Spoiler-Free Review of “Based on a True Story” on Peacock: A Real Treat!

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“Do we have to wake up to murder every morning?”

Based on a True Story premiered on Peacock on June 8th 2023 with all eight episodes available to stream now. The comedy crime thriller stars Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina, Tom Bateman, Priscilla Quintana, Liana Liberato, and Natalia Dyer. Each episode runs for approximately 25-35 minutes.

Ava and Nathan are expecting a baby and feel like their marriage is becoming very mundane, but when Ava realizes that their plumber may be the Westside Ripper serial killer, she teams up with her husband to blackmail him into creating a true crime podcast with them from the killer’s perspective.

Here is the trailer:

Based On a True Story is the perfect mix of The Flight Attendant and Only Murders in the Building with a unique voice of its own. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Great chemistry between characters!

I honestly haven’t seen such good chemistry between a married couple on TV since Santa Clarita Diet. Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina are hilarious on screen, but also very believable as a couple. They are very relatable and the real moments between them give this series an edge.

I was worried that this series would feel like a rip-off of The Flight Attendant and Only Murders in the Building, but it channeled the quirky take on the true crime craze flawlessly while branching off into something truly exceptional of its own. 

Stand-out performance goes to Tom Bateman as Matt. Think Joe Goldberg from You without all of the whiny psychobabble. He is charming and entertaining and he absolutely steals the show!

Images courtesy of Peacock

Short episodes make it easy to binge-watch.

I got through this series very quickly. The episodes are super short and it’s so addicting! If you’re looking for a quick and easy binge-watch for the weekend, this is the show for you.

There are also some really fantastic blood-soaked moments for slasher fans. The series is more of a comedic thriller, but I personally liked that it wasn’t afraid to get a little bit messy here. After all, they are dealing with a serial killer…

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Forced crude dialogue at times…

The opening episode felt a little awkward at times because of the forced and explicit dialogue. I don’t know if the series was trying to be extra shocking, but people in real life don’t talk like this and it just felt unnatural. This calmed down as the episodes continued, however. The show was a lot more entertaining when it wasn’t trying so hard.

I also wasn’t a fan of some of the trippy daydreams/hallucinations. They felt mostly filler to me.

What happened in episode 6 (no spoilers) was completely unnecessary. It almost ruined the entire show for me, but I tried to move past it…

I also wanted more of a pop from the ending. Sure, it left things open for a new season if it gets picked up, but I guess I was looking for something a little more jaw-dropping to seal the deal.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Peacock

I’m in!

Based on a True Story is a lot of fun and very easy to binge-watch. The chemistry between our three main leads is bloody magic and well worth your time.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Based on a True Story in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

Girl Number Thirteen Lurking Promo

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “You” Season 4: Part 1 on Netflix: A New Setting does wonders for Joe

*This is a spoiler-free review for season 4 (part 1) so feel free to read on!*

“It’s you…or nothing…”

You season 4 (part one) released on February 9th 2023 on Netflix with the first five episodes available to stream now. The remaining five episodes in part two will be available to stream on March 9th 2023. The thriller-drama series stars Penn Badgley, Tati Gabrielle, Charlotte Ritchie, Tilly Keeper, and Lukas Gage. Each episode runs for approximately 45-50 minutes.

Joe Goldberg attempts to make a fresh start as Jonathan Moore in London, but he winds up caught in the middle of a dangerous whodunnit mystery.

Here is the trailer:

You (season 4, part 1) is off to an entertaining start, luring us into Joe’s twisted world once again with a few new twists to liven things up. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

You season 4 part 1 no spoilers 1

Images courtesy of Netflix

Sometimes change is good!

After the explosive season three ending, Joe left the US to start over, but can he really leave his past behind? Well, probably not and it will most likely continue to haunt him, but he’s got a new gig working as a professor in London and a new identity. There are still some ghosts lingering from his past; however, and we’ll have to see what else emerges once part two releases, but I absolutely love some of the changes to the show already.

The setting works for the most part and we have a brand new bunch of characters that all have a secret or two. Joe is transforming more into an “anti-hero” this time around, playing the role of the amateur detective. I have to say that Joe’s voice-over narration has been so incredibly funny and entertaining. I used to find him a little whiny when he obsessed over someone, but change looks good on him so far and I was actually laughing out loud quite a few times.

I also absolutely LOVE that the writers decided to turn the tables on him in season four. It’s genius! It’s really allowing Joe to shine and it’s preventing things from feeling too repetitive.

Fantastic pacing!

I got through all five episodes in one day and it was a binge-watcher’s dream! I thought each episode did just enough at the end to lure us in for more. This was always such an entertaining show, but I’m loving all of the tweaks and improvements in this department. I never felt like I had to sit through too much fluff, which was great.

The Cons:

You season 4 part 1 no spoilers 2

Images courtesy of Netflix

We have to wait for the rest of the episodes!

I really don’t have many cons at all. I’m not a fan of some of the new characters, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed my watch and I can’t wait for the rest of the episodes to drop. This season is checking off all the boxes and then some!

So am I in or out?

You season 4 part 1 no spoilers 3

Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in 100 percent!

You (season 4 part 1) is addictive in all the right ways with some clever new improvements.

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on You (season 4, part 1) in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

This competition is killer…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “You” Season 2 on Netflix: Lifetime Dexter Does It Again

**This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

Obsession looks good on Joe Goldberg, played brilliantly by Penn Badgley.  After season one became a streaming sensation on Netflix, I was slightly worried that season two would not be able to deliver, but starting over in a new town gave us plenty of opportunities to witness Joe’s dark narrative come alive once again.

You (season two) began streaming new episodes on December 26th 2019 on Netflix.  Season two features ten episodes (about 50 minutes in length).  It stars Penn Badgley, Victoria Pedretti, James Scully, Ambyr Childers, Carmela Zumbado, and Jenna Ortega.

In season two, Joe moves from New York to L.A. and is determined to get a fresh start as “Will,” but things get complicated when he falls in love with his new romantic interest, Love.  He quickly becomes entangled in her family drama, which mostly involves her twin brother, Forty.  Joe tries to be a better person, but the darkness within him continues to stir, as he starts to lose self-control once again.

If you loved season one, you are probably wondering if season two lives up to it?  Let’s find out!

The Pros:

You Netflix 6
Images courtesy of Netflix

Strong supporting characters that steal the show.

As much as I love listening to Joe’s moody narrative, it can get a bit stale if we don’t shake things up with some interesting characters.  My biggest issue with season one was that I actually really didn’t like Beck as a character.  In season two, I really thought that Love had a lot of potential, but I was also intrigued by her twin brother, Forty, who is absolutely hilarious.

Joe’s new neighbors, Delilah and Ellie, are also both fantastic.  You care about their stories and they really allowed us to see Joe/Will’s struggle to be a hero you can count on.  Being a serial killer can get in the way of this; however, but these characters spark a lot of goodness within him, which really helps him grow as a person despite all of his past inner demons.

Joe’s backstory is revealed and seamless connections to season one questions.

We get a lot of flashbacks sprinkled in during the episodes about Joe’s childhood, which help us understand him a bit more.  Even though we get a new setting and characters for season two, I thought the connections to season one worked perfectly.  They weren’t forced or excessive and they really answered a lot of questions that I had without hitting us over the head with unnecessary cameos.

Really great twists.

I did not see the ultimate twist coming and I was very impressed with it, bringing me in that much more.  This show is addicting and I tend to watch it all in one sitting because I don’t want anyone to spoil it for me.  Each reveal was well timed and I actually thought this season was even better than the first.

The Cons:

You Netflix 4
Images courtesy of Netflix

Less kills than season one.

I mean, I guess that shows growth in Joe’s character, but I kind of missed seeing all of the Dexter-like kills from season one, but the ones we do get are rewarding enough.  That being said, it’s hard to continue listening to Joe’s conflicted narrative when we don’t get some surprising kills thrown into the mix to balance that out.

Can’t escape that Lifetime feel.

The show actually did originally air on Lifetime and Netflix ended up picking it up, but there are a lot of scenes that just scream Lifetime with so many over dramatic moments.  But to be honest, that’s why we are watching this.  I can’t say that this surprised me and we witness so many real and honest performances to balance this out, but there were some scenes that were just a little bit too outrageous.

So am I in or out?

You Netflix 5
Images courtesy of Netflix

I’m in 100 percent!  I really enjoyed season one of the show, but I loved season two even more. “I wolf you season two!”

This show is beyond addicting.  It’s dark and obsessive, but it also has so many genuine moments of compassion and humor. 

Stand out character:  Forty, who basically stole the show for me. 

Season two was also not afraid to make fun of itself, even having one of the characters comparing Joe’s actions to Dexter, which I appreciated.

The twists were so great and the pacing worked so well, making this show the perfect one to binge-watch.  I hope that we get a season three because this show is fantastic!

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on You in the comments section below.  Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

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**Do you love television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Once Upon a Time, Lost, Charmed, The Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural?  Do you enjoy dark fantasy, fairy-tale retellings, paranormal romance, horror, and mystery?  Then you may like my book series, Dreaming of Wonderland…available on Amazon!  Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I appreciate any feedback as well.  I really hope you enjoy!

The Dreaming of Wonderland Book Series is available here!

Free Instant Preview of The Search for Alice is available here!

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