Bad Monkey season 2: everything we know so far about the hit Apple TV show's return

Bad Monkey season 2 is officially in production and that's very exciting news for one of the best Apple TV shows. In Bad Monkey, Vince Vaughn starts as Andrew Yancy, a former Miami PD cop turned Floridian health inspector. Well, until a human arm shows up. Then, Yancy is spiraled back into a wild world of crime, unusual characters and a touch of magical ambiguity.

As one of the best streaming services, Apple TV has become home to some outstanding original content, and Bad Monkey has been one of the platform's standout successes, especially when it comes to comedy. Based on the book of the same name by Carl Hiaasen, there's a sequel title that could well give us intel on season 2. Oh, and we've done plenty of our own detective work across the internet.

Here's everything we know so far about Bad Monkey season 2 from release date prediction, confirmed cast, plot rumors and more.

Potential spoilers follow for Bad Monkey season 1.

Bad Monkey season 2 release date

Bad Monkey season 2 might not have a release date yet, but it is officially in production, which brings us one step closer. After Apple TV announced the show's renewal in December 2024, it's taken just under a year to start filming.

And though Florida is at the heart of this show, the production has reportedly moved to California for season 2, with a $20.6 million state tax incentive, as revealed by Variety.

If I were to predict a release date then, I'd say we'll hopefully be seeing Bad Monkey return to our screens in late 2026, early 2027. The Keys are calling, after all.

Is there a Bad Monkey season 2 trailer yet?

Given the cast and crew commenced filming in November, it's no surprise that there's no Bad Monkey season 2 trailer to share just yet. As is often the case, trailers drop around a month or so before the show premieres. So, it's unlikely we'll get a trailer any time soon.

Bad Monkey season 2 confirmed cast

Full spoilers follow for Bad Monkey season 1.

It looks like most of the Bad Monkey season 2 cast are confirmed to be reprising their roles, as well as plenty of new cast announcements:

• Vince Vaughn as Andrew Yancy
• Natalie Martinez as Rosa
• John Ortiz as Rogelio
• Charlotte Lawrence as Caitlin
• John Malkovich as Spencer
• Yvonne Strahovski as Delaney
• Zavior Phillips as Eddie
• Sam Jaeger as TBC
• Nate Jackson as TBC
• Brent Morin as TBC
• Peter Billingsley as TBC
• June Diane Raphael as TBC

In August, John Malkovich joined the cast as a series regular for season 2, with Deadline reporting he'll play Spencer, "the head of a major South Florida criminal organization."

Then, in September, Yvonne Strahovski signed on to play the role of County State Attorney (per Deadline) and Zavior Phillips as Eddie: "a CPA investigating financial crimes" (per Variety).

In October, Deadline reported that Sam Jaeger would be starring in a recurring role, followed swiftly by news that Nate Jackson would also be joining (per Deadline).

And finally, in November, Brent Morin, Peter Billingsley and June Diane Raphael were all cast (per Deadline). But, unlike the other three, these last five character's details have been kept under wraps.

When it comes to the rest of the season 1 cast whose fates are yet to be announced for season 2, Lawrence revealed to Deadline: "Anybody that's still alive, that people responded to, we're going to figure out a way that they exist in our world – or at least cruise through."

Which is great news for anyone wondering whether Bonnie (Michelle Monaghan), Yancy's father (Scott Glenn), or narrator Tom Nowicki are set to return. No confirmed news on their roles yet, though, but there's hope.

Bad Monkey season 2 potential plot synopsis and rumors

Major spoilers follow for Bad Monkey season 1.

The Bad Monkey season 1 finale was pretty intense, to say the least. Not one, not two, but three characters met their end, and tied Yancy's case up with a neat Floridian bow.

Gracie, aka the Dragon Queen, was murdered by Eve, who also pushed her wheelchair-bound husband, Nick, into the ocean to drown. But, in a twist of karmic fate, Eve then met her own demise by choking on a baby carrot and falling to her death from a building.

But, that was certainly not the end for Yancy's murder-solving antics in Florida, as Rogelio approached him in the closing scenes to take on an entirely new case, telling him that he had something "not strictly police business" that he wanted him to take a look at.

So, where does that leave us for Bad Monkey season 2? Well, while season 1 was based on Carl Hiaasen's novel of the same name, Deadline confirmed that season 2 will "tell a new original story." Though Lawrence has expressed that he picked Bad Monkey because it was the only one Hiaasen has written a sequel to, called Razor Girl.

But there's been hints. Speaking to Deadline, he said: "And if you watch the opening credits, the sand thing – no one's seen it yet – there's a couple things, like a beach ball, and if people pause it when they go by a beach chair, there's a copy of that book, like a summer read sitting there. That will tell people what is next."

It's worth taking a look at the Razor Girl synopsis then, which reads: "Merry Mansfield, the eponymous Razor Girl, specializes in kidnapping for the mob. Her preferred method is rear-ending her targets and asking them for a ride. Her latest mark is Martin Trebeaux, owner of a private beach renourishment company who has delivered substandard sand to a mob hotel.

"But there's just one problem: Razor Girl hits the wrong guy. Instead, she ends up with Lane Coolman, talent manager for Buck Nance, the star of a reality TV show about a family of Cajun rooster farmers. Buck Nance, left to perform standup at a Key West bar without his handler, makes enough off-color jokes to incite a brawl, then flees for his life and vanishes."

We know there's plenty of new characters joining the cast of season 2, but none with these names (yet). So, we'll have to wait and see how closely related the source material is to the new season.

Amongst the new cast, there's returning characters from season 1, too, of course like Rosa who broke up with Yancy in the finale and quit her job, which felt very… final. But, she's confirmed to be back, so we'll have to see where the story arc takes her next.

And then there's Caitlin, Nick's daughter from season 1, who is actually showrunner Bill Lawrence's real-life daughter. With Nick now sleeping with the fishes, it carves out a totally new place for Caitlin. How any of these characters will weave back into season 2 though, it's anyone's guess.

Will Bad Monkey get more seasons on Apple TV?

There's no official news of Bad Monkey season 3 – and I imagine there won't be for some time. While season 1's renewal may have been delayed by the show's relocation, it at least came after the show premiered on Apple TV. So, for a potential season 3, we at least need a season 2.

But, it seems Lawrence is keen to keep going. After all, when Lawrence pitched it to Apple TV, he told The Hollywood Reporter: "I had a beginning, middle and end of a three-season arc for this character, and for who he would be and where he would get to – and they were really receptive to it."

Does a three-season arc need a third book from Hiaasen though? Speaking to Deadline, he said it does depends on whether Hiaasen writes another novel: "There's no third book written, but the joke for me is either pressuring Carl to write one or taking one of his old ones and making Yancy the lead.

"It's so much easier when you use an amazing source material, and the dude is really good, he's a classic American satirist and also a good guy."

When there's any official news of renewal, we'll update it here.

For more Apple TV+ coverage, read our guides on Ted Lasso season 4, Foundation season 3, Presumed Innocent season 2, and Silo season 3.