After being so caught up with reality TV and whodunit offerings, I was delighted to spot Vince Vaughn in a new series.
After all, it’s not often that we see this Hollywood legend in TV shows but when he does give the nod to such offerings, he delivers the goods.
It was back in 2015 when I last saw him in the gripping anthology crime series, “True Detective”, where he played career criminal, Frank Semyon.
Of his TV and big screen work, comedy is his forte. And he proves it with “Bad Monkey”, a nine-episode series based on Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 novel of the same name.
By the way, he also wears the hat of an executive producer while also playing Andrew Yancy, a police detective with the Miami Police Department.
When viewers meet him in episode one, he is looking for a way to return to the force after being suspended for assaulting his lover’s husband.
Desperate to get back to work, he accepts a pretty straightforward assignment from his best friend and ally on the force, Rogelio (John Ortiz).
All he has to do is transport a severed arm found off the coast of Florida Keys to the Miami morgue. But the attempt to fob off the case backfires after the medical examiner, Rose Campesino (Natalie Martinez), identifies the person the arm belongs to but refuses to accept it.
In trying to connect the dots, Yancy (as everyone calls him) learns that it belongs to Nick Stripling (Rob Delaney) and that his grieving daughter Caitlin (Charlotte Lawrence), a recovering addict, suspects her gold-digger stepmother Eve (Meredith Hagner), of foul play.
Despite being asked to drop the case, especially with him being suspended, Yancy can’t let it go.
And his tenacity leads him down a rabbit hole, where he uncovers the unsettling truth about the victim. Let’s say, fraud is just the tip of the iceberg with Nick.
The story flits between Miami and the Bahamas where Gracie (aka Dragon Queen), played by Jodie Turner-Smith, finds herself ensnared in the dodgy dealings of Eve and her presumed dead husband.
Taught by her Obeah-practising Ya-Ya (L. Scott Caldwell), Gracie uses her "gift“ to sway people into parting with their wealth. She considers it is an even trade.
Much of the premise centres on Yancy trying to bring Nick to book for his crimes while Nick is busy plotting his next big venture with Eve playing the puppetmaster.
Having come from nothing, Eve is all about the moolah and living in the lap of luxury. She’s not a fan of Nick’s daughter derailing their plans but she often gets her way in the end.
Meanwhile, Yancy unwittingly reels Rose into helping him and, in working together, they become romantically involved.
Since this is a comedy, there are a few sub-plots that tickle the funnybone. One involves Even Shook (Alex Moffat), an insufferable real estate developer with an eye-sore yellow mansion next to Yancy’s property.
The two often butt heads over numerous violations, especially when Yancy takes on work as a restaurant inspector before his hearing.
There’s also Bonnie Witt (Michelle Monaghan), who goes on the run after escaping an abusive marriage. Yancy tries to help her as well.
This is one of those series that takes you on a madcap adventure, where you can’t help but root for the goofy protagonist.
Vaughn plays his role so effortlessly that you would think he was simply playing himself. He walks the double-edged sword between funny and serious with aplomb.
Love the chemistry between Martinez and him.
And Turner-Smith is simply magnificent in her role. She carries herself so regally and wears her confidence on her sleeve as she challenges those who try and intimidate her.
This black comedy provides wonderful escapism.
∎ “Bad Monkey” is streaming on AppleTV+