Wednesday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: February 17, 2021

My time: 6:04, a minute slower than the record.

Theme: APES, with an additional MONKEY I/N/ T/HE/ MIDDLE.

The themed Across answers all have ape within their letters, like the apt BANANA PEEL and the much less apt AMANDA PEET ("'Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip' co-star").