Line #22 Series/BasedOnATrueStory


1	''Based On a True Story'' is a Creator/{{Peacock}} series that premiered on June 8, 2023. It stars Creator/KaleyCuoco and Creator/ChrisMessina.
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3	Ava (Cuoco) and Nathan Bartlett (Messina) are a couple trying to handle rising bills. Ava is pregnant, Nathan is about to lose his job as a tennis coach at a local country club, and they're living with Ava's irresponsible sister Tory (Creator/LianaLiberato). When Ava becomes convinced plumber Matt (Creator/TomBateman) is really the SerialKiller known as the Westside Ripper, she hits on a wild idea: Start a podcast on the killings with Matt giving his insight to get rich, then turn him in for more attention.
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5	But the couple learn the hard way that giving a serial killer more fame isn't the best idea...
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7	!!Tropes
8	* AloneWithThePsycho: The Westside Ripper's MO, given that he surprises lone women in their apartments and stabs them to death. A notable, non-lethal one occurs when [[spoiler:Matt comes to visit Ava unexpectedly, claiming that he's there to fix their leak, both of them knowing that he's the Ripper.]]
9	* AmbiguousSituation: Is Matt telling the truth that [[spoiler: Dahlia jumped off the balcony before he exposed her and he just claimed to kill her to make himself look more impressive? Or did he really kill her and claim it was suicide to Ava and Nathan?]]
10	* AmbiguouslyBi: Matt definitely is into women but during his ImagineSpot killing spree in Episode 6, he kisses Nathan.
11	* AssholeVictim: Whether or not she [[spoiler: jumped or was pushed]], it's hard to feel sorry for Dahlia, given she made up being the target of a serial killer for attention and money.
12	* AttentionWhore:
13	** Matt himself as for a serial killer, he's obsessed with his fame to the point he wants to start his own podcast of other killers. Nathan on two occasions calls Matt the Creator/StanleyKubrick of serial killers.
14	** Dahlia, who made up the story of escaping the Westside Ripper to be famous and using "donations" from readers for her lifestyle.
15	* BadInfluencer:
16	** The Sisters in Crime are a pair of blonde [[CaptainObvious sisters]] who lecture on being focused on victims in between bragging that their podcasts sold for $60 million.
17	** Matt becomes the ultimate exaggeration of this where the fame goes swiftly to his head and he talks obsessively about producing new "content" for his biggest and most beloved fans.
18	* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: Played for ''very'' BlackComedy. All three non-SerialKiller people involved in the podcast - Ava, Nathan, and, by that point, [[spoiler:Michelle]] - are distraught when [[spoiler:Simon shoots Nathan's beloved dog, [=McEnroe=] despite the fact that they're working with the active serial killer Matt.]]
19	* CassandraTruth: Naturally, Ava doesn't believe Matt's claims he never met Dahlia, let alone she escaped from him, thinking he's ashamed of it. It's when they're on an elevator with Dahlia (who told everyone, "I'll never forget his face") and she has no sign of recognition to Matt that Ava realizes Dahlia made the whole thing up.
20	* CareerEndingInjury: Nathan blew his knee out while playing tennis and ruined his career.
21	* ContrivedCoincidence: Matt and Ava grew up near each other, in Binghamton.
22	* DeadlyEuphemism: "New content" means that Matt is looking for new women to kill.
23	* DeathByCameo: Creator/NataliaDyer (playing Chloe) dies in the opening minutes. It turns out to be a [[HowWeGotHere flash-forward]], but she still dies before the end of the episode.
24	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Too late, Ava and Nathan realize giving a sociopathic narcissist a platform for fame can backfire. They also have to grasp how they are now accessories to his crimes and can go down with him if he's exposed.
25	* EnemyEatsYourLunch: Overlapping with TheSnackIsMoreInteresting, when Matt meets Nathan at the restaurant for the first time to propose the podcast, Nathan asks him if he can eat (and then eats) his croissant.
26	* EverybodyHasLotsOfSex: When Tory goes out for a Tinder hookup, Ava complains about how much sex (she) Tory has compared to Ava. She then finds out that all three of her married friends are having affairs and treat her as a prude for being surprised.
27	* FailedASpotCheck:
28	** From what Matt says, it should have been easy for anyone to figure out that all the donations Dahlia received from readers and fans, supposedly to help victims and hunt the Ripper down, were all going to fund a lavish lifestyle for Dahlia and her family.
29	** Invoked by Nathan after Ava dropping the burner leads to [[spoiler:[=McEnroe=] (the dog's) death and Ruby's involvement in the podcast]], blaming her for both of those things.
30	* {{Foreshadowing}}: How does Matt know so much about Ava and Nathan, and even grew up near her? Maybe seems like a ContrivedCoincidence. [[spoiler:But it's because he's working with her sister Tory.]]
31	* HistoryWithCelebrity: Ruby was apparently Creator/JessicaAlba's body double during ''Film/SpyKidsAllTheTimeInTheWorld'', and there are intimate pictures of her having sex with Music/KidRock.
32	* ImperiledInPregnancy: Ava is heavily pregnant throughout Season 1, and their plumber is a SerialKiller. Matt even [[ShameIfSomethingHappened "subtly"]] threatens her with a knife.
33	* KubrickStare: Matt wears one at the end of episode 8 after [[spoiler:the podcast gets "canceled."]]
34	* NotTheFirstVictim: Matt reveals that he has killed "seven people the police are aware of...and at least twenty more."
35	* OhCrap: Happens a lot but especially to [[spoiler: Dahlia, when she realizes she's standing in front of the real Westside Ripper, not happy about her lying to everyone on "beating" him.]]
36	* TakingYouWithMe: Early on, Matt figures out that Ava and Nathan's "evidence" is flimsy, and he responds by [[spoiler:revealing that he told the LAPD that Nathan was his alibi.]]
37	* TheseGlovesAreMadeForKillin: In the opening scene, the West Side Ripper is shown stabbing a jogger to death with a lot of focus on his black leather gloves.
38	* ThreatBackfire: It takes Matt little time to realize what "evidence" Ava and Nathan have on him is circumstantial at best. Thus, their threats to turn him in to the police aren't quite valid. He then flips it around to note that just by keeping this quiet, they've become accessories and in no time flat, have planted evidence that can bring them down if they try to expose him.
39	* TrashyTrueCrime: The exploitation of the true crime genre is the CentralTheme of the show. Ava and Nathan start the podcast about Matt even though he's a SerialKiller and they are both in serious danger, and Matt takes great pleasure in being involved. The Sisters in Crime are also portrayed as pretending to be "victim-focused" but actually they only care about money.
40	* VertigoEffect: A recurring trait. A notable example is the shot of Nathan when he realizes that the police have footage of he and Matt meeting at the bar.
41	* VisibleVictimology: Matt, the Westside Ripper, only kills young white women with dark hair. Ava is incensed when she learns that Matt didn't find her "attractive enough to kill."

Context Series / BasedOnATrueStory