Bad Monkey--Season 1

Bad Monkey is a comedy gumshoe series. The monkey is a pet of a Bahamian, Neville (Ronald Pett), and is mischievous but not bad. The gumshoe is Andrew Yancy (Vince Vaughn), who spouts wisecracks and incessant banter. When a severed arm is discovered by a fishing boat, ex-detective Yancy is assigned to deliver it to the morgue which involves him in a mystery. In the Bahamas, investors Christopher/Nick (Rob Delaney) and his wife (Meredith Hagner) want to obtain Neville's house (by any means) in order to build a resort. After some distracting to and fro cuts between the stories, they finally merge in episode 3.

There are various subplots--Yancy trying to get reinstated to the police, Yancy's romance with the pathologist Rosa (Nancy Martinez), the law pursuing Yancy's' ex-girlfriend Bonnie (Michelle Monaghan) for having sex with her student, Yancy's conflict with dirty cop Mendez, (Gonzalo Menendez), Neville's involvement with the "Dragon Queen" ( Jodie Turner-Smith) are just a few.

The show is like a winter getaway vacation to a warm, tropical location. That's because of the two main locales, Key West Florida and the Bahamas--my favorite places. Like every good series, the cast grows on you, eventually feeling like family. The cast is above average--Natalie Martinez, Michelle Monaghan, Rob Delaney, Meredith Hagner, Scott Glenn, Zach Braff, Ronald Peet, John Ortiz, Jody Turner-Smith, Gonzalo Menendez. They seem like they are genuinely having fun doing this series.

Vaughn, playing himself, is the the engine that drives the series. His banter, at times, can be annoying. Pretty Michelle Monaghan reaffirms her acting abilities as exhibited by her transformation from happy-go-lucky cheating wife to repentant criminal who confronts her past.

The voice over by Tom Nowicki (who also plays the boat captain) gets a little annoying at times. The recap for each show with Nowicki chidding the audience for not remembering the previous episodes is funny and clever. The series is an easy watch--perfect binging during a cold, snowy winter. Don't expect belly laughs or white knuckled suspense in the light-hearted crime series. It goes down smoothly and forgetabbly like a Miami Vice.

♥️♥️♥️

Apple TV + • 10 episodes • TV MA • 2 min read

Bad Monkey Trailer--Official Trailer • Apple TV + • YouTube