Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina, Tom Bateman, Liana Liberato, Priscilla Quintana, June Diane Raphael, Jessica St. Clair, Melissa Fumero, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Aisha Alfa, Sara Paxton, Aaron Stanton, Kellen Patino, Matthew Law, Joe Williamson, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Briana Cuoco, Stephanie Allynne, Rory Scovel.
It is surely a certainty that in the shortness of time, Kaley Cuoco’s name will rank highly amongst the names of on screen actors whose comedic talent is off the scale; even in the most serious of roles, she carries herself in such a way that it is impossible to not applaud her skill; and when she does so in a series which sees others around her dig deep in to the serious nature of narrative, there is the sense of remarkable ease in which the tension is lightened, but also making the scene seem more dramatic than was originally pencilled out.
If testament is required then the second series of the highly enjoyable dark comedy Based On A True Story is a reveal of intent; not only does Tom Bateman and Chris Messina bring to the screen the fierce display of manipulation in their respective characters, but Ms. Cuoco offers the resolute opposition to this darkness of elevating a serial killer to the level of anti-hero, and does so with charm, grace, and an ability that just screams cool.
Picking up from the end of the first series, the former podcasters’ lives are at a crossroads, a new baby in tow, a new house which holds the foundations of death within, and the spectre of Matt Pierce still looming large over the former tennis player and his wife; it is to this that their lives are irrevocably altered as Matt and Ava’s sister start a relationship that will see all around them live in fear as a copycat killer starts to bring their own justice to the streets.
The eight-part series ask of the viewer to empathise with the original killer, to see that they can force themselves to not return to the act of senseless murder, and even then, still become embroiled in a case that reawakens Ava Bartlett’s love of solving the most heinous of crimes. To empathise with the killer is a notion too far in normal circumstances, but the quality of performance, the sheer impact on screen that British actor Tom Bateman provides, is enough to confound the emotion and root for his adaption of a man driven by the excess of darkness.
Based On A True Story is addictive, binge-worthy, detailed, unsettling, and as enjoyable as any other programme with its dynamic; a series that captures the modern-day need for opinion given credence via the medium of the internet investigation.
Ian D. Hall