Bad Monkey season 2 gets a big update from star Vince Vaughn, who clarifies where the show will be shooting, and gives a window for when filming will begin. Season 1 of AppleTV+’s hit Carl Hiaasen adaptation cast Vaughn as Andrew Yancy, a former detective who puts himself on the case of a severed arm, with darkly hilarious results. Bad Monkey season 2 has since been announced, as AppleTV+ seeks to double-down on Vaughn’s quirky Florida noir series, but reportedly without filming in Florida.
Reports that Bad Monkey will shift to California due to tax credits are indeed true, according to the latest update from Vaughn, who also confirms that shooting will begin in 2025 (via Collider):
“We will start filming this year. I think they have the outline for the first four episodes. I don’t want to give away too much because we kind of left it in a great place to see where a lot of different things go, but I think that what Bill has as far as what’s going on is super, super fun and interesting, and a really great next step for the characters.”
Though season 2 will indeed be largely shot in California, Vaughn says Florida is still the setting, and some exteriors will be shot there, with interiors being done on the opposite coast:
“Well, Florida is such an iconic part of that story that we’re still going to shoot the exteriors and a lot of that stuff in Florida, where it takes place, but a lot of the interiors and stuff we’re going to be able to do in California. Bill [Lawrence], who runs the show, lives there, we both have kids, and it’s true what you’re saying.”
What This Means For Bad Monkey Season 2
Season 1 Benefited Greatly By Shooting In Florida
Bad Monkey author Hiaasen is known for his Florida-set crime thrillers, and season 1 did right by its source material in shooting in Miami and the Florida Keys. Filming in real locales like Blue Springs in Orange City and Duval Street in Key West helped Bad Monkey capture the spirit of Hiaasen, who has spent his whole life living and writing in the Sunshine State.
Bad Monkey showrunner Bill Lawrence is adapting Hiaasen’s novel Skinny Dip
Shifting its operation all the way across the country to Los Angeles might help lower costs on Bad Monkey season 2, with the extra benefit of allowing Vaughn and showrunner Lawrence to work closer to home, but the move puts the show’s authentic Florida feel at risk. The show can maintain the same level of writing and acting, but still lose something essential, just by no longer shooting in the place that gave it a whole unique flavor.
Our Take On Bad Monkey Moving To California
AppleTV+ Is Looking To Cut Costs
Shooting a few exteriors back in Florida will go some way toward ensuring that Bad Monkey season 2 feels like season 1, but it’s likely that something will be lost as the show does the bulk of its filming in California. A show like Mad Men could get away with faking New York in Los Angeles, because it was largely set indoors. Bad Monkey, on the other hand, is a very outdoor show, and therefore harder to pull off without shooting in authentic locations.
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Economic reality seems to have trumped all else in Bad Monkey’s case. Having spent $20 billion on producing original content, AppleTV+ reportedly is cutting budget across the board, and those cuts will mean big changes for all returning shows (with the possible exception of Severance). It’s indeed possible that, without the move to L.A., Bad Monkey season 2 would not have happened at all. This way, at least the show gets to continue, though it remains to be seen how much it will be impacted by leaving Florida behind.
Source: Collider