Based on a True Story

Series Similar to Based on a True Story

If you enjoyed Based on a True Story, these series share similar themes, tone, and quality. Each recommendation is scored on genre overlap, tonal match, and critical acclaim.

1. Barry

   2018 · Drama, Comedy, Crime · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime profile.

   Barry is a dark comedy about a depressed, low-rent hitman from the Midwest. Lonely and dissatisfied in his life, he reluctantly travels to Los Angeles to execute a hit on an aspiring actor. Barry follows his "mark" into an acting class and ends up finding an accepting community in a group of eager hopefuls within the LA theater scene. He wants to start a new life as an actor, but his criminal past won't let him walk away - can he find a way to balance both worlds?

2. The Wrong Mans

   2013 · Comedy, Crime, Thriller · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime / Thriller profile, hidden gem.

   Comedy thriller about two well-meaning idiots who become entangled in a hideous world of crime, conspiracy and corruption.

3. Impastor

   2015 · Comedy, Crime · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime profile.

   Impastor is a dark comedy about Buddy Dobbs, a slacker on the run from his gambling debt. Just when he's about to end his misery and jump off a bridge, a reverend shows up and talks him down. When the reverend slips off the bridge and falls to his death, he leaves Buddy with the unlikely opportunity to steal the man's identity and pose as the new gay pastor of a small, tight-knight town, leaving his bartender ex-girlfriend Leanne to clean up the huge mess he left behind. Buddy begins to settle into his new life as a pastor with the help of his preppy new assistant Dora, alluring church treasurer Alexa and enthusiastic secretary Russell - but the church president, Alden Schmidt senses that something isn't quite right. Curing sex crazed teenagers, stealing kids' weed and reading Bible scripture may not be a bad gig for Buddy after all. Only time will tell how long he can keep up the facade.

4. As We See It

   2022 · Comedy · ended

   Recommended for similar Comedy profile, highly rated (8).

   As We See It follows Jack, Harrison, and Violet, twentysomething roommates on the autism spectrum, as they strive to get and keep jobs, make friends, fall in love, and navigate a world that eludes them. With the help of their families, aide, and sometimes even each other, these roommates experience setbacks and celebrate triumphs on their own unique journeys towards independence and acceptance.

5. Police Squad!

   1982 · Comedy, Crime · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, highly rated (8), hidden gem.

   Police Squad! was a parody of the Quinn Martin Productions' police dramas of the 1960s and 1970s, hence the use of "In Color" by the narrator. The show's main staple of entertainment came from sight gags (such as a tow truck being a truck in the shape of a big toe) and misunderstandings in dialogue, mostly from people taking things extremely literally. Several great routines came from these misunderstandings that left characters in the scene very confused, but left the audience with loads of humor.

6. No Activity

   2015 · Comedy, Crime · ended

   Recommended for similar Crime profile, hidden gem.

   An improvised comedy that follows two detectives on a stakeout, waiting for the action to unfold a look at what happens when nothing is happening. The narrative juxtaposes a snails-paced crime story with the rapidly expanding personal stories of the two detectives as they riff on the oddities of life, work, love, family, hopes, regrets and everything in between.

7. Peter Kay's Car Share

   2015 · Comedy · ended

   Recommended for similar Comedy profile, highly rated (8), hidden gem.

   John and Kayleigh have been thrown together in a company car share scheme.

8. Review

   2014 · Comedy · ended

   Recommended for similar Comedy profile, highly rated (8), hidden gem.

   Review with Forrest MacNeil is a half-hour comedy starring [Andrew] Daly as "Forrest MacNeil." Unlike typical critics who review boring things like films, food or art, MacNeil reviews the most intense experiences of life itself... by living them. He reviews anything his TV audience throws at him: the adrenaline rush of stealing, the trauma of divorce, the harrowing effects of murder, the wonder and joy of anonymous sex and stops at nothing to show us what any and every experience in life feels like. And, for our convenience, he rates every adventure on a scale of zero to five stars. MacNeil's unwavering commitment to his work means his answers to life's most challenging questions often come at the expense of his wife, his children, his co-workers and humanity in general.

9. Vicious

   2013 · Comedy · ended

   Recommended for similar Comedy profile, highly rated (8), hidden gem.

   Vicious tells the story of partners Freddie and Stuart, who have lived together in a small central London flat for nearly 50 years. Constantly picking each other apart and holding on to petty slights for decades, Freddie and Stuart are always at each other s throats, cracking snide remarks aimed at the other's age, appearance and flaws. However, underneath their vicious, co-dependent fighting, they have a deep love for one another. Freddie and Stuart are often joined by feisty best friend Violet and Ash, their young, upstairs neighbor.

10. The Job

    2001 · Comedy, Crime · ended

    Recommended for similar Crime profile.

    Mike McNeil is an unorthodox New York detective who's trying to juggle work with his complicated personal life, which includes his wife -- and a girlfriend on the side. McNeil also smokes, drinks and abuses prescription medications. The show comes off as a semi-satirical take of contemporary ABC drama "NYPD Blue."