Warning: This story contains spoilers about the plot of Based on a True Story season 1.
Only the beginning. Based on a True Story surprised viewers and characters alike with the plot twist that set the Peacock series up for a second season.
The dark comedy, which started streaming on Thursday, June 8, followed Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina) as they teamed up with serial killer Matt (Tom Bateman) to start a podcast to make money off the true crime trend.
During the season 1 finale, Ava and Nathan’s attempt to cut ties with. Matt took an unexpected turn when Ruby’s (Priscilla Quintana) dead body appeared on their doorstep.
Matt — who is also the West Side Ripper — refused to help his fellow podcast cohosts dispose of the body. The couple, who is expecting their first child, figured out a way to bury Ruby’s body and reconnected as a result. Ava and Nathan’s problems were far from over, however, when Ruby’s husband Simon showed up at their home and saw them cleaning her blood off their floor.
Ahead of the show’s premiere, creator Craig Rosenberg teased the inspiration behind the campy true crime series.
“Over the last decade, a true crime phenomenon has swept over America. Podcasts, documentaries, fictional shows based on true stories — they dominate the culture. Murderers have become celebrities and celebrities have become murderers which inspired me to create this show,” he said in a May statement.
Rosenberg continued: “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. Our Los Angeles setting — the city where everybody wants to be famous – became a vivid backdrop to our story of fame, ambition, aspiration and murder.”
Meanwhile, Cuoco defended the decisions her character makes after getting involved with Matt. “It happens all the time,” the actress told ABC earlier this month. “That’s why this was very believable to me. They are in a desperate situation, make a really ridiculous choice out of desperation and end up in a very bad place. In my opinion, they’re as bad as the killer by the end of this.”
Messina, for his part, said he developed a better understanding of the public’s interest in true crime through his role in the series, adding, “I see the addiction of it [with shows like Dateline]. For me, it’s always a nice puzzle to figure out how people got into this situation and how can I not. And if I do, how can I be saved?”
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Scroll down to find out what questions still need to be answered after the season 1 finale of Based on a True Story:
