Based on a True Story Season 2 – Review | Peacock

BASED ON A TRUE STORY Season 2 is on Peacock and this series delivers a second season as good as the first. Dark comedy and true crime (for better and worse) are still at the forefront. Read our Season 2 review of Based on a True Story here!

BASED ON A TRUE STORY Season 2 on Peacock is a wonderful treat. Whether you love or hate true crime, this one should speak to you. It both focuses on true crime and critiques the collective obsession with true crime.

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Our review of Based on a True Story season 1 here >

This second season features 8 new episodes (still with a half-hour runtime), and season 3 is heavily teased in the final episode. Season 2 of Peacock’s dark comedy take on true crime is as good as season 1, so get ready to binge-watch all eight episodes.

Continue reading our Based on a True Story Season 2 review below. Find all the new episodes on Peacock from November 21, 2024.

A (short) break from true crime

When season 2 opens, we see the new parents Ava and Nathan Bartlett just three short months into parenthood. Both are very tired – as new parents are – and they struggle to let go of all the stress. If you remember the end of season 1, everything in their murder-filled life was quite stressful.

Also, if you don’t remember, then don’t worry, there’s a nice Based on a True Story Season 1 recap at the beginning of the first episode in Season 2.

With Ava completely focused on taking care of her family, she struggles to resist her true-crime obsession. Instead, she wants to return to a career as a real estate agent while Nathan trains private tennis clients. The work with clients is fine, but their parents can be real jerks.

In any case, a series of new murders pulls Ava back in. The media is quick to think it’s the Westside Ripper back at it – which would mean Matt – but could it be that simple?! Or is a new killer copying his MO in a copycat play? Could it be a fanboy at play?!

Murder Bunny goes viral on TikTok

As Ava once again gets dragged into trying to solve the latest true crime obsession, she is turned onto TikTok. She creates a persona called “Murder Bunny” and has enough insights to immediately gain a following.

Nathan also has his fifteen minutes of fame on TikTok, but that’s for another reason. And not one he cares for. Meanwhile, Ava discovers she can use her real estate agent knowledge to investigate even further.

And yes, the fact that one of them works in real estate did immediately make me think of Santa Clarita Diet again. That series – starring Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant – also featured a loving married couple caught up in murder.

Of course, that series is about a woman who is a zombie, and they have a teenage daughter (not a baby), so they differ. However, I will say that anyone who enjoyed the Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet should expect to love Based on a True Story.

Ready for Based on a True Story Season 3?

Both Santa Clarita Diet and Based on a True Story now have more than one wonderful season. I was hoping to love Based on a True Story Season 2 and it delivered in every way. Including the new characters with Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Melissa Fumero as Drew, who becomes a friend of Ava.

These two just work perfectly together as Kaley Cuoco and Melissa Fumero have excellent chemistry and timing. Ava and Drew however don’t agree on the whole murder and true crime obsession, so they don’t share this, which does become an issue.

And yes, season 3 of Based on a True Story is heavily teased. In fact, season 2 ends in such a way that you’ll be dreading how long you have to wait for a third season. Santa Clarita Diet ended up getting three seasons, and I expect this dark comedy will get at least three seasons as well.

Watch season 2 of Based on a True Story on Peacock now!

The creator of Based on a True Story is still Craig Rosenberg with directors Alex Buono (Russian Doll), Anu Valia (We Strangers), and Jenée LaMarque (Dead to Me) in charge of the episodes in season 2.

Along with Melissa Fumero, season 2 also features Sara Paxton (Barbarian) in a key role, where she gets to be the voice of reason in this true crime-obsessed world. Sara Paxton plays the sister of Chloe Lake, who was one of Matt’s victims from season 1.

Also, we still have the same four core characters of Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina) with Ava’s younger sister, Tory (Liana Liberato), and the serial killer Matt (Tom Bateman). Plus the “Sisters in Crime” podcast duo portrayed by June Diane Raphael and Jessica St. Clair returns.

If you enjoyed the first season, get ready to fall in love with season 2 as well.

Based on a True Story Season 2 is on Peacock (all 8 episodes) from November 21, 2024.

Details

Creator: Craig Rosenberg
Directors: Alex Buono, Anu Valia, Jenée LaMarque
Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina, Tom Bateman, Liana Liberato, Melissa Fumero, Sara Paxton