Apple TV+ dropped the trailer Wednesday for “Bad Monkey” and it looks like it might be Vince Vaughn’s role of a lifetime.
Just when you thought 2024 was truly going down the gutter, my favorite television writer, Bill Lawrence, came along and finally turned a book by my favorite author, Carl Hiaasen, into an all-star television series. The trailer for “Bad Monkey” looks as off-the-wall as the book. And there is no one better suited for the leading role of Andrew Yancy than Vaughn.
We meet Yancy after he’s “bounced from the Miami Police Department and is now a health inspector in the Keys,” the trailer description reads. “But after stumbling upon a case that begins with a human arm fished up by tourists, he realizes that if he can prove murder, he’ll be back in. He just needs to get past a trove of Floridian oddballs and one bad monkey.”
Nothing is better suited for a Hiaasen story than a complete ensemble cast. Apple TV+ managed to snag a fair few heavy hitters to support Vaughn in this one, including “Saturday Night Live’s” Alex Moffat, and some of my other personal favorites, Zach Braff, Rob Delaney, Charlotte Lawrence (great musician), Natalie Martinez, Jodie Turner-Smith and more. (RELATED: Prayers Are Answered As Comedian Tim Dillon Books Career-Changing Netflix Deal)
Hiaasen’s exceptional ability for sarcastic, cutting dialogue, the stuff most of y’all say in your head and are too polite to say aloud, reigns supreme. It sounds like Lawrence probably didn’t need to write a whole bunch of it himself, though he’s the best person for the job. Lawrence’s other masterpieces include “Scrubs,” “Cougar Town” (which is nothing like it sounds) and “Shrinking.”
JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 01: Vince Vaughn and Susan Sarandon are seen on the set of “Nonnas” on June 1, 2023 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Bobby Bank/GC Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 06: World Series of Poker Master of Ceremonies and actor Vince Vaughn reveals the 2022 WSOP Main Event Bracelet at Bally’s Las Vegas on July 06, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Caesars Entertainment)
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 30: (L-R) Vince Vaughn, Julia Duffy, Clare Niederpruem, JoAnna Garcia Swisher and Peter Billingsley attend the premiere of AMC+’s “Christmas With The Campbells” at The West Hollywood EDITION on November 30, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 30: (L-R) Kyla Weber and Vince Vaughn attend the Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 premiere at DGA Theater Complex on January 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO)
Let us all hope Lawrence’s wife, Christa Miller, is behind the music for “Bad Monkey” as she was with so many of his other shows. If it weren’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have half the songs on my phone.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 23: Alex Moffat visits SiriusXM Studios on August 23, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 15: Bill Lawrence and Christa Miller attend Apple TV +’s Primetime Emmy Party at Mother Wolf on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robin L Marshall/FilmMagic)
UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 08: Vince Vaughn attends the Halloween Horror Nights Opening Night Celebration at Universal Studios Hollywood on September 08, 2022 in Universal City, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Universal Studios Hollywood)
And if you’re not already a fan of Hiaasen, I highly recommend you buy all of his books immediately. Some of my personal favorites are “Native Tongue” and I just inhaled “Star Island” and “Lucky You” earlier in the year.
You can really depend on Hiaasen to take you out of reality and plop you right back into one that is so outside the bounds of reality, it might just be true … especially since most of his stories are set deep in the weirdness of Florida.
The series premieres Aug. 14. Don’t call me that day, I’m busy.
