Bad Monkey

It’s fun, it’s light, and it makes you want to go on holiday. Still, with Vince Vaughn and all that Apple clout, you might expect something just a touch more magical.

While this is true, the episodes sometimes drag, and “Bad Monkey” feels like proof that we need to bring back 30-minute comedies. Although it’s frustrating to watch at times and almost outstays its welcome, it’s clear that there is something special here. Unfortunately, it just takes too long to discover this spark.

The skinny, barely plausible story feels overstretched at 10 episodes and the energy ebbs away in a closing episode in which loose ends are not so much tied up as scrunched into a ball of paper and tossed into the nearest wastebasket. But as a character piece that serves up a snapshot of eccentric Florida life, Bad Monkey is a tale slips down as easily as a sundowner on a moonlit beach.

“Bad Monkey” suffers from oppressively awful narration and obvious plot twists. .... Still, “Bad Monkey” mostly plays as an easy-going crowd-pleaser. The supporting cast is extremely likable, from Hagner and Ortiz to Rob Delaney and Michelle Monaghan.

Overall, Lawrence’s series is overpacked with characters, storylines, and jokes it has no place for, desperately wanting to please any and every viewer who presses play. But in trying to capture everyone, it succeeds in truly capturing no one.

The lazy over-narration turns this into “Hiaassen for Dummies.” I’ve watched half of it, and for all the casting coups, local color and amusing banter, I can’t say I’ll finish it.

Unfortunately, the series is just as infatuated with its over-the-top protagonist—and as exhausting in its relentless quirk—as his [Bill Lawrence's] recent comedies. The best decision Lawrence and Tarses made in bringing Hiaasen’s book to the small screen was to cast Vaughn. .... Standout supporting performances by Jodie Turner-Smith, Rob Delaney, and Michelle Monaghan also go a long way toward mitigating the script’s silliness.