Bad Monkey
Developed by Bill Lawrence (Apple TV+, 2024)
Bad Monkey is an incredibly novelistic TV show. This is unsurprising, given that it is an adaptation of Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 novel by the same title, but also notable, as the show successfully serves up an uncanny yet exhilarating “I’m watching a book” experience. The show’s novelistic vibe is cultivated through deliberate narrative and visual choices. For one, it features a (near) omniscient narrator; the interplay between directly narrated information and dialogue-divulged and visually expressed plot shapes the show’s bookish feel. Additionally, Bad Monkey builds a strong mood through its commitment to setting (a detail that even the most exacting fans of Hiaasen’s Florida-centric fiction should enjoy).
Bad Monkey throws its viewer into the life of semi-disgraced former detective Andrew Yancy; he has a chance to get back on the force, but first he’ll have to stay out of trouble.
Bad Monkey plays with both literary devices and crime-show tropes. Through the narrator, the viewer gains access to a character’s interiority, hidden emotions, or otherwise undisclosed motivation. Whereas a show such as NCIS might present itself as serious and direct, Bad Monkey engages crime show clichés with a light and playful touch. Thanks in large part to the smart dialogue, emotionally complex characters, and compelling storytelling, Bad Monkey is able to sidestep many of the stale features of the genre.
With a sprawling mystery, Bad Monkey invites its viewer into a rich world populated by morally and emotionally complex characters. The characters feel real and believable, even as the world-building feels hyperreal or larger-than-life. This show is definitely a page-turner.
This article also appears in the November 2024 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 89, No. 11, page 38). Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
Image: Apple TV+
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