# Based on a True Story (2023)

> A realtor, a plumber and a former tennis star find their lives colliding in a satirical Los Angeles serial killer story that skewers America's true crime obsession.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/123293

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, crime, thriller
- Created by: Craig Rosenberg
- Network: Peacock
- Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina, Tom Bateman, Priscilla Quintana, Liana Liberato, Natalia Dyer, April Wilkner, Li Jun Li
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19500224/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: mordant, irreverent, darkly comic, tense, satirical

## What critics say

Viewers find the dark comedy's satire of true crime obsession sharp and the lead performances magnetic, though the tone and quality reportedly fluctuate between seasons.

## Synopsis

Based on a True Story (2023-2024) is an American dark comedy thriller created by Craig Rosenberg for Peacock. Realtor Ava Bartlett (Kaley Cuoco) and her husband Nathan (Chris Messina), a plumber, find their ordinary Los Angeles life upended when their paths collide with a former tennis star and a deeply unsettling serial killer, Matt Pierce (Tom Bateman). The engine of the show is the couple's uneasy attempt to stay ahead of a murderer while the wider public turns every killing into content, feeding on podcasts and true crime fascination. Each episode mixes sharp domestic banter with brutal, sudden violence, so a marriage scene can slide into a body in the next beat. The series runs for two seasons of eight episodes each, a single continuing story with a rapid, escalating arc rather than a case of the week. Its satire of true crime obsession, delivered with a mordant, irreverent edge, sits in the vein of Dead to Me and Only Murders in the Building, though it leans harder into horror and bloodshed. Viewers who enjoy a mean-spirited, knowing take on murder culture will find plenty to chew on in its jabs at the audience itself.

## Shows like Based on a True Story

- [No Good Deed (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/157505)
- [Poker Face (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/100484)
- [Bodkin (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/157616)
- [Sweetpea (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/138302)
- [Grotesquerie (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/163086)
- [Search Party (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59512)
- [In the Dark (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/72818)
- [Only Murders in the Building (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/89469)
- [Dead to Me (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/69637)
- [Sorry For Your Loss (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/70096)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt