If you’ve ever been to an airport bookstore, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the name Carl Hiaasen. Hiaasen, both a bestselling author and journalist, is known for his Florida-set crime novels that blend humor with biting social commentary.
Some of his most memorable works include Strip Tease, Tourist Season, and Bad Monkey, which was released in 2013. Hiaasen’s books have been adapted for the screen before, with the most notable being a 1996 film starring Demi Moore.
While that adaptation didn’t live up to expectations, the current streaming era, dominated by series like Reacher and The Lincoln Lawyer, feels like an ideal time to bring Hiaasen’s work back to life.
Apple TV+ is taking another shot at adapting Hiaasen’s Bad Monkey for the screen. This time, the series pairs Hiaasen’s signature storytelling with Vince Vaughn, who returns to a lead television role for the first time since True Detective Season 2.
Vaughn stars alongside a strong supporting cast under the direction of Bill Lawrence, who has found great success as the creator of beloved series like Ted Lasso and Shrinking. With such a high-profile team behind it, Bad Monkey seems poised to succeed.
However, after being in development for over two years, the show was quietly released with little promotion, leaving some to wonder whether it lives up to its potential.
What Is ‘Bad Monkey’ About?
The premise of Bad Monkey is based on Hiaasen’s 2013 novel, which kicks off with an eye-catching mystery. A group of sport fishermen stumbles upon a severed arm floating in the ocean, with its middle finger permanently extended in an unmistakable gesture.
Former police detective-turned-restaurant inspector Andrew Yancy (played by Vaughn) is assigned the unenviable task of taking the arm into custody and keeping it under wraps to avoid bad press. However, Yancy quickly discovers that this case is more complicated than it seems, leading him into a web of corruption, crime, and chaos.
The series also introduces a subplot involving Neville Stafford (Ronald Peet), a Bahamian fisherman who becomes entangled in a sinister revenge plot. After his childhood home is destroyed and replaced by a luxury development built by businessman Christopher (Rob Delaney) and his partner Eve (Meredith Hagner), Neville seeks vengeance.
He makes a dangerous pact with a spiritual shaman known as the Dragon Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith), and as bodies start piling up, Yancy finds himself drawn deeper into a mystery that involves the same people he once worked alongside in law enforcement. With multiple intertwining storylines and characters, Bad Monkey keeps viewers guessing as the plot unfolds.
Vince Vaughn Is a Hilarious Agent of Chaos in ‘Bad Monkey’
Bad Monkey, for both good and bad reasons—but mostly for good—feels like a spiritual successor to shows like Reacher, with Vince Vaughn standing in for Reacher’s Alan Ritchson. Much like Reacher, Bad Monkey features an assortment of twists, corruption, and unexpected turns, but with a more comedic edge that sets it apart.
The balance of humor and crime gives the show a distinctive flavor that stands out in a crowded field of crime dramas. Fans of Reacher will likely enjoy Bad Monkey, although how much they appreciate it may depend on how they feel about Vaughn’s signature comedic style.
In this series, Vaughn fully leans into his fast-talking, quick-witted persona, a style that has divided audiences over the years. Some viewers love his sarcastic charm, while others find it grating.
But in Bad Monkey, Vaughn’s performance is perfectly suited to the role of Andrew Yancy, a character who embodies the eccentricities and chaos of Florida itself. Yancy, like many other Florida Man figures, is both charismatic and unpredictable, leading to a series of chaotic and often absurd situations.
Vaughn is clearly enjoying himself in the role, bringing an energy and comedic flair that keeps the show entertaining. Even though Yancy is somewhat similar to other characters Vaughn has played before, he is the perfect fit for this dark comedy with a crime-solving twist.
‘Bad Monkey’s Mystery Becomes Too Convoluted for Its Own Good
As the series progresses, Bad Monkey’s central mystery starts to lose its clarity, becoming more complicated and confusing. With 10 episodes, each over 45 minutes long, the show has plenty of time to develop its plotlines, but sometimes that works against it.
After a while, the twists and turns begin to feel repetitive, and the pacing slows down. Like many other recent streaming shows, Bad Monkey often ends episodes with cliffhangers designed to keep viewers hooked. Unfortunately, these cliffhangers are sometimes resolved too quickly in the following episode, lessening their impact.
The show might have benefited from a different release strategy, such as dropping all episodes at once for a binge-able experience. Despite these pacing issues, the series manages to stay intriguing enough to keep viewers engaged, though the plot can feel overly complex at times.
One of the show’s weak points is that several of its subplots don’t lead to satisfying conclusions. Michelle Monaghan plays Bonnie Witt, a former love interest of Yancy’s, but her storyline doesn’t significantly contribute to the main mystery.
Instead, it mostly serves to develop Yancy’s new relationship with Natalie Martinez’s character, Rosa. While Monaghan gives a solid performance, her character is underused. Fortunately, the rest of the supporting cast makes up for some of these shortcomings.
John Ortiz, in particular, stands out as Rogelio, Yancy’s friend and former partner, whose personal troubles add humor and depth to the show. Delaney and Hagner, known for their comedic work, take on more sinister roles here and do so with skill, adding an extra layer of tension to the plot.
While Bad Monkey has its flaws, its combination of a talented cast, engaging storylines, and dark humor makes it an enjoyable watch, especially for fans of crime comedies looking for something fresh.
