Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina Anchor Messy, if Charming, Crime Comedy ‘Based on a True Story’: TV Review
variety.comAlison Herman TV Critic The true crime industrial complex has grown so unwieldy over the years that the true crime critique is itself a phenomenon, if smaller in scale — the mothership’s opposite, though not quite its equal.
On television, such takes run the tonal gamut from “The Investigation,” the somber Scandinavian drama about the real-life murder of journalist Kim Wall, to “Only Murders in the Building,” a silly spoof that takes loving aim at the likes of “Serial.” The new Peacock comedy “Based on a True Story” skews closer to the latter, down to its trio of aspiring podcasters in way over their heads.
But even though it swaps Manhattan for sunny Los Angeles, “Based on a True Story” is much more bleak than “Only Murders.” (Creator Craig Rosenberg had a hand in the pitch-black humor of “The Boys.”) Some of that darkness adds to the show’s appeal; more often, much like its characters, “Based on a True Story” spins out of control.
Despite the name, “Based on a True Story” boasts a premise so absurd it could only be invented. (It’s also been deemed a spoiler by Peacock, hence this review running the day all eight episodes are online for all to see.) Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina) are a married couple struggling to keep up with the Joneses on L.A.’s affluent Westside.
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