‘Based on a True Story’ brings a ‘You’-like vibe to a twisty, darkly comic series

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN

(CNN) — Kaley Cuoco continues to burnish her post-“Big Bang Theory” credentials as a streaming queen with “Based on a True Story,” a twisty, darkly comic series with strong echoes of two Netflix shows, “You” and “Dead to Me.” The series likely won’t rival either on Peacock – a service that tends to fly under the radar – but those who find it won’t be disappointed.

A testament to upper-middle-class angst, “Based on a True Story” weds a few things America loves – podcasts, serial killers, and true-crime podcasts about serial killers – with the financial troubles of Ava (Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina, recently seen stealing scenes in “Air”), who are laboring to keep up with their wealthier friends from Los Angeles’ westside.

Adding to the burden, Nathan gets demoted in his job as a tennis pro at a posh club. Just then, Matt (Tom Bateman, who co-starred in Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot movies), a friendly plumber, enters their lives, offering an unexpected opportunity to try cashing in on the everyone-has-a-podcast bounty.

Not much more about “Based on a True Story” should be spoiled, but the central couple is repeatedly tested regarding their morals and values, and after “selling my soul,” as Nathan puts it, how far they’ll go to protect their investment.

Adding to the buzz factor, Cuoco shot the show while conspicuously pregnant, a wrinkle the producers (and wardrobe people) worked into the story, with the question of becoming parents adding to their apprehensions about both money and what kind of example they’re setting for their unborn child.

In addition to the recent Peacock rom-com “Meet Cute” with Pete Davidson, Cuoco already had a streaming hit in the HBO Max series “The Flight Attendant,” another serialized exercise in which an ordinary person (here, couple) gets drawn into an extraordinary set of circumstances. The cautionary note is that show pretty much went off the rails in its second season, and after eight episodes, “Based on a True Story” closes with a cliffhanger, inviting the challenge of trying to sustain its delicate high-wire act.

To its credit, so far, so pretty good, with the main quibble being that the storytelling (it’s created by Craig Rosenberg, whose credits include “The Boys”) relies too much on realistic-looking fantasy sequences, a fake-out device that becomes increasingly irritating the more times it’s employed.

At one point, Matt tells his newfound friends, “It’s really hard being good at something and no one knows it.”

Peacock continues to take some intriguing programming risks – see “Poker Face,” “Paul T. Goldman” and “Mrs. Davis” – but whether that lament turns out to be a metaphor for another clever series playing on a lower-profile streaming service remains to be seen.

“Based on a True Story” premieres June 8 on Peacock.

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