‘I had to be in all those pleather clothes’

Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina are back for a second season of Peacock’s Based on a True Story, a dark comedy thriller series that skewers pop culture’s obsession with true crime.

They star as new parents who, three months after welcoming a child, are returning to work — Ava to real estate and Nathan to coaching private tennis lessons — but they have a renewed interest in investigating a series of local murders.

Cuoco and Messina spoke with Yahoo Entertainment about what the new season has to offer, from Ava defending her love of true crime to the couple attending a sex party (as part of an investigation, of course).

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kaley, I know you and your character Ava share a passion for true crime. She has to defend her passion this season — have you ever had to do that?

Kaley Cuoco: Yes, to Chris [Messina]. My passion for true crime and murder — that’s one of the things that initially drew me to the show years ago. It checks so many boxes, and I laughed because I was like, “I am this person!” I watch true crime shows when I’m going to sleep. I have them in my ear. I listen to them on my drives to work. I’ve had to defend them to my partner, Tom, who watches me watch these shows as I go to sleep. He thinks there’s something mentally wrong with me. He’s like, “You should not be going to sleep to these terrifying shows! But I love it. It actually calms me down. I understand Ava in that way, that obsession. It’s also a way of escaping your own life for an hour. So many normal people make really crazy decisions and they do crazy things, so it’s very believable that this sort of shit — oh! I’ve got to tell you: That’s the first bad word I’ve said all day.

I’m honored.

Cuoco: Thank you. You should be honored. That’s the first cuss word all day. I am so proud of myself. Well, f*** it. Let’s just keep going. [Laughter] Balls to the wall. OK, no, stop. Bleep bleep.

Cuoco and Chis Messina, together: Bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep!

Cuoco (to Messina): Anyway, you talk now.

Messina: What were we talking about?

Cuoco: Don’t cuss though.

Chris, what are your thoughts on true crime? Are you unfazed by it, or do you find it weird or uninteresting?

Messina: No, not at all. It’s not weird. I think I’m just panicked in life and I don’t need any more fear. But I can totally see why other people are into it. I’ve watched it and gotten hooked thinking, “Maybe this will help me if I’m ever in a bad situation.”

Chris, I know your character, Nathan, gets back into teaching tennis this season. Tennis is having a really big cultural moment right now, thanks in part to Challengers. Have you seen that movie?

Messina: I thought it was great. Yeah. I love those actors. Josh O’Connor. I love that guy. I got the bug for playing. Last season, I took lessons leading up to the show, and this season I took lessons the entire show. Just yesterday I took another lesson. I fell in love with it. Kaley is the real tennis pro, though. She’s a badass.

Cuoco: I grew up playing, so I appreciate the sport, too. It’s awesome because you can play at all ages. It’s social, it’s good exercise, it’s usually outdoors. I can see why it’s having a moment. Also, pickleball is having a moment too! This is cliché and obvious, but being on the tennis court and having everything shut off, and being concentrated on getting that ball to go over the net — it’s very zen.

It totally is. I have to say — the fact that Ava and Nathan go to a sex party this season is in the trailer, and it really jumps out at you.

Cuoco: Why aren’t we talking more about the sex party?

Messina: You were the first person to bring that up.

Cuoco: No one cares. You were the first person who brought that up. And the first cuss word. This is a very special interview.

Messina: This is it.

Could you tease what happens in that scene for people who haven’t seen the fourth episode yet?

Cuoco: Well, we got sexy. I was really sick that day. Do you remember that?

Messina: No, you had a neck problem.

Cuoco: Oh, that’s right. I couldn’t move.

Messina: Yeah. You weren’t a lot of fun.

Cuoco: Well, it wasn’t easy. I had to be in all those pleather clothes.

Messina: Why did we go to that sex party?

Cuoco: To investigate!

Messina: Well, I think we’re trying to spice things up.

Cuoco: He has no clue I’m trying to get back on the train of investigation — Mrs. Nancy Drew — so he’s like, “She wants to go to this sex party, this is great!” But I have ulterior motives.

Messina: They really did a very authentic sex party scene, so I didn’t want to look around.

Cuoco (jokingly): Chris has been to a ton, so he knew how to prepare.

Messina: I helped them. But you couldn’t look anywhere, because everywhere you looked was a naked part.

Cuoco: Yeah. Chris was just walking around with his eyes closed.

Messina: I did most of it like this. [Covers his eyes.] There were a lot of naked people.

All eight episodes of Based on a True Story Season 2 are now streaming on Peacock.