Tolstoy told us that all happy families are alike in their own way. I’d suggest that all Carl Hiaasen novels are enjoyable in their own fashion.
Apple TV+ streams “Bad Monkey,” a 10-episode adaptation of Hiaasen’s 2013 novel of the same name. The novelist’s protagonists are nearly always ex-cops of a certain age or washed-up professionals of the law enforcement-adjacent variety. They live a beachcomber’s existence and despise the developers, outsiders and greedy interlopers paving over Florida’s paradise. And, despite at least four or five decades on their odometers, they remain catnip to women, their exes included. Shot through with absurd situations, colorful characters and a sense of righteous indignation, they are wish-fulfillment romance novels for guys on the cusp of getting their first letter from the AARP. And that explains their consistent popularity.
Vince Vaughn stars as Andrew Yancy, a detective suspended after he pushed his ex-lover’S (Michelle Monaghan) much-older husband’s golf cart into the water of the Florida Keys. Yancy sniffs out a possible mystery, and a path to return to police work, when a tourist on a local pleasure cruise fishes a severed arm out of the deep. Not to give too much away, but this appendage puts him in touch with Eve Stripling (Meredith Hagner), who may be the deceased grieving widow, or a femme fatale. Or both.
Yancy’s story parallels that of Neville (Ronald Peet), a Bahamian fisherman whose family’s fishing shack is threatened by overdevelopment and whose desire to stop the bulldozers takes him into the orbit of the Dragon Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith), a local woman said to cast spells and to have outlived any number of unfortunate paramours.
In true Hiaasen fashion, the story gets its title from Neville’s peculiar pet, a monkey said to have been left behind after the filming of the last Johnny Depp “Pirates of the Caribbean” film. This encapsulates the author’s worldview and frequent theme. Once big corporations (like Disney) are done with something (be it monkey, island or paradisiacal setting), they simply discard it, much worse for wear.
It’s safe to say these stories converge in curious and colorful ways. Hiaasen’s tales and his characters tend to be effervescent, so Vaughn may be too much of a heavy for his role. Some may quibble at the “Ya, mon” characterization of the Bahama islanders, but Hiassen’s entire universe is one of stereotypes, heroes, villains, victims, vixens and fools.
This Vince Vaughn vehicle arrives less than a week after “The Instigators,” starring Matt Damon as a depressed middle-aged vet. Do these characters represent Apple’s desired audience? Or the demographics of those running the studio?
— A streamer never subtle about its target demographic, Disney+ launches “Young Jedi Adventures,” an animated extension of the “Star Wars” franchise.
— After a very brief theatrical run, Netflix streams “Daughters,” a documentary look at the relationship between young girls and their incarcerated fathers, often reduced to virtual visits. The film centers around a daddy-daughter dance behind bars, a much-anticipated chance for a face-to-face human connection.
— Netflix also streams the documentary series “Worst Ex Ever,” offering tales of deception, violence and betrayal presented in first person testimony, body-cam footage and animated recreations. Not to be confused with “Who the Bleep Did I Marry?,” the eight-season docuseries now streaming on Max. From the makers of “Worst Roommate Ever.”
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— A lagoon becomes a crime scene on “The Real CSI Miami” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: 10th Anniversary Special” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14) glances back at bits, monologues and slow jams.
— A mother and daughter fix up distressed homes as “Good Bones” (9 p.m., HGTV, TV-G) enters its ninth season.
CULT CHOICE
A daylong salute to Anne Bancroft movies includes the 1967 touchstone comedy “The Graduate” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-MA). At a time when world cinema embraced Italian beauties like Sophia Loren, Hollywood still Anglicized many Italian American names. Anna Maria Louisa Italiano became Anne Bancroft. Texas-born Paula Ragusa became Paula Prentiss.
SERIES NOTES
“Big Brother” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … A two-hour “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14) … “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14) … “Claim to Fame” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … A case requires strange bedfellows on “Tracker” (10 p.m., CBS, r, TV-14) … “Shark Tank” (10 p.m., ABC, r, TV-PG).
LATE NIGHT
Alex Wagner and Ali Macofsky appear on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Kim Kardashian, Daveed Diggs, Charlie Vickers and Jessica Keenan on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC) … Casey Affleck and Meredith Hagner visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Taylor Tomlinson hosts Moshe Kasher, Jason Ritter and Chloe Hilliard on “After Midnight” (12:35 a.m., CBS, r).
