Yancy will be the first to admit he always compulsively does the right thing, but usually in the absolute worst way, especially when it comes to being diplomatic or politically sensitive. His crusader zeal got him transferred from the Miami police department to the Key West-(stone) cops. Then it got him demoted from a detective to a restaurant inspector. He might have gotten his old job back if he’d just made an inconvenient piece of evidence disappear for tourist-conscious police chief Sonny Summers, but he figured someone might be looking for whoever was once attached to the severed arm one of Fitzpatrick’s clients hooked in the Gulf.
It turns out there are no matching body parts in the Miami morgue, but Yancy finds Rosa Campesino, a medical examiner, who is surprisingly fun to banter with. Against her better judgement (and her worse judgement too), Campesino starts unofficially investigating the non-case with Yancy. Initially, it is not romantic, because Yancy is technically still seeing Bonnie Witt, the game-plying wife of a rich but abusive older man. However, their relationship essentially ends when an out-of-state cop turn up, looking to extradite Witt for a statutory crime involving a former student.
Logically, Yancy first suspects Eve Stripling, the very merry widow who shows up to claim the arm. He is not wrong, because Stripling is a truly evil and manipulative femme fatale. However, Nick Stripling is not entirely dead—just one of his arms. Having faked his death, he is trying to salvage his real estate development in the Bahamas. To that end, he bought Neville Stafford’s beachfront shack out from under him. Normally, Stafford is defiantly unambitious, but to reclaim his lazy lifestyle, he declares war on the Striplings, primarily by hiring the “Dragon Queen” to put a curse on the Striplings. Stafford also owns the titular monkey, Driggs.
Fans of Hiassen will be happy to see Lawrence and company finally get it right, making up for the bitter disappointment that was Striptease. First and foremost, Vince Vaughn’s sarcastic but likable persona perfectly suits the colorful eccentricity of Hiaasen’s Florida. As Yancy, Vaughn might even deliver his rapid-fire dialogue faster than in Swingers. Yet, he is consistently laugh-out loud funny.
Vaughn also has terrific chemistry with Natalie Martinez’s Campesino. She holds her own opposite Vaughn—and then some. The two of them put on one heck of a show. Scott Glenn adds a great deal of crusty charm as Yancy’s old man. As a bonus, it is loads of funs watching Yancy feud with Evan Shook, the sleazy developer erecting an eyesore McMansion next to his tasteful beach house and Mendez, the crooked cop who contributed to Yancy’s fall from grace in Miami. Played by Alex Moffat and Gonzalo Menendez, they contribute big Florida vibes, without descending into silly cartoonishness.
Frankly, Bad Monkey is probably the funniest series of the 2020s, so far—and its not even a pure comedy. Regardless, Lawrence and the battery of co-writers clearly understand why Hiaasen’s novels are popular, managing to translate their atmosphere and elements to the screen remarkably well. Very highly recommended, Bad Monkey starts streaming today (8/14) on Apple TV+.
