Based on a True Story: release date, cast, trailer and everything we know about the comedy thriller (2024)

There's a hoard of impressive creative talent involved in the upcoming Peaco*ck comedy thriller Based on a True Story.

It's created by Craig Rosenberg, a producer and writer on both The Boys and Preacher. It's also produced by Jason Bateman, who thanks to the likes of Arrested Development and Ozark is regarded as one of the smartest and most consistent minds in television.

Based on a True Story also has an exciting leading pair of actors in Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina, who have previously enchanted audiences in The Big Bang Theory & The Flight Attendant and The Mindy Project, respectively.

There are many other reasons to be excited for Based on a True Story, though, as its plot, trailer, and cast all suggest that it could be one of the hit shows of the summer TV slate. Here is everything you need to know about the Peaco*ck series.

Based on a True Story release date

All eight episodes of Based On A True Story will hit Peaco*ck on Thursday, June 8.

Based on a True Story trailer

Peaco*ck has released a Based on a True Story trailer. Not only does this give us a tantalizing glimpse of Cuoco and Messina as a down-on-their-luck married couple, but it teases the humor, violence and gore that should help to make Based on a True Story so gripping. You can enjoy the trailer below:

Based on a True Story cast

Kaley Cuoco is unarguably the biggest name starring in Based on a True Story, based on her starring roles in The Big Bang Theory, The Flight Attendant and 8 Simple Rules. Cuoco plays Ava Bartlett.

Thanks to the likes of The Mindy Project, Argo, The Newsroom, and, most recently, Air, Chris Messina is quite familiar to viewers as well. He'll be portraying Nathan Bartlett.

They’re joined by Da Vinci's Demons' Tom Bateman as Matt Pierce, Stranger Things' Natalia Dyer as Chloe Lake, and Light As A Feathers' Liana Liberato as Tory Thompson.

The stacked cast also includes Pandora's Priscilla Quintana as Ruby Gale, while Canadian comedian Aisha Alfa, Succession's Annabelle Dexter-Jones and Babylon's Li Jun Li also star in undisclosed roles.

Based on a True Story plot

When it comes to what Based on a True Story is actually about, think Only Murders in the Building meets You.

The official plot from Peaco*ck teases a story around a realtor, a former tennis star and a plumber living in West Los Angeles who seize a unique opportunity to capitalize on America’s obsession with true crime.

Even though they love each other, financial woes and an impending baby mean that Ava’s life as a real estate agent and Nathan’s as a tennis coach just aren’t as fulfilling as they once hoped they would be. After a chance encounter with Dyer’s bartender and Bateman’s plumber, who are mysteriously connected to a number of gory deaths in their neighborhood, Ava and Nathan launch their own podcast. Not just to try and catch the murderer, but to spice up their hum-drum lives, too.

Rosenberg previously told Deadline, he was inspired to write the show after noticing how podcasts, documentaries and fictional shows based on true stories had helped true crime become a "phenomenon" that has "dominate[d] the culture" over the last 10 years.

"Murderers have become celebrities and celebrities have become murderers, which inspired me to create this show," continued Rosenberg. "I became fascinated with the idea of a relatable married couple whose youthful dreams hadn't come to fruition and who saw the true crime tidal wave as an opportunity to change their lives and save their marriage."

There was one unexpected adjustment that Rosenberg had to make to the show after Cuoco signed up to star, though. A few weeks ahead of production Cuoco discovered that she was pregnant. She asked the creatives if Ava could be pregnant and they decided it would be fine.

"It ended up being such an interesting part of this show," Cuoco told Entertainment Tonight back in February 2023. "The show is so funny and so wacky and so strange."

How to watch Based on a True Story

Since Based on a True Story is an original series from Peaco*ck, you'll need a subscription to the streaming service to watch it. You can pay $4.99 a month for Peaco*ck Premium. But that means you’ll have to put up with ads. If they’re too annoying, you can pay $9.99 a month to be without them.

For a limited time, you can get a year of Peaco*ck for just $20.