'Bad Monkey' has a sketchy plot, but is breezy and fun enough to be treadmill worthy
“Bad Monkey,” a new series streaming on Apple TV+, feels like a throwback.
Whether that’s good or bad is an interesting question. Based on Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 novel about a former Miami police detective smart-alecking his way through the Florida Keys while working as a food inspector, it’s best described as “breezy.” It’s got the look and feel of a pre-pandemic streaming series on Prime Video like “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” or “Goliath.”
They all fall into a category I think of as “treadmill shows” — shows that are not only perfect for watching while you’re grinding through miles but seem almost designed for it, with their perfectly timed shots of adrenaline. What they don’t have is the existential feel of gravity like the best seasons of “True Detective” or “Mindhunter.”
But they’re fun in their way, even addictive. And the 10-episode “Bad Monkey,” developed by Bill Lawrence (“Scrubs,” “Ted Lasso”) fits into that category.
What is 'Bad Monkey' about?
A lot of the fun is supplied by Vince Vaughn, of all people. He can go either way in my book — funny or overbearingly annoying, especially if he’s trying too hard. Here, like his character, Andrew Yancey, he succeeds because you can’t see the effort.
Yancey ratted out a dirty Miami cop and wound up in the Keys, where life is a little more laid back. Thanks to his dad (Scott Glenn), Yancey has a profound love of nature, which is why the hideous McMansion encroaching on his land bugs him so much. Well, that’s one reason. (Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Alex Moffat gets the smarmy realtor trying to unload the place just right.)
Meanwhile, Neville Stafford (Ronald Peet) is having similar land troubles in the Bahamas. He and Yancey will become connected, though it takes a little while getting there.
The series starts with a tourist reeling in a human arm on an excursion. Yancey has to drive the arm to Miami, where he meets Rosa (Natalie Martinez), a medical examiner. They flirt, they deny they’re flirting, come on, they’re falling in love. Which is fine, because you want them to. She’s as big a smart-aleck and cynic as he is.
The arm belongs to Christopher Stripling (Rob Delaney, hilarious), who is assumed dead — arm floating in the ocean and all. His widow Eve (Meredith Hagner) is a gold digger of the first order, not really bothering to hide her greed. Hagner is a delight, making her evil and selfish and just all-around awful, but also funny at the same time.
Eve has designs on snatching up land all over the place in the Bahamas to build a resort, no matter who has to be moved out of the way, or how. Most of the episodes center around Yancey’s efforts to prevent her from succeeding, but it all gets tied up in a jumble of offbeat and colorful characters, most of whom are enjoyable to be around.
Vince Vaughn leads an enjoyable cast of characters
There is the Dragon Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith), for instance, who has magical powers and commands the fear of everyone who knows her. She eventually connects with Egg (David St. Louis), a sweet-singing thug who works for Eve. John Ortiz is mostly wasted as Yancey’s former partner. And Michelle Monaghan is suitably unhinged as a former teacher who slept with a student. She’s also one of Yancey’s former girlfriends.
There’s annoying narration, often of the “this was the last happy day they’d see” variety. There’s a lot of coincidence and dumb luck, both good and bad. The plot is sketchy and probably wouldn’t hold up to heavy scrutiny.
But who’s going to apply that? A low-key but non-stop-talking Vaughn turns out to be just the glue to hold everything together. I’ll always have a soft spot for any journalist who becomes a successful novelist, like Hiaasen and his former Miami Herald co-worker Dave Barry. If they can sell the movie rights, even better.
That’s not why I liked “Bad Monkey” more than I should have. It’s because I found myself drawn back to the characters, making this a series worth spending time with.
Try it on the treadmill.
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'Bad Monkey'
Streaming on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Bad Monkey' review: Vince Vaughn leads an oddball cast on Apple TV+