Upamanyu Biswas
The Apple TV+ comedy show ‘Bad Monkey’ revolves around Andrew Yancy, a Miami cop who is demoted to conducting restaurant inspections after a suspension. Subsequently, tourists discover a severed arm, leading Yancy to concoct an investigation plan to land him back in the good graces of his peers and colleagues. Determined to prove the arm is linked to a murder, the former police detective embarks on a personal quest that quickly sends him into a darker world brimming with corruption.
Developed by Bill Lawrence, the show blends a unique brand of silly comedy with a thrilling narrative that progressively heads toward a sinister plot. Throughout the narrative, the protagonist comes face-to-face with a colorful and quirky mix of characters who are just as much of an oddball as the mystery at the heart of the story. ‘Bad Monkey’ leaps into a peculiar world of absurdities that seems at odds with reality. Yet, it is that same askew narration that prompts a closer examination of its inspirations and whether it happens to be based on a true story.
Bad Monkey is an Adaptation of a Mystery Novel
‘Bad Monkey’ is a fictional story adapted from Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 eponymous novel by creator Bill Lawrence and his team of writers comprising Matt Tarses, Milla Bell-Hart, Ashley Nicole Black, Brian C. Brown, Ellie Knaus, Michael C. Martin, Annie Mebane, and Adam Sztykiel. The show dives into the same spontaneity and whimsical plot as its literary counterpart, with the character of Andrew Yancy being one of the more intriguing aspects of exploration for Lawrence. In the book, the protagonist’s investigative affairs are often depicted in a satirical fashion, which is faithfully recreated in the show as well.
Several aspects of the narrative are drawn from the research and experiences of the author, who was born and raised in Florida. He often blends various genres like crime thriller and satirical fiction to conjure a wacky story that seems out of kilter with the rest of the world but probes into a more layered perspective of the stories surrounding his home state. One of the key plot elements in the show’s beginnings – the discovery of a severed arm in the waters of the city – is one of those aspects. It promptly sparks Yancy into action as he looks to clear his tarnished name and reinstate himself back into the Miami-Dade Police Department.
In a 2013 interview, Hiaasen said, “For years South Florida was sort of the severed body parts capital of North America. I mean, this was back, you know, in the drug wars and in the days before that, the mob wars. I mean, we were one of the early vacation spots for the – all of the five crime families from New York. So we have plenty of experience with severed body parts, and they turn up all the time. And they go into the morgue, and they’re cataloged… and initially the thought is that this was a boating accident, and somebody had drowned, and the shark had taken the rest of the body… But of course that isn’t the way it is in this story.”
Bad Monkey Embraces a Quirky Tone in its Crime Thriller Narrative
The notion of digging up a severed hand, while seemingly innocuous in and of itself, speaks to the tone present in ‘Bad Monkey.’ Like its source material, the show pulls from an absurd catalog of events that ignites a sense of comedy while also underpinning its light-hearted moments in the groundedness of its central crime drama. While adapting the show, Bill Lawrence was intimately drawn to Andrew Yancy. He cited the main character’s flexibility in matters of morality and justice to favor the show’s central themes and tone, which encourages the offbeat path over a well-trodden one.
In an interview with the Independent, the creator said, “I’ve always been obsessed with characters that are driven by a skewed sense of justice, that can’t manage to stop getting in their own way. I haven’t written it a lot, but it’s definitely my favorite type to read and watch. All those movies and TV shows of that ilk really appeal to me, so to try and put Yancy on screen and show off Florida seemed like the dream gig.” In many ways, the show’s essence is reflected in Yancy, whose antics have a detrimental quality to them, adding to the humor and the type of narrative ‘Bad Monkey’ sets out to be.
The Show Probes Into Some of the Wild But Authentic Aspects of Florida
A significant element of ‘Bad Monkey’ is its depiction of the state of Florida. While the narrative adopts an unconventional tone, according to showrunner Bill Lawrence, it is that specific quality that aids it in uncovering the underlying currents sweeping through the real-life population. “If you read enough of Carl’s books, you know most of that stuff is based on people he’s met, some true stories and some real folks,” said the creator. “It’s crazy. It’s a messed-up state. It’s like you shook America and every crazy person landed in Florida. It’s also simultaneously beautiful. One of Carl’s things was that you have to have an environmentalist undercurrent.”
‘Bad Monkey’ inhabits an exaggerated world where a combination of madcap personalities, unhinged plot elements, and the ill-willed undertaking of its protagonist plays a role in capturing its unique brand of humor and crime. However, while its depiction may seem too extravagant, it also taps into some aspects that have direct underpinnings in real-life situations. The show combines a variety of oddball scenarios that may seem divorced from reality, but on a closer look, they are rooted in several instances of chaos found in the eclectic and vibrant state of Florida – like fishing a severed hand from a river.
