By Khaled Al-Abdulhadi

CAIRO: The red-carpet event of ‘Elwada’a Mustaqer’ or ‘No Activity’ was held at the newly renovated, 19^th-century historic building, La Viennoise, to screen the first episode of the second season. The exclusive gala hosted Egyptian cast members of the series — Khaled Mansour and Enjy Kiwan— as well as director Wael Farag with the attendance of OSN CEO Joe Kawkabani, who organized the event.

The show is based on the Australian production of the original hit series. The second series picks up following last season’s disastrous bust, with two low-ranking security cops, Said and Kamel, back in uniform with a revolving door of quirky new partners and even quirkier criminals. The first season of the Arabic comedy series premiered in September 2021.

“We hope that the second season will have the same reception and more. At OSN, we always hope for continuity and success. The way we support shows is through events like these, and then in our own way we market the product, whether online, in print or on TV,” Kawkabani said. “Renewing TV shows is related to the success of the first season and the ability of the show’s story to continue, and this is all studied before even producing the first season,” he explained.

“Our ambition is always high — if you look at the content on OSN, it is among the best in the world because of our connection with the biggest international companies, and we will have special surprises next year for all our audiences,” Kawkabani said. “Even though we have global competition, our presence is really felt by our audience, especially because we know our audience. We are from the region, which adds a special touch in contrast to Western companies,” he added.

“The event is really amazing — we have seen the first episode and there will be more events, plot twists, a bit of drama and some thrilling moments as the action will be greater. I am happy with all the journalists that attended this special event, and I hope that you all watch the season when it comes,” Mansour said. Asked about the most important factors for any TV show he said: “The first season was well received on OSN and was the most watched TV show on the platform. The most important factors that play into a successful show is to have an overall quality in the staff — the actors, directors and the filming crew as a whole, who are synergized and work as a team.”

Asked about future plans for the TV show, Mansour said: “The American and Australian shows have many seasons, and as it was well-received, there could be more seasons. OSN is a high-quality platform, and one of the leaders of choosing material of various categories that will be popularly received. Their production is high quality, and they really care about their productions, as we see in their coordination event today. Although OSN is a TV-based channel, you do not have to worry about missing an episode because of the streaming service available.”

Mansour was not worried about launching offseason. “We have been used to having Ramadan as the main season for TV shows. However, many shows have succeeded over other shows, and shows being launched during the off season is now becoming its own thing. These types of series are based on a collection of stars with different dramatical lines, and they intertwine in the end.” Costar Kiwan expressed her excitement after the first season. “I became ambitious after the success of the first season. People were sending me positive feedback on social media, and made the effort to share with me and their friends their favorite clips. People really enjoyed the show because it is lighthearted, yet with a touch of drama that talks about our society, so everyone is able to relate to it,” she said.

On their message to GCC fans, Kiwan said: “Here in Egypt, our comedy is understandable to most Arab countries, since we are able to connect with the younger generation that speak a more colloquial language. One of my favorite clips in the show is when we displayed a woman gangster who had to wear men’s clothing, in order to send a message that women’s empowerment is very important to us.”

Director Farag was asked about the preparation of the series. “Preparation of the series took most our time, especially when it came to writing the script. The scenes themselves were shot in 10 days, especially since there is an improvisational element to the way we film, which resulted in a faster pace in our rhythm. Because there aren’t many episodes, we dealt with the series as a movie,” he said. “The most important thing is to not lower the expectations of the audience for the second season, especially when you have had a stable fan base. We have steered away from the usual core in order to avoid staleness, which is why we introduced new blood to the series cast with more characters,” Farag said.“ The streaming service has created a new variety in show categories, which is good for healthy competition and offers accessibility to a wide range of TV shows,” he added.

“The content and scriptwriting, especially when writing jokes, must be regionalized and made for our regional culture. That is why our show is based on our Arab culture and sense of humor,” Farag pointed out. On the empowerment of women and fusion of Western and Arab culture, he said: “Women’s empowerment is what I meant when I mentioned the Arabization process of the show. We would take Western ideas and Arabize them to our society and culture.”

OSN+ is the region’s leading local premium streaming service, featuring an incredible line-up of exclusive global and local curated content. Led by its long-term partnerships with major studios including HBO, NBC Universal, Paramount+, Endeavor Content, MGM, and Sony, the platform ensures the latest content at the same time as the US, including critically acclaimed series and must-see movies, as well as world-class Arabic original content and OSN+ Originals. Fans can check out the first season of ‘No Activity’ (Elwada’a Mustaqer) currently airing on OSN+, with the second season set to join the platform from Oct 13. OSN+ can be accessed through all devices, including major TV platforms, all iOS, and Android devices, and from the web.