Review of “Bad Monkey”: Apple’s typical Florida crime dramedy

Florida has been the setting for some ambitious but exhausting television shows this year, but fortunately Apple’s latest series Evil Monkey breaks the precedent set by people like Apples never fall And Palm Royale. Like its predecessors Evil Monkey features a beach- and sun-drenched mystery and a sprawling cast of characters, but the show delivers plenty of fun throughout most of its 10 episodes.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Carl Hiaasen Ted Lasso And Scrubs Co-creator Bill Lawrence, Evil Monkey follows the occasionally successful exploits of detective Andrew Yancy (Vince Vaughn). Well, Yancy Was a detective, but the show begins with his employment status in limbo due to an assault charge against his girlfriend Bonnie's (Michelle Monaghan) husband. But when his partner Rogelio (John Ortiz) brings him a severed arm that may be the result of murder, Yancy can't help but investigate.

With some help from Miami coroner Rosa (Natalie Martinez), Yancy figures out the arm belongs to Nick Stripling, a man with minimal assets and a few potential suspects in his life. There's the materialistic new wife Eve (Meredith Hagner), the bitter daughter (Charlotte Lawrence), who was a former drug addict, and the looming federal authorities investigating him for insurance fraud. Eve conveniently quickly hooks up with a suitor named Christopher (Rob Delaney), and they're happy to use Nick's life insurance money to build a new resort on the Bahamian island of Andros. The case seems like a pretty straightforward murder mystery, but a few additional untimely deaths turn it into a seaside conspiracy.

Apart from Yancy’s crime solving, Evil Monkey takes a couple of trips to the Bahamas for an overlapping storyline. During hotel construction, Neville (Ronald Peet) has his beach hut bought out from under his nose. He can't get his home back, but he can get revenge. Neville visits the island's Dragon Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith), a mystical, terrifying figure who practices obeah and is notorious for her curses. He seeks retribution, but both his and the Dragon Queen's wavering faith cause strife.

The series that emerges from these myriad storylines is entertaining, if uneven, with a solid number of moments that make you laugh and a whole lot of moments that keep you guessing. The series has a fantastic sense of black humor, with some gory gags particularly memorable. There are also plenty of twists that add tension and intrigue to the proceedings. The corresponding moments when Yancy reveals those twists, however, strain one's willingness to believe something unbelievable (he solves the central mystery so suddenly and inexplicably that this reviewer had to look twice and rewind). The series struggles with plot contrivances that make everything seem flimsier, from the instant friendship between Yancy and Neville in later episodes to the umpteen times Yancy gets nabbed by the authorities but continues his investigation.

The cast is excellent despite these minor blunders. Vaughn's confident sycophancy as Yancy sets an excellent tone for the entire series. His chemistry with everyone else on screen is palpable, turning every impromptu interrogation into a true rip and helping to anchor the unlikely relationship between him and Rosa. However, there are moments when the riffs go on too long, dragging out a show that feels like it could be wrapped up in eight episodes instead of ten.

But amidst all the comedy and crime there is a complex layer of Evil Monkey is fleshed out with the help of the Dragon Queen. She's introduced as a mysterious and magical supporting character, a cliche that might suggest that she's being treated more as a prop than a person. But this show is full of surprises. The Dragon Queen ends up being one of the few characters who really gets a dynamic arc. Her story is tangled up in tradition, faith and duty – and a desire to get away from it all – and Turner-Smith delivers by far the best dramatic performance of the series.

Like many of Hiaasen’s works, Evil Monkey focuses on what people are willing to do – or rather, what they are willing to destroy – to get what they want. The series is packed with spot-on satire and plenty of environmental messages, and the whole thing feels more relevant with each passing day. That is to say that while the series won't reach the great heights of top-tier television, there is still a lot to be gained from it.

The first two episodes of “Bad Monkey” will premiere on Apple TV+ on August 14.