On October 9, the 10-episode crime comedy with detective elements «Bad Monkey» starring Vince Vaughn ended on Apple TV+. The plot of the series is based on the satirical novel of the same name by American journalist and writer Carl Gajasen, published in 2013. In the review below, we will tell you whether it makes sense to spend a fairly considerable amount of time watching this show.
Genre comedy detective, crime drama
Showrunner Bill Lawrence
Starring Vince Vaughn, Michelle Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Meredith Gagner, Rob Delaney, Natalie Martinez, Ronald Peet, John Ortiz, Charlotte Lawrence, Roberto Escobar, Alex Moffat, Scott Glenn, Zach Braff
Premiere Apple TV+
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
Police detective Andrew Yancey has been suspended from the force after an unpleasant incident he caused to the husband of his mistress Bonnie Witt. Now all he can do is enjoy the beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean in Key West with a bottle of something refreshing and tasty.
But one day, Andrew’s coworker and best friend, with the looks of an average villain from movie series «Fast and Furious», a Rogelio, a police officer, is assigned the case of a mysterious man’s hand caught by local fishermen. Now he has to deliver it to the Miami morgue, and if there are no clues to the owner of the limb, it is better to feed it to alligators and close the investigation.
But an inner voice tells Yancy that it’s not that simple. Despite the fact that a blonde woman in mourning, Eva Stripling, appears on the horizon, confirming that the hand belongs to her husband Nick and that everything points to an accident, he is overcome with doubts. Moreover, the deceased’s daughter Caitlin insists that it was her stepmother who killed her father for money. Well, it’s time for Andrew to put his detective skills to work, even though he’s temporarily out of police badge.
Yes, the local hero, played by the charismatic Vince Vaughn, is still the same likable outsider as football coach Ted Lasso and grief-stricken psychotherapist Jimmy Laird. They will have a lot in common, from his dumb physique and bicycle riding to his constant need to sprinkle innocent witticisms.
But this character was placed in a story where his professional and personal achievements were put on the back burner. At the first, initial stage, there is a detective story with a noir flavor, which later turns into a boring plot mush, supported by a bunch of secondary lines.
This is what happens with the series itself: at first, the story looks quite promising and exciting, offering an interesting intrigue and the plot hooks necessary for its good development. But the closer the show gets to its climax, the less interesting it becomes. By the final 10 episodes, it doesn’t really matter what happens to the characters, who kills whom or who sleeps with whom. The plot is simply overloaded with chess pieces and unnecessary arcs, and if the timing were reduced by a couple of episodes, it would be much better.
Moreover, when the initial detective intrigue is revealed right in the middle of the season, you don’t have to watch any further, because you don’t really lose anything.
However, a lighthearted sunny atmosphere with several beautiful landscapes in the frame will not be enough to literally rivet you to the screen. From time to time, we will hear the voiceover of a narrator — one of the episodic characters who will voice what is good on paper but difficult to reproduce on screen (for example, the thoughts of the hero at one point or another). Sometimes this voice-over will make witty and accurate jokes.
«Bad Monkey» looks pleasant at first glance, but cumbersome and overloaded, a completely unnecessary series.
Oh yes, there’s also a monkey in the story Crystal, whose filmography is replete with a wide variety of projects — from «American Pie» to «The Fabelmans» Spielberg. Undoubtedly, this was not the most difficult role in her life.