The Westside Ripper is a local serial killer targeting young women in LA.
Ava Bartlett (Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan Bartlett (Chris Messina) are a married couple expecting their first child. They are struggling financially. He has lost his job as a tennis coach. She is struggling to sell real estate. It is putting stress on their marriage.
To get some plumbing done, Nathan does a deal with his charming plumber Matt (Tom Bateman) to give him tennis lessons as part payment.
At a bar with Matt one evening. Bartender Chloe Lake gets flirty with Nathan. She is later killed by the Westside Ripper.
Ava discovering the news of Chloe's murder. She suspects that Matt might be more than a charming plumber. Nathan wants to ring the police but she wants to do a podcast to help with their finances.
Based on a True Story is billed as a comedy thriller. It opens with a gruesome murder. It is also inspired a lot by Only Murders in the Building but with so far less comedy and less interesting characters.
I thought the first episode was hard going as it tried to establish the characters. Only British actor Tom Bateman stood out. I don't know whether he should had been pinpointed so early on as the likely murderer. At least it gathered momentum in the final 15 minutes which makes me want to see the next episode.