Ted Lasso’s Creator Has A New Show Coming, And It’s Gonna Star At Least Two True Detective Vets

Michelle Monaghan in True Detective HBO
(Image credit: HBO)

Ted Lasso creator Bill Lawrence has a new show on the way, and it’s looking very promising -- and has a cast that features at least two alumni of the hit HBO series True Detective. We already knew Lawrence’s upcoming series would feature actor Vince Vaughn, who starred in Season 2 of True Detective. Now, an actress from the show’s inaugural season has joined the fray, as Bad Monkey added actress Michelle Monaghan to the fold in an interesting role. 

Michelle Monaghan (who played Martin’s wife Maggie in True Detective Season 1) joins the cast of Bad Monkey in the role of Bonnie. Deadline describes Bonnie as an enigmatic woman who is currently in a toxic marriage. And apparently, she's going to make things difficult for the main character Yancy, (played by Vince Vaughn), both personally and professionally. 

Yancy is at the center of Bad Monkey, which sees the former detective demoted to a restaurant inspector living in Florida. He's then pulled into some drama when a severed arm found by a fishing tourist leads to the discovery of greed and corruption that's occuring in Florida and the Bahamas. No doubt Vince Vaughn and Michelle Monaghan will give great performances in the upcoming series, which is set to stream on Apple TV+.

Jodie Turner-Smith and Meredith Hanger

(Image credit: Late Night With Seth Meyers, The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon)

Bad Monkey Has Added Other New Cast Members

Michelle Monaghan is just one of a couple of new names announced for the series, as a couple of other notable actresses joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ series. Both Jodie Turner-Smith and Meredith Hagner are in the upcoming drama, in the roles of Gracie and Eve, respectively. 

Jodie Turner-Smith’s Gracie possesses an interesting alter ego -- the “Dragon Queen.” On the show, Gracie has a reputation in Andros as someone both respected and feared for her skills as a practitioner of Obeah. This is a spiritual practice in which people can use supernatural abilities to communicate with entities and spirits in an effort to harm other living people. It certainly explains why Turner-Smith’s character would be an intimidating force in the town, and she sounds like a character that will be interesting to watch when the show comes out. 

As for Meredith Hagner’s Eve, she’s a widow who's questioned by Yancy, and the detective apparently suspects that she knows more than she lets on. And given this series features a severed arm, and yes, a monkey, I feel his instincts may be correct. 

This definitely sounds like a series TV fans will appreciate, so I can only hope the final product is as promising as these castings and character descriptions. Because Apple TV+ has a solid track record thus far with shows like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show, one can only hope that Bill Lawrence's newest project can live up to those standards. There's no telling when we might get our first official look at the show so, at this point, interested parties will be playing the waiting game.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.