Apple TV+ Review: ‘Bad Monkey’ is a Cool and Multi-Faceted Florida Crime Comedy

Each of the fifty United States has its own reputation, but one that stands out from the others is Florida. Known as a refuge for retirees and home to a range of conservative-minded individuals and young partyers, its often singularly absurd nature has been highlighted by the concept of the Florida Man who regularly appears in newspaper headlines. It can also tend to be a place people don’t want to be but where there’s also no shortage of intrigue. Bad Monkey offers a fantastic interaction of both.

Yancy (Vince Vaughn) isn’t a people pleaser. He’s been relieved of his duties as a detective with the Miami Police Department and banished to the Florida Keys. Hard as he may try, he can’t stay away from the appeal of a good mystery when a severed arm is found and the local cops just want to close the case far too quickly. While the dead man’s widow, Eve (Meredith Hagner), causes trouble with her new boyfriend Christopher (Rob Delaney) in the Bahamas, Yancy continues chasing clues with coroner Rosa (Natalie Martinez) as an old flame, Bonnie (Michelle Monaghan), reenters his life.

Bad Monkey, based on Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 novel of the same name, splits its time between Florida and the Bahamas, with Eve and Christopher making few friends as they look to get rid of their local neighbors along the beach, namely Neville (Ronald Peet), who enlists supernatural assistance in the way of charms and curses from Dragon Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith). A narrator (Tom Nowicki) fills audiences in on whatever information they need to know, playfully connecting the dots of this show’s expansive worlds. As the narrator promises, there will be connections down the line, but staying tuned for successive episodes will be necessary to find out just what they are.

This is the latest Apple TV+ endeavor from creator Bill Lawrence, who has rightfully earned critical acclaim for Ted Lasso and Shrinking. This series adds an element of crime that hasn’t been present in either of those shows, which mixes marvelously with the comedy inherent in its character interactions. It’s reminiscent of series like Burn Notice and The Glades, but with a distinct tone set by Vaughn. After watching the comedian whose defining successes include Swingers and Wedding Crashers improvise opposite Larry David throughout the last three of seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, it’s nice to see Vaughn return to a more natural habitat that allows him to make excellent use of his comedic talents.

The ensemble is richly populated by fantastic actors who play superbly opposite Vaughn and in entirely separate storylines. John Ortiz serves as a fun punching bag for Yancy as his ex-partner Rogelio, and Monaghan is an alluring question mark whose minor appearances are memorable. Martinez and Vaughn have great chemistry and are an entertaining duo, and Search Party and Joy Ride veteran Hagner is expertly cast as a woman who loves to play dumb but is far more aware of what she’s doing than she lets on. Peet, Turner-Smith, and L. Scott Caldwell populate a portion of the storyline that feels entirely separate but just as interesting. Lawrence also casts his daughter Charlotte and Scrubs star Zach Braff in small roles that fit them very well.

There’s something inherently familiar and accessible about this show that doesn’t feel overdone or unoriginal but instead inviting and welcoming. Yancy is someone who has managed, against all odds, not to get himself badly beaten up or killed despite his almost incessant attempts to poke the bear in every situation, and he’s now suffering the consequences of his personality as a newly designated food inspector. Despite featuring characters drowning in dreariness, this show has a vivid and sharp look, shining light on their misadventures. It also impressively saves its most game-changing and inventive twist for after its two-episode premiere, assuring viewers that there’s plenty more to look forward to throughout a fresh and enticing first season.

Series Rating: 8/10

Awards Buzz: Vaughn’s most serious TV effort to date, season two of True Detective, didn’t catch on, but being affiliated with Lawrence might help his awards profile. This might also just be pure entertainment that doesn’t win accolades, even if they’re well-deserved.