that our long-standing partnership with Funny Or Die and Gary Sanchez Productions continues to grow and evolve. We look forward to the crazy antics and misunderstandings Cullen finds himself entangled in – and with whom – in the series’ fourth season.”
“We couldn’t be more excited for the opportunities animation will open up for the No Activity universe,” added Brammall and O’Donnell. “We love drawing and have always wanted to express ourselves creatively in that medium. Then the network saw our drawings and said they would be more comfortable hiring actual animation people. Our feelings were hurt but we’re still very excited.”
NO ACTIVITY’s third season found demoted detectives Cullen and Tolbeck back in uniform with a revolving door of quirky new partners and even quirkier criminals, while robots – and Dylan McDermott – tried to take over Janice and Fatima’s jobs in dispatch. Season three starred Brammall, Meadows and a stellar guest cast, including Beth Behrs, Joe Keery, Keegan-Michael Key, Sunita Mani, Jason Mantzoukas, Dylan McDermott, Paula Pell, Amy Schumer, Amy Sedaris and J.K. Simmons.
The series is co-developed and executive produced by Brammall and Trent O’Donnell, alongside executive producers Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Joe Farrell, Mike Farah, Joe Hardesty and Jason Burrows. Nina Pedrad, Steve Toltz, and Becca Kinskey serve as co-executive producers.
O’Donnell will continue to direct all episodes, with Flight School Studio serving as the animation studio for the upcoming season.