From Sherlock to How to Get Away With Murder, murder mysteries have always made for a compelling watch. A delightful sub-genre of this category is the cozy murder mystery, which blends comedy and murder with a lighthearted approach to crime solving. This includes movies like Knives Out and Glass Onion, as well as TV shows like Psych, and, of course, Only Murders in the Building.
With four seasons and counting, Only Murders in the Building continues its tried and true structure of having its central trio — Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) — investigate a murder that took place in the building each season with their podcast. Season 4 ended with higher stakes than ever and a new murder that’s hit especially close to home for the trio, and now, Season 5 can’t come fast enough. As fans wait for the new season, now is the perfect time to binge-watch another crime comedy series, Peacock’s Based on a True Story.
‘Based on a True Story’ Is a Crime Comedy With a Delightfully Disturbing Twist
Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan Bartlett (Chris Messina) are an ordinary married couple with a baby on the way. Once at the top of their careers, they are now struggling after each being demoted. Nathan still longs for his glory days as a former tennis pro, while Ava is obsessed with true crime. In the pilot episode of the show, Ava realizes that their plumber, Matt (Tom Bateman), is the notorious local serial killer, The Westside Ripper. Rather than turn Matt in, Ava and Nathan decide to blackmail him into doing an anonymous true crime podcast with them.
While the central Only Murders in the Building trio spends their time solving murders, the Based on a True Story trio spends their time covering them up. With outrageously funny dark comedy and extremely over-the-top satire, Based on a True Story shows Ava and Nathan trying to launch their podcast while also working to keep Matt from killing anyone else. Ava and Nathan also have to hide Matt’s identity as investigations continue into his recent murders, leading the two of them to do things of which they never thought they were capable.
Like ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ ‘Based on a True Story’ Critiques True Crime
Like Only Murders in the Building, the main characters in Based on a True Story have a podcast about murder, and they get caught in the middle of a series of murders. While Season 1 focuses more on the podcast and the trio’s attempt to break into the true crime scene, Season 2 introduces a new murder mystery that Ava primarily works to solve. Both of the shows take a more humorous angle on true crime while using the central characters’ podcasts to critique the genre.
Only Murders in the Building emphasizes that each of the victims were people and gives them flashbacks in each season. Based on a True Story focuses more on satirizing and critiquing the people who make money off of true crime, particularly through podcasts. Season 2 really amplifies this critique, pushing Ava and Nathan past the line of what is generally acceptable for comedy characters in a way that is compelling, bold, and ultimately interesting. Like Only Murder’s in the Building‘s Jan (Amy Ryan), Matt is both hilarious and terrifying, simultaneously acting as an ally and an antagonist to Nathan and Ava throughout the series.
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There is another murder mystery that will keep you laughing.
Although their methods are sometimes misguided, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel are ultimately good people who want to solve murders. Ava and Nathan are in more of a gray area, having to make more and more moral compromises throughout the series in order to achieve their dreams. Based on a True Story doesn’t shy away from this, and instead leans all the way into it, really emphasizing the problems with true crime and the inherent exploitative nature of these podcasts. Based on a True Story takes the humor and true crime critique of Only Murders in the Building and adds in a major twist for higher stakes and darker humor.
Based on a True Story is available to stream on Peacock in the U.S.
- Release Date
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June 8, 2023
- Seasons
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2
- Showrunner
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Craig Rosenberg
