According to the director, the cast were not following the script so much but they were improvising. Scenes such as the one were the men are dressed as monks in a Season 2 episode or the scene where Pavlos and Nikhforos are dressed as gay decorators are a result of improvisation by the actors.
Maria's role was to be only in 4 episodes but Nikoletta Karra was so much into the role that the character became standard for the whole 2 seasons of the show.