Kaley Cuoco has revealed that she was “always” trying to “find the joke” in the dark comedy thriller Based on a True Story.
The second season of the Peacock series follows the aftermath of Ava (Cuoco) and Nathan’s (Chris Messina) explosive true crime podcast with the notorious LA serial killer, the westside ripper aka Matt (Tom Bateman), their plumber.
The eight-part season follows Nathan and Ava adapting to their new role and responsibilities as parents, as they attempt to distance themselves from their dangerous past. Until it comes back to haunt them.
Despite some of its dark themes and frequent gruesome murders, the series is light-hearted (and joyfully chaotic) in tone and the Big Bang Theory actress said she “always” tried to “throw in a joke” so it wasn’t “too serious”.
“I'm always trying to push the comedy, even in the moments that are more grounded,” Cuoco told RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview.
“I’m like, ‘Where's the joke? Where's the joke?’ And [Chris] will be like, ‘This is a sweet moment’. I'm like, ‘I don't know. We've got to throw in a joke, it's getting too serious.’
“I am so addicted to making anything funny. But that's why I think we work so well together, because [Chris] really grounded me in these characters.”
Kaley Cuoco as Ava and Chris Messina as Nathan in Based on a True Story. Universal Content Productions
In the same interview, Messina praised his co-star’s comedic abilities for being able to bring more energy to the scene and also tell if the jokes don’t feel organic.
“She’s got a great bulls**t detector, and she knows if something's not funny,” he said about Cuoco. “She’ll be like, ‘This isn't funny’ or sometimes I'll be like, ‘Should I do this?’ and she's like, ‘No, that's funny!’ She's usually very on point.”\
Cuoco admitted that this collaborative approach to the comedy in the series also cultivated a “happy” and “enjoyable” environment for everyone on set.
“At this point, I want to do things that are fun,” she said. “We had an enjoyable set. Our crew was happy. Our cast was happy. We want to have a reason to be getting up early in the morning and coming to work. We want to entertain.”
