Kaley Cuoco was once best known for her work on The Big Bang Theory, but the actress has been hugely successful with the jump to streaming television (which has included a long-awaited Emmy nomination). Now, after two hit shows on HBO Max, The Flight Attendant and Harley Quinn star is hopping over to Peacock for her next project.
The popular actress is coming to Peacock to star in the thriller called Based on a True Story, although the “thriller” nature doesn’t mean that she’s straying far from her comedy roots. There will be dark comedy to go along with the thrills as Kaley Cuoco plays a married woman by the name of Ava Bartlett. The show will see the lives of three unlikely people collide, and topics will include murder and the popularity of the true crime genre.
Relatively few details about the new project’s story have been revealed at the time of writing, but one thing is certainly true to life – plenty of people are obsessed with true crime. (In fact, we have a rundown of the best true crime shows that you can stream now.) It’s not clear how Cuoco’s character will affect the plot, but the main action of the series centers on a realtor, a plumber, and a former tennis star. I’m not sure that I see the leading lady of The Flight Attendant playing a plumber, but perhaps the realtor or former tennis star?
The show hails from fellow Emmy nominee Craig Rosenberg, who will serve as showrunner, executive producer, and writer. Rosenberg comes to Based on a True Story with plenty of experience on hit TV shows, including Lost, Preacher, and The Boys, which recently wrapped its third season with some major questions that will hopefully be answered in Season 4.
Jason Bateman, known for Ozark, The Outsider, and of course Arrested Development, will be working behind the camera as an executive producer. The actor is no stranger to behind-the-scenes work, as he has directed multiple episodes of both The Outsider and Ozark, although he decided not to direct in Ozark’s final season. Michael Costigan, who also worked as an executive producer on The Outsider (to name just one of his many projects) is on board Based on a True Story as an EP.
As for Kaley Cuoco, her time on The Flight Attendant proves that a darkly comedic thriller should be right up her alley in her post-Big Bang Theory career. She has certainly been successful, as she has been nominated for an Emmy for both of The Flight Attendant’s seasons so far. Although that series is one of the best HBO Max original shows to stream, there is no guarantee that it will be back for a third, based on what the actress had to say.
This will be Cuoco’s first streaming series on a platform other than HBO Max, which is the home of both The Flight Attendant and Harley Quinn. She has done some film work since the end of Big Bang Theory while still working in television, as she recently celebrated a first for her as an actress on the set of the upcoming movie Role Play.
It should be interesting to see what stars that the Peacock series finds to surround Cuoco in Based on a True Story. Whether her character is at the center of the action or not, the new project certainly found a big name in TV as one of the stars. There are no details just yet about when to expect the show to premiere, but you can get a subscription to Peacock Premium now.
