Vince Vaughn is the antihero of Apple Comedy

The Florida Keys are paradise on earth. Except for the crime, the corruption, the eccentric locals, and some problems with a monkey in a mini diaper. After a fisherman pulls a severed arm out of the water (one that flips the bird), the authorities are determined to fix the problem. Andrew Yancy (Vince Vaughn), a detective suspended for an unfortunate incident involving his girlfriend's husband, is assigned to dispose of the arm. He senses that all is not well in this case, and soon he's on the hunt for a possible murderer. Cue treacherous family members, an attractive medical examiner's assistant, a Caribbean real estate scam, voodoo queens, and, yes, a misbehaving primate.

Apple TV+'s “Bad Monkey” reunites TV pundit Bill Lawrence of “Scrubs” and “Ted Lasso” fame with Carl Hiaasen, perhaps America's most beloved comedy crime writer. The patron saint of Florida scandals made his name with stories about weirdos, scandals and “this can only happen here” drama in the Sunshine State. Given the popularity of his work and its naturally cinematic qualities (fast-paced dialogue, frantic action, unforgettable, offbeat characters), it's a little surprising there haven't been more adaptations of his work.

“Bad Monkey” is definitely a strong plea for more, even if it narrowly misses its goals.

As is typical of a Hiaasen story, there are plenty of twists and turns, all aided by a cast of memorable oddballs. There's Bonnie Witt (Michelle Monaghan), Yancy's ex-girlfriend with a secret past; Even Stripling (Meredith Hagner), the widow of the owner of the missing arm, who doesn't seem particularly sad about what happened to her husband; and Rosa Campesino (Natalie Martinez), a Miami medical examiner who becomes Yancy's accomplice. Across the sea in Andros, Bahamas, lives the story's other weary protagonist, Neville Stafford (Ronald Peet). After losing his beloved beach house to unscrupulous developers from across town, he's determined to do whatever it takes to get back what's his. And what else can a man with only a pet monkey do but enlist the services of the local sorceress, the Dragon Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith)? It doesn't take long before everyone's paths cross in crazy ways.

Lawrence is no stranger to a touch of cynicism in his comedy productions, though his best-known works are those that foreground proud seriousness, like “Ted Lasso,” his megahit on Apple TV+. Hiaasen isn’t known for holding back his punches or veering into the grotesque when portraying shady rich bullies, small-time crooks and cops with more than justice at heart. Lawrence is mostly smart enough not to get in the way of Hiaasen’s own language or his oft-discussed environmental concerns (the show’s biggest punching bag is a sweaty real estate agent played by “SNL” star Alex Moffat, who is desperately trying to sell an ugly McMansion next door to Yancy’s house). The whole thing works best when it embraces the sun-drenched noir of detective questions, shady witnesses and the general aura of evil around every corner. If anything, “Bad Monkey” could use more bad taste. Some of the jokes lifted from the source material are a little more restrained than Hiaasen ever would make them (Yancy's attack on his girlfriend's husband is much worse in the novel and therefore funnier). It is a Florida show, after all. Why not indulge in the state's surreality a little more? At least they have the decency to play a Jimmy Buffet song or two every now and then.

On paper, Vince Vaughn is the ideal choice for a Carl Hiaasen-style antihero. As one of the core members of the Frat Pack, the ragtag early 2000s troupe that defined mainstream American comedy cinema, Vaughn's sarcastic personality was one of the smart, straight guys of the group, halfway between sanity and insanity. On the whole, he's a good protagonist. Yancy is a good cop who does bad things, a public nuisance who nonetheless has a strong moral core even as he wreaks havoc everywhere he goes. In many ways, he's a character that could have been taken from any 2006 Vince Vaughn film.

The problem is that the show doesn't know when to rein in its star. Why tell one joke when you could tell four in a row? Yancy just never stops talking and that gets boring very quickly. This is a Vaughn original, as in the book Yancy keeps his jokes pretty restrained. Were the star and executive producer paid per word? If only they'd given him and the audience some room to breathe.

A book over 300 pages long contains 10 episodes, each about an hour long. While some expansions of characters like Neville, Rosa, and the Dragon Queen are welcome, the delay is also obvious (and it gives Vaughn even more time to fill dead air with ramblings). One wonders why Lawrence, an expert at 30-minute comedies, didn't streamline things and commit to this format instead. It makes more sense for something that's supposed to be as snappy as a Carl Hiaasen story. Instead, the expansion exposes the flaws in the narrative, much like the very messy third season of “Ted Lasso,” which made the same mistake.

One of the book's major twists is revealed fairly early on, and it feels like it takes away from the plot's suspense. If only Bad Monkey had been more noir and less comedy.

“Bad Monkey” premieres on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, August 14.