Deadline reports that Peacock’s satirical true-crime series Based on a True Story will be available to stream on June 8 on the streamer. The series comes from Aggregate Films executive producers Michael Costigan (Stoker, Ghost in the Shell) and Jason Bateman (Ozark, Arrested Development) as well as writer and executive producer Craig Rosenberg (The Boys, After the Sunset). It is produced by UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Also executive producing are Roxie Rodriguez (Predators, Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World), Melissa Blake (Sleepy Hollow, The Wilds), and director of episodes one and eight, Alex Buono (Saturday Night Live, Russian Doll).
Based on a True Story will have eight episodes and will follow a plumber, a realtor, and a former tennis star who seize an unusual opportunity to capitalize on the obsession of true crime in America.
Kaley Cuoco (Charmed, The Big Bang Theory) will star as Ava Bartlett. Chris Messina (Argo, Devil) and Tom Bateman (Funny Woman, Behind Her Eyes) will also star. The rest of the cast includes Li Jun Li (Why Women Kill, Sex/Life), Aisha Alfa (Sorry For Your Loss, Coop & Cami Ask the World), Annabelle Dexter-Jones (Succession, Red Oaks), Alex Alomar Akpobome (Twenties, Industry), Priscilla Quintana (Pandora, Good Trouble), Liana Liberato (Light as a Feather, Sons of Anarchy), and Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things, Things Heard & Seen).
Deadline quoted Rosenberg speaking about Based on a True Story in a statement released on Tuesday, saying, “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.
“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.
“Please sit back and join Ava and Nathan as they try to navigate the dangerous proposal they make.”