The first season of Based on a True Story highlights the Bartletts, Ava (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Chris Messina), following true crime obsessive Ava’s discovery of the identity of a serial killer, the Westside Ripper/Matt Pierce (Tom Bateman). They do what any reasonable couple would: start a podcast and blackmail the Ripper to guest on it. It’s a dangerous win-win: he loves the uptick in fame without the perils of getting caught, while the danger brings passion back into Ava and Nathan’s relationship. The series is a funny, loving send-up of modern media and podcasting culture, as well as the true crime genre and the motives of those who find thrills in it. While its initial outing focused on the Bartletts, the second is all about Matt. The Westside Ripper’s past and legacy drive Season 2’s narrative, leading to a strong finale, but the series’ return can’t quite overcome a rocky start.

What Is ‘Based on a True Story’ Season 2 About?

Season 2 follows the widespread aftermath of last season’s deadly shenanigans. Ava gave birth while cleaning up a murder (of course), while Nathan’s tennis coaching career has never been more tenuous. Matt’s in a thriving, controversial relationship with Ava’s sister Tory (Liana Liberato), while in rehabilitation for his addiction to, well, murder. You can’t ever leave the past behind, which Matt finds out after new murders attributed to the Westside Ripper pop up. Has he relapsed, or is someone targeting Matt’s legacy (which could be a massive trigger)? Matt’s relationship with Tory escalates as his past comes back into the fore, and Ava turns from true crime podcasting into social media influencer culture, building to an unexpected climax.

Everything’s Coming Up Matt in ‘Based on a True Story’ Season 2
Image via Peacock

It’s a smart pivot to center this season’s storylines more on Matt and less on the Bartletts. The first season’s focus dove into how the thrills of true crime overcame the malaise of Nathan’s professional troubles and Ava’s monotonous pregnancy, and Season 2 continues that thematic focus. Of course, their lives need another fix, and Matt’s mysterious background and the aftermath of his murderous legacy are a deep potential well of drama. Bateman continues to evolve his charming but murderously intimidating character into interesting new dimensions, while the new and very forthright relationship with Tory allows for interesting family discussions of the copycat killer’s reign of terror. Cuoco also gives a strong performance in Ava’s Season 2 journey, now besieged by the perpetual perils of social media and new motherhood, while Messina nails Nathan’s insecurities and desperate attempts to reclaim his masculinity in a life that isn’t anywhere close to what he intended.

Although Bateman has never been better and the challenge and mystery of the copycat killer are engaging, Season 2 still struggles to get off to a strong start. On the one hand, Ava’s struggles with the isolation of new motherhood, her sister’s relationship, and residual guilt over Season 1’s body count are engaging and certainly trigger Ava’s true crime addiction anew, but they remove her for much of the series’ action in its first episodes. While Nathan tries to rebuild some modicum of self-respect while his relationship with Matt grows, Messina’s performance is strong, but his arc feels too repetitive at times relative to Season 1. The back half of the season builds in tension as plotlines converge and reveals pivot the narrative, but there’s a clear sense that the story ends too prematurely this time around.

Related Kaley Cuoco Hunts a New West Side Ripper in ‘Based on a True Story’ Season 2 Trailer The true-crime podcast satire returns to Peacock next month.

Altogether, this second season of Based on a True Story capably evolves the characters into interesting new directions that could fuel a solid third season, and using Matt’s legacy as the Ripper and his mysterious backstory as the centerpiece for this season’s narrative is an engaging choice. Season 2 is at its best when Bateman is driving, both due to his charismatic portrayal of the character and because of the clarity it provides to the narrative. It does get onto the tracks by the season’s back half, but foregrounding Ava and Nathan’s divergent monotonous journeys sets the season on a rocky path that’s too repetitive and takes too long to click into gear and pay off. The mystery is engaging, but Season 2 has overall difficulty matching the focus and novelty of the first.

Image via Peacock

If anything, Based on a True Story Season 2 shows that there’s more life left in the series, with the ending successfully sending the story in new directions. Cuoco, Messina, Bateman, and Liberato have command of their characters, and the new openness about the Ripper leads to interesting moments when the four are together. At the same time, Ava and Nathan spend too much of the sophomore season repeating narrative elements from the first. Putting characters in a rut as a spark for change is a tried and true dramatic convention, but the trick is to avoid the audience feeling like the plot itself is in a rut, and that’s a challenge that Season 2 doesn’t quite ace. It ends on a strong set of episodes but makes for an uneven watch overall.

Based on a True Story premieres November 21 on Peacock.

ReviewBased on a True Story Season 2 deepens Matt’s world and builds to a strong enough climax, but the season as a whole takes too much time to feel fresh and coherent.ProsTom Bateman kills it in a second season that evolves his character in new directions, and his relationship with Tory is well used to freshen the narrative.Season 2 successfully expands the series’ world and our understanding of Matt and his backstory.Evolving out of the podcasting world and into influencer culture is a smart, believable move for the series. ConsSeason 2’s narrative takes too long to find focus and give the Bartletts something engaging to do.Nathan and Ava’s character journeys need to feel more unique and distinct relative to those of Season 1.

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