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I did not intend to watch Apple TV+’s Bad Monkey, but I did not not intend to watch it either. My awareness of it was tertiary. I knew Vince Vaughn was starring in some Apple TV+ show and that it was called Bad Monkey, which does call attention to the show as far as titles go, but not in a way I found to be good or bad. Then, of course, I had the experience many people have with streaming services. I needed something else to watch while I was subscribing to the service, so I gave Bad Monkey a shot.
It’s good. No more, no less. It’s breezy as well, which is probably a better way to approach the show. Bad Monkey is a crime comedy, and it is based on a novel of the same name by a guy named Carl Hiaasen I was not aware of. Based on Bad Monkey, he seems like a Florida-flavored Elmore Leonard, which is not a bad thing by any means.
Vaughn gets to play a very “Vaughn” character, which he needs to head to TV to do these days. He talks fast, and talks a lot, and is quick with a quip. It works, though. The feeling of the whole show is one of something you have seen before, but in a fresh and fun enough way to make it worthwhile.
Obviously crime shows and mystery shows are commonplace, and there is a reason for that. I also do appreciate when a show is based on a novel, and they just tell the story in the novel and that is that. Bad Monkey was developed for TV by Bill Lawrence, of Scrubs, Cougar Town, and Ted Lasso fame. Hey, Cougar Town was set in Florida, though not the Keys, which is like Florida-plus.
Bad Monkey isn’t a great show, but it is a good, breezy watch. I’m sure it makes a fun binge. Vaughn is good. The rest of the cast is strong. Add another show into the mix of what’s worth checking out on Apple TV+.
