Is the Westside Ripper based on a Real Serial Killer? Explained

By Louie Fecou
Published: June 10, 2023 (Last updated: January 26, 2024)
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Is the Westside Ripper based on a Real Serial Killer

Is the Westside Ripper based on a Real Serial Killer? We discuss the serial killer from the Peacock series Based on a True Story, which has minor spoilers.

There’s a wry, satirical Peacock comedy that takes the true crime genre and highlights the current obsession with the subject humorously. A desperate couple finds a way to monetize true crime with the help of a real-life serial killer.

Kaley Cuoco, Chris Messina, and Tom Bateman star in the topical series, and so far, it has received mixed reviews.

The show was created and written by Craig Rosenberg, and if that name sounds familiar, you will have seen it on another hugely successful dark TV satire, The Boys. Although the story is a work of fiction, there has been a bit of speculation regarding the serial killer that is an integral part of the show.

The Westside Ripper is the killer in the show, but some viewers have been curious about the character.

In a show that looks at true crime and people’s incredible curiosity towards it, is there a chance that the creator would base the fictional killer on the show on a true serial killer?

Well, this cutting and incisive article is here to answer the question is the Westside Ripper based on a Real Serial Killer?

Who is the Westside Ripper in Based on a True Story?

In the show, The Westside Ripper is terrorizing women in Los Angeles. The part is played by Tom Bateman, who you may recognize from Death on the Nile and Thirteen Lives.

Is the Westside Ripper based on a Real Serial Killer?

The serial killer in the Peacock series is a fictional character, but he may be an amalgamation of many real-life serial killers. The show is set around LA, and it’s safe to say that there have been a lot of serial killers from the area.

Killers such as The Skid Row Slasher, The Scorecard Killer, The Hillside Strangler, The Night Stalker, and The Grim Sleeper are all notorious and terrifying individuals that may have been in some part an influence on the fictional creation for the show.

With so many serial killers from LA, you wonder why people would even want to live there.

Who could the Westside Ripper be based on?

One murderer that seems to have a lot in common with the Westside Ripper has been mentioned. Some true crime fans have said he could be based on The Gorilla Man. This particular whacko is known for being the first known serial killer of the twentieth century.

His real name was Earle Nelson, and he operated from 1926 and was said to be responsible for twenty-two murders.

His method was to answer adverts for rooms to let. Then he would go along and see the property and murder the poor landlady that was there to show him around.

He was eventually caught and sentenced to death.

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