AppleTV+ series “Bad Monkey” hit a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score Tuesday surpassing some of the biggest shows in recent history.
“Bad Monkey” comes to us from the visionary mind of author Carl Hiaasen, brought to the small screen by “Ted Lasso” creator Bill Lawrence and starring the legendary Vince Vaughn. It dropped on AppleTV+ on Wednesday but not before cementing itself as 100% perfect on Rotten Tomatoes, surpassing “Ted Lasso,” with not a single negative review, Screen Rant reported early Tuesday.
The rating dropped to 92% on the Tomatometer by Wednesday morning, which is still a shockingly high number.
“My only complaint is that I am completely hooked after two and don’t want to wait to watch the whole season,” wrote one Twitter user. (RELATED: Get Your Green Sweatsuits On, Its Nearly Time For ‘Squid Game: Season 2’)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Vince Vaughn attends the world premiere of the upcoming Apple TV+ series, “Bad Monkey” at the Hammer Museum. The comedy series debuts globally on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for AppleTV+)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Bill Lawrence attends the world premiere of the upcoming Apple TV+ series, “Bad Monkey” at the Hammer Museum. The comedy series debuts globally on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for AppleTV+)
While I haven’t had a chance to see the series myself yet, the fact “Bad Monkey” is charting higher than both “Ted Lasso” and Lawrence’s other hit series “Shrinking” comes as a huge surprise. We all knew Lawrence and Vaughn can deliver on their job description but translating a Hiaasen novel to screen must be like trying to describe a hallucination.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Carl Hiaasen attends the world premiere of the upcoming Apple TV+ series, “Bad Monkey” at the Hammer Museum. The comedy series debuts globally on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for AppleTV+)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Bill Lawrence, L. Scott Caldwell, Alex Moffat, Charlotte Lawrence, Natalie Martinez, Vince Vaughn, Meredith Hagner, Michelle Monaghan, Zach Braff, Rob Delaney, and Ronald Peet attend the world premiere of the upcoming Apple TV+ series, “Bad Monkey” at the Hammer Museum. The comedy series debuts globally on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, August 14, 2024. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images for AppleTV+)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 12: Charlotte Lawrence, Natalie Martinez, Meredith Hagner, and Michelle Monaghan attend the Premiere For Apple TV+’s Series “Bad Monkey” at Billy Wilder Theater at The Hammer Museum on August 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)
Hiaasen’s approach to storytelling flirts so heavily with the surreal, they could only be set in Florida. His stories often so bizarre, it’s understandable that no one has had the guts to really lean into adapting them until now.
And I really hope all of his other novels are next. Hiaasen deserves the Nicholas Sparks treatment (having basically all of his books adapted) and I will die on this hill. (RELATED: Prayers Are Answered As Comedian Tim Dillon Books Career-Changing Netflix Deal)
In one final surprise for fans, it turns out a huge number of Vaughn’s lines from the series are actually improv. While improv shows are, by definition, the worst way to spend your time, I think Vaughn’s commitment, as seen in this teaser from AppleTV+, proves he is the exception to the rule. And then some.
“Bad Monkey” follows Andrew Yancy (Vaughn) after he’s bounced from the Miami Police Department and is now a health inspector in the Florida Keys.
“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,” the description reads and even that doesn’t do justice to just how wacky Hiaasen can be. (RELATED: ‘The Chosen’ Makes Huge Announcement On Season 5)
As a die-hard Lawrence and Hiaasen fan, I am so excited to sit down and watch “Bad Monkey.” It probably won’t be until the weekend, so no spoilers please!
