It took a surprisingly long time for one of author Carl Hiaasen’s comedic crime novels to be adapted into a TV series, but the Apple TV Plus show “Bad Monkey” perfectly captures Hiaasen’s mix of twisty plotting and offbeat humor. Vince Vaughn stars as Andrew Yancy, a former Miami police detective now working in the Florida Keys, where he becomes entangled in a mystery that begins with the discovery of a severed arm.
Creator Bill Lawrence, best known for comedies like “Scrubs” and “Ted Lasso,” gives “Bad Monkey” a cozy, lighthearted feel, even as Yancy is dealing with some pretty unsavory characters and precarious situations. It’s an engaging crime dramedy, with an excellent cast that also includes Natalie Martinez as Yancy’s reluctant accomplice and love interest, and Meredith Hagner as a deceptively dangerous trophy wife.
If you’ve finished the just-concluded first season of “Bad Monkey” and are looking for more upbeat, amusing crime shows, here are five more to stream right now.
‘Justified’
Fellow crime novelist Elmore Leonard shares Hiaasen’s affinity for quirky characters and South Florida locations, although his stories are generally grittier and more violent. There’s still plenty of wry humor in this series based on Leonard’s Raylan Givens character, played by Timothy Olyphant. Like Yancy, Raylan gets booted from his law-enforcement job in Miami and ends up exiled to a lesser post, which brings him back to his Kentucky hometown.
Working for the U.S. Marshals Service, Raylan comes into conflict with his fellow former coal miner Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins), a charismatic criminal who serves as Raylan’s adversary and occasional ally over the course of six seasons. “Justified” features a vast supporting cast of offbeat characters in rural Kentucky — an intricate and entertaining web of working-class criminals, with Raylan as the no-nonsense lawman attempting to keep them in line.
Watch on Hulu
‘Poker Face’
Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) isn’t exactly a detective, but she finds herself solving crimes pretty much everywhere she goes, thanks to her uncanny ability to tell when anyone is lying. Charlie just can’t let those lies pass by, so she pokes her face into other people’s business, even if that business includes murder. Charlie herself is on the run from a mob enforcer after enraging his casino-mogul boss, so she travels to a new location in each episode, always finding a new crime to solve.
Created by filmmaker Rian Johnson (“Knives Out”), “Poker Face” combines clever mysteries with Lyonne’s charisma as the sarcastic, unflappable Charlie, who’s always able to joke in the face of danger. Each episode begins by showing the crime being committed, so the pleasure is in watching Charlie ensnare the person that the audience already knows is responsible.
Watch on Peacock
‘Burn Notice’
It’s easy to imagine a version of “Bad Monkey” as one of USA Network’s “blue sky” dramas, breezy procedurals with witty writing that take place in sunny locales. “Burn Notice” is the defining show of that basic-cable era, and it also takes place in Florida, featuring former CIA agent Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) confined to Miami after receiving a “burn notice.”
That official designation means that Michael has been disavowed by the agency and stripped of his resources, so he uses his skills to take on local private detective work while attempting to clear his name. Michael puts together a makeshift team of associates to help him out, and “Burn Notice” features colorful, fun episodic adventures alongside the larger plot of Michael’s quest to find out who burned him and why.
Watch on Hulu
‘Veronica Mars’
Although it takes place on the opposite end of the country, “Veronica Mars” is also set in a tourist-friendly coastal destination, the fictional Southern California town of Neptune. That’s where the teenage title character (Kristen Bell) works alongside her private detective father (Enrico Colantoni), investigating the seedy activities of Neptune’s rich and powerful.
One of the best shows with a female lead, “Veronica Mars” combines hard-boiled noir-style detective stories with teen drama, as Veronica’s investigations invariably tie back to her classmates and teachers. Veronica grows up over the course of three seasons (plus a movie and a years-later revival), but that mostly makes her more jaded, as she confronts the dark potential of human behavior. Creator Rob Thomas maintains the show’s sense of humor even as Veronica herself struggles to see the good in the people around her.
Watch on Hulu
‘Magnum, P.I.’
Set on the beautiful Hawaiian island of Oahu, this classic detective series stars Tom Selleck as private investigator Thomas Magnum, who is just as playful and laid-back as Andrew Yancy, and just as appreciative of the island paradise where he lives. Magnum has the privilege of staying rent-free in the guest house of a wealthy novelist, where he also has unlimited access to his host’s Ferrari.
Magnum’s distinctive look (mustache, baseball cap, aloha shirt) is instantly recognizable, and it defines his personality as a deceptively calm, friendly detective who is more formidable than he first appears. A Vietnam veteran, Magnum struggles with his own personal demons, but those mostly stay in the background as he solves cases using his effortless charm and keen instincts.
Watch on the Roku Channel
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