Bad Monkey

Apple TV+ has been in fire with all the great tv series they've put out the last few years and Bad Monkey is another home run for them. It stars Vince Vaughn as a former police detective who is now a restaurant inspector, what follows is an action comedy that is as entertaining as you'd think it'd be with Vaughn doing what he does best. It also stars Michelle Monaghan, Natalie Martinez, Meredith Hagner, John Ortiz, among others who all play oddball characters that make this show what it is. This is just a fun, light hearted comedy that's an easy watch to just turn your brain off and have good time watching it.

I am a huge fan of Carl Hiaasen's novels. This serialized version of Bad Monkey, which I reread not too long ago, is very well done. The few changes I noted in passing were logical and made the tv version better than it would have been. I would give the casting and photography high ratings. I'm not particularly a fan of Vince Vaughn, but I think he does well in this show. I like the narrator part, too.

I didn't see Natalie Martinez's name so it was great surprize to recognize her in this. I first saw her in a thing called "Under the Dome", not a very good series. Her performance in "Kingdom" was remarkable. She's good in this one, too.

I hope someone, Apple or not, takes some of Hiaasen's numerous other works for tv or cinema. "Strip Tease" was a pretty good movie as far as I recall. I'm usually not impressed with Apple's tv output, but this one hits the mark!

Bad Monkey is a perfect summer watch with its gorgeous Florida scenery, cast of characters you just want to succeed, and others are fun to cheer against. The series is playful, fun, with animated thrills, keeping you wanting more. The dialog sharp, with each and every actor's performance and dialog as colorful as Florida itself.

Vince Vaughn plays suspended Detective Yancy, and is at his best. Mouthy, armed with quick witted one liners infuriating fellow characters, yet for me endearing + entertaining and laugh out loud funny. I'm rooting for you Yancy!

Only 2 episodes released so far. I'm obsessed and excited for more.

I love Carl Hiaasen's writing, particularly the Andrew Yancy novels. I'm also a fan of Bill Lawrence. To an extent. Scrubs could be grating, Ted Lasso meandered once he left, Shrinking is... I don't know.

But as far as the first two episodes go, they've nailed the tone of the book and the casting is really good. I never would've picked Vince Vaughn as Yancy, but he's perfect. The world weariness, the sardonic self loathing, it's all there.

You can tell that Lawrence is a huge Hiaasen fan and he's been thinking about this for a while. It's been a few years since I read the book but I like the additions that have been made to pad the story out. Again, I'm basing this off two episodes. I really hope this series is successful and we get a Razor Girl adaptation.

And I think the narration, sort of a lackadaisical Floridian version of Sam Elliot in Big Lebowski. It keeps things wry and offbeat. The only issue I have so far, and maybe just because I know the eventual outcome, is the big reveal in the book works because there isn't a visual element involved and you've been too distracted to think that hard about it. I would be surprised if most people didn't guess what's going on right away. But boy, what a fun beautiful time.

Great scenery. And island characters. Hoping the plot is told a little clearer. The narrator,although pleasant, isn't helping explain the plot. Like the mix of Miami vibe and laidback key west. A little monkey goes a long way. Hope there is more island and less monkey in future episodes. And hoping they'll be some stellar restaurants inspected along with the icky ones. The new house annoyance for the lead character is an enjoyable side plot. Anyone who has something added to their neighborhood that doesn't fit can relate. Hoping to see more of that in future episodes. And more of the stepdaughter character.