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I can't believe I missed this comedic gem with all its nuanced comedic flavors blended into a beautiful mess of a series. Peacock's Based on a True Story Series is a fun take on how a couple goes all out while trying to set up a successful true-crime podcast.
The couple starts off by recruiting the help of an actual serial killer to add authenticity and heft to their one-of-a-kind podcast and things keep going downhill from there.
Cast of Based on a True Story Series
The cast shares great chemistry with each other with the casting director obviously having done their work hiring the right actors for the roles.
Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as Ava and Nathan Bartlett are an amazing choice for this series with Cuoco's "wtf is even happening expression" and Messina's general sloppy dad vibes. Cuoco's frenzied acting anchors the whole show while Messina plays the pathetic husband trying to get his mojo back.
Tom Bateman as Matt Pierce, the alleged serial killer, is a great fit for playing someone who is constantly on the edge and always just a few moments from killing someone brutally.
Priscilla Quintana does a great job of playing a trophy wife named Ruby Gale whose life's purpose seems to be to post Instagram Reels of her working out. She brings as much depth as can be brought to such a role while looking like a tan version of the present-day Megan Fox.
June Diane Raphael and Jessica St. Clair as the Lipinski sisters do a great job in their cameos of being True Crime showrunners (podcast).
Liana Liberato plays Tory Thompson who is Ava Bartlett's sister and still finding her way as a person. While she does not have much of a role in the first season, she is a part of significant plot points in the second season
Season 1
Just like Psych, I don't understand why I like the Based on a True Story series, but I continue to watch it. It clearly has a lot of dark material in the plot but somehow it makes you laugh more than anything else. Even the alleged killer is extremely scary-looking and capable of great menace and malice.
But the fact that this tale is told from the perspective of a middle-class couple with a child on the way makes the whole serial killer issue a part of their daily struggle.
Kaley Cuoco's weird facial expressions combined with Chris Messina's general look of aimlessness, and confusion make them a perfect fit to play the roles of Ava and Nathan Bartlett. Kaley Cuoco is being seen in a lot of murder mysteries and thrillers lately ranging from The Flight Attendant series to the Meet Cute movie.
The first episode's non-linear storytelling approach works well. It introduces us to the first lethal crime that sets everything in motion for the Bartletts. Also, the fact that the actor playing the killer's real name is Tom Bateman is a little funny, considering that it sounds so similar to Norman Bates of Psycho fame.
I am glad that Natalia Dyer's character Chloe Lake gets her just deserts that's been pending since her character in Stranger Things let Barb die without any issues. ( For all of you who haven't watched Stranger Things, this is a long-running gag.)
I'm sure there are plenty of other programs that explore the fascination of North Americans with True Crime and its derivatives. I personally don't understand this twisted obsession with something this morbid as mainstream entertainment on par with sitcoms and sci-fi even if I understand the logic behind it (on paper).
Apparently, the reason why people get into True Crime is to delve into the minds of both the killers and the victims in order to experience what they went through. Another reason is to tour the minds of true psychopaths and murderers while in the relative safety of your residence.
That being said this series is a meta-commentary on True Crime fans and how much they are into this genre of entertainment.
Just like Psych the humor is subtle all the way until the humor explodes into a massive gag in Episode 6 of Season 1.
While it has been used from time to time, in this series, playing out someone's fantasy violent or sexual, has been used to great comedic effect. None of such mental scenarios that play out in someone's head are gratuitous and provide much-needed comic relief from time to time, keeping things light.
The series is grounded in the problems of an average marriage in the US, with the Bartletts trying to patch things up with a serial killer while trying to solve their financial and marital problems. Probably what makes it funny is that everyday life problems seem to scare this couple way more than serious crimes and felonies do.
In one way this makes sense as the Bartletts are not into the life of crime, they have experience in living the average, soul-crushing 9-5 lives that grind people's spirits down to a nub. This explains why the Bartletts don't fear legal consequences, they have never done something illegal, also to THEM at this point in their lives doing anything is worth saving their marriage and lives.
With time, the couple's real problems with their marriage and life come to the surface, and the whole thing becomes a really risky real-life therapy session.
Season 2
The first episode of season 2 lives up to its comedy thriller tag making you laugh at something deadly serious right before the 3-minute mark.
The gag covers up a plot point so easily while also making for an amazing joke that turns into reality pretty quickly.
The comedy continues well into the first episode with Ava's sister Tory getting romantically involved with the serial killer (The Westside Ripper) who is at the center of the whole Bartlett mess.
The second season focuses on Matt Pierce's growth as a person, Ava trying to claw her way to financial stability and Nathan attempting to relive his glory years by facing his nemesis. Things get hilariously awkward and proportionately ridiculous, compounding the humor, and keeping us thoroughly entertained throughout.
Fun Moments in the Second Season
There are moments where Messina's Nathan calms down the serial killer every time he feels triggered which is hilarious, to say the least. There is also the background music that just gets weirder and wackier with each episode.
One of the best jokes is Kaley Cuoco trying to make mundane conversation at a s3x party without breaking character as a new mother rekindling the spark in the marriage. The humor arises from the ridiculousness of the situation in which the Bartletts try to solve their everyday problems in the background of truly scandalous and possible events unfolding around them.
Another thing I enjoyed was seeing Ava Bartlett's abrasive crassness pitted against Matt Pierce's stone-cold and literal killer instinct. This is done in one effortless shot while Nathan Bartlett is confronting his career nemesis just a few feet away on a tennis court.
Melissa Fumero makes an appearance in the second season which is revealed as a delicious Easter egg at the end of the first episode. In certain scenes with Fumero it feels like there's a crossover between Brooklyn Nine-Nine and another sitcom or action comedy.
They also poke fun at the instant internet fame that people experience with their TikTok, Instagram, or other accounts. But it is woven into the narrative of the series as a meaningful detail that adds to the plot.
Should You Watch It? Yes!
This is a funny series with a lot of subtle humor that unwraps over the episodes and will keep you watching until the laughs arrive and then some. Watch the series for an unconventional approach to comedy, unexpected laughs and great storytelling.