Vince Vaughn has confirmed that Bad Monkey Season 2 won’t be adapting Carl Hiaasen’s sequel novel Razor Girl, so what’s actually happening?
Speaking at SXSW, Vaughn described the upcoming Apple TV+ season as an “interim one, in between” the two novels. In other words, the show is taking a detour into original territory before eventually getting to Razor Girl, which Vaughn says remains the long-term plan should the season perform well. He also revealed that “David Dobkin, the director of Wedding Crashers, came in and did a bunch of episodes”, and that shooting has taken place in Florida.
The reason comes down to structure. Bad Monkey Season 1 ended without any loose threads carrying into a new chapter, mirroring the source novel, which has no direct lead-in to Razor Girl. Rather than make a jarring leap straight into the sequel book, the creative team decided to bridge the gap with an original story first.
The upside is that an original season opens the door for creative freedom, including the potential return of characters who wouldn’t naturally appear in a Razor Girl adaptation. Fans will just have to wait a little longer before Yancy’s story catches up with Hiaasen’s page.
More details about Bad Monkey season 2
Production kicked off in November 2025, though the show has swapped the Florida Keys for California this time around, lured by a $20 million state tax incentive. They’re still shooting some exteriors in Florida though, so the sunshine and chaos aren’t going anywhere. Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin has also jumped on board to direct a bunch of episodes, which is a pretty exciting get.
As for the cast, most of the familiar faces are back. Vaughn returns as Yancy of course, with Natalie Martinez as Rosa, John Ortiz as Rogelio, and Charlotte Lawrence as Caitlin all coming back as series regulars. Joining them are some new faces, John Malkovich is joining as Spencer, the head of a major South Florida criminal organization, and The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Yvonne Strahovski is playing a County State Attorney. A whole bunch of others are filling out the recurring cast too, including Peter Billingsley, June Diane Raphael, and Mo Amer among others.
No official premiere date has been confirmed yet, but with filming already underway, late 2026 feels like a reasonable bet. Either way, Yancy’s chaotic little world isn’t done with us just yet.
More details about Bad Monkey Season 2 are awaited for now.
Edited by Nibir Konwar