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Crime News Based on a True Story

See Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina as True Crime Podcasters in Peacock's 'Based on a True Story'

Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina and Tom Bateman star in the upcoming Peacock series, which satirizes the true crime genre. 

By Cydney Contreras
"I’ve Really Grown Up on Television:" Kaley Cuoco on Being Pregnant While Filming Peacock’s Based on a True Story

Peacock is giving true-crime fans yet another series to binge this summer — but don't expect your usual investigative drama.

Described as a dark comedic thriller, Based on a True Story follows characters "who seize a unique opportunity to capitalize on America’s obsession with true crime," according to Peacock. Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina star as married couple Ava and Nathan, respectively.

Ava, a real estate agent, and Nathan, a tennis player, struggle to bring in more money for their growing family. The solution to their financial problems? A podcast that details their investigation into a serial killer terrorizing their Los Angeles neighborhood. They have an in to the case through their chance encounters with a bartender (Natalia Dyer) and a plumber (Tom Bateman).

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Craig Rosenberg, who serves as showrunner, creator, executive producer and writer on the show, offered a hint of what's to come when the show premieres June 8 on Peacock.

A first look image of "Based on a True Story"

"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," he teased in a statement. "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."

If that sounds enticing to you, Rosenberg said, "Please sit back and join Ava and Nathan as they try to navigate the dangerous proposal they make."

A first look image of "Based on a True Story"

Kaley Cuoco offered more details about the people at the center of the series, revealing to Vanity Fair that her real-life pregnancy was written into the show.

"I went to do some chemistry reads with the producers and some actors, and it was then that I told them, ‘Hey, what do you guys think about if Ava was pregnant?’” Cuoco shared. "They looked at me and were like, ‘Oh, my God, are you serious?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah. Sorry!'"

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Cuoco admitted that she's a true-crime fan, adding that she's a fan of NBC's Dateline, which she regularly watches. "I am obsessed with true crime. You really can’t believe what people will do," she said.

And now, with her role in "Based on a True Story," Cuoco is living out every true crime fan's fantasy. She joked, "I’ve lived in my own Dateline ... which kind of was my dream in a way!”

To see Cuoco, Messina and more stars in the series, head on over to Peacock when Based on a True Story premieres June 8.