Peacock apparently was tired of sitting on the sidelines watching broadcast handing out surprising cancellations and decided to get in on the action with a pair of cancellations for two of its own shows.
Peacock has decided not to move forward with a third season of its hit comedy Based on a True Story, canceling the show roughly five months after season 2’s release in November 2024. A move that is both shocking and so disappointing.
Based on a True Story starred Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as a married couple struggling to keep their head above water who decide to use their love of true crime podcasts to launch their own podcast detailing the murders of local serial killer, the Westside Ripper… who just so happens to be the couple’s plumber Matt (Tom Bateman). Debuting in 2023, the show opened to rave reviews and quickly secured a second season, which took the storylines in fun new directions that eventually led to an unforgettable season finale that is sadly now going to serve as a series finale for the show. And that’s something that truly doesn’t sit well with me.
Based on a True Story deserved a final season
Because Peacock doesn’t release much data regarding the performance of its original shows’ viewership, it’s hard to know how season 2 stacked up against season 1. It’s reasonable to assume that viewership might have factored into the decision; however, that doesn’t change the fact that Based on a True Story deserved the chance to tell the final chapter in its story – especially after its season 2 finale!
Just when we thought the big bombshell of the season 2 finale was going to be that the copycat killer was Paige (Sara Paxton), the sister of season 1 Westside Ripper victim Chloe Lake, the writers threw a major curveball our way with a truly amazing, unexpected plot twist!
As the season came to a close, Matt framed Nathan as the Westside Ripper with a montage confirming that Matt had been plotting against Nathan all season long, working to frame him for the Westside Ripper murders. The plan came to fruition as Nathan was taken into custody as Matt managed to evade the authorities with Paige in tow, hinting that Matt had plans for his copycat beyond simply killing her.
The cliffhangers set up what would have surely been an unforgettable season with Nathan trapped behind bars having been framed for murders he didn’t commit and Ava forced to try to clear her husband’s name, something that surely would not be an easy task given the pair had literally gotten in bed with a serial killer. But that would have been part of the fun!
Matt’s been one step ahead of them the entire time, and we’d have loved nothing more than to see whether Nathan and Ava could finally get out ahead of him. It’d also be really fun to see what comes of Matt and Paige. Does he end up killing her in the end, or do the pair end up teaming up as a serial killer duo in season 3? There’s no telling what direction the writers might have been looking to go in, but we deserved to see the storyline unfold in a third season and final season.
Not only am I annoyed that Peacock is robbing us of a proper ending to the show, but I'm genuinely going to miss this show and its phenomenal cast. Based on a True Story was such an underappreciated TV gem with a truly brilliant cast led by the amazing trio of Cuoco, Messina, and Bateman. It's actually criminal that the show was overlooked by the Emmys, as it was such a hilarious and fun take on the true-crime obsession with incredible performances from its cast.
Based on a True Story could easily have run for multiple seasons, but ultimately, we would have settled for just one final season to tie up the loose ends from season 2. After two amazing seasons, the show deserved the chance to at least bring its story to a conclusion, even if that meant a rushed ending.