this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2026
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So what true story was Coyote vs Acme based on?
I'm aware it doesn't need to be the exact story, to be ACTUALLY based on a true story.
However, movies and TV shows are under now obligation to fit that criteria just because they put it in a title card.
Another series that comes to mind is the Fargo TV series where the intro to each episode says it's based on a true story or whatever. And that show has aliens in it and shit. It's also explicitly not based on true stories, aliens or not. Putting it before every episode is a form of dark humor.
A quick Google suggests that the original Fargo movie was also not based on a true story.
It's not a legally binding term - it can be used sarcastically, or as a plot device. Has someone been murdered in North Dakota ever? Close enough to count for Fargo. Is the Fargo show based on the movie that was released named Fargo? Maybe that's what 2 writers thought up at 3:42am on a Tuesday. WHo knows.
Specifically with Coyote v. Acme, it's one of those "no reasonable person would interpret this as being real" standard. It's a cartoon coyote. It's a joke. It should make you laugh because it's obviously not based on a true story.
You can't possibly understand that Fargo using it was a form of dark humor and then expect that a movie about a cartoon coyote should be based on a true story, right? What is this cognitive dissonance?
Jesus Christ how stupid do you think I am? I was using that movie specifically to show that your original comment I replied to (maybe go back and read it for a refresher) says that the disclaimer means that it's at least based on some sort of non-fiction.
The entire point of my reply was to point out that no, that's not the case at all. That literally anyone can put that disclaimer before anything.
There is zero requirement that anything in the story you're about to watch is true. It's a plot device.