Bad Monkey is based on Carl Hiaasen's 2013 novel of the same name and was developed as a 10-episode drama series announced in August 2021, a partnership between Bill Lawrence's Doozer Productions and Warner Bros. Television for Apple TV+.

The project stemmed from an eight-figure, five-year overall deal that Bill Lawrence's Doozer Productions signed with Warner Bros. Television in December 2018.

Ana Villafañe was originally cast in January 2022 but was replaced in March 2022 by Natalie Martinez because the character had been written older than Villafañe's age.

Several actors were swapped out during pre-production: Ahmed Elhaj's role was taken over by Ronald Peet, and Arturo Luis Soria was replaced by John Ortiz.

For the second season, the cast expanded significantly with John Malkovich, Yvonne Strahovski, and later Sam Jaeger, Nate Jackson, Brent Morin, Peter Billingsley, June Diane Raphael, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, and Mo Amer joining in recurring or starring roles.

Filming for the first season began in February 2022 in the Florida Keys and Miami, with locations including Blue Springs in Orange City and Duval Street in Key West.

For the second season, production relocated from the Florida Keys and Miami to Los Angeles.

The series holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 70 critic reviews, with critics praising it as 'a vibrant riff on the P.I. serials of television's yesteryear' that leverages Vince Vaughn's charms, and scored 74/100 on Metacritic indicating generally favorable reviews.