The Thing About Pam | |
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Genre | Crime drama |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Keith Morrison |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 1 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Running time | 43 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | March 8, 2022 present | –
The Thing About Pam is an American crime drama limited television series detailing the involvement of Pam Hupp in the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria. It stars Renée Zellweger, Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Suanne Spoke, Mac Brandt, Katy Mixon, and Glenn Fleshler. Jenny Klein serves as showrunner for the series.
After Peacock Productions was shut down, NBC News Studios was launched with the intention of creating documentary-style content. The series was announced in May 2020 when the company revealed a partnership with Blumhouse Television. It is based on coverage from Dateline NBC and is titled after a Dateline podcast of the same name. In February 2021, the series was given a six-episode order with Zellweger joining the cast and the production as an executive producer. Filming took place in New Orleans.
The Thing About Pam premiered on NBC on March 8, 2022. It received mixed reviews from critics.
The scripted series is a detailing of the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria, which resulted in her husband Russ' conviction. When his conviction was overturned, the crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp.
Furthermore, Dateline journalist Keith Morrison provides the show's narration.[1]
No. | Title [2] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [2] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "She's a Good Friend" | Scott Winant | Teleplay by : Jessika Borsiczky and Jenny Klein | March 8, 2022 | N/A |
2 | "She's a Helper"[3] | Scott Winant[4] | Unknown | March 15, 2022 | N/A |
3 | "She's a Star Witness"[5] | Unknown | Unknown | March 22, 2022 | N/A |
4 | "She's a Loving Daughter" | Unknown | Unknown | March 29, 2022 | N/A |
On January 10, 2020, NBC announced its plans to shut down the unscripted production unit Peacock Productions. Variety reported that the decision was sparked by the rise of streaming services and a necessity for "higher-quality productions". In a statement, NBC said the company was "shifting its documentary strategy to an entirely new model" that would be "consistent with industry trends".[6] Two weeks later, on January 23, NBC News Studios was launched. Liz Cole, executive producer of Dateline NBC and the then-president of Peacock Productions, announced she would also serve as president of the new company. The studio's intent is to produce documentaries, docu-series, select scripted programming, and content for emerging platforms. At the time of its announcement, NBC News Studios had already struck partnerships with Focus Features and Blumhouse Television, with the latter revealing they were in negotiations to develop and produce scripted programs based on stories told on Dateline. In a statement, Cole said "the documentary business is certainly more robust than it ever has been. More and more people are seeking out that content".[7]
On May 19, 2020, it was reported that NBC News Studios and Blumhouse Television were developing an untitled scripted television series based on coverage from Dateline about the involvement of Pam Hupp in the murder of Betsy Faria as well as the sentencing and release of her husband Russ Faria. Since 2014, Dateline has devoted several episodes to the story and created a podcast centered around the case in 2019 titled "The Thing About Pam". In a statement, Cole said that "having been at the forefront of the true-crime genre for so long, we know better than anyone that truth is often stranger than fiction, and with the twists and turns in this case, we saw a real opportunity to present it in a scripted format". In addition to the series announcement, it was revealed Cole would executive produce alongside Jason Blum, Marci Wiseman, and Jeremy Gold.[8]
The limited series was given a six-episode order and titled The Thing About Pam on February 4, 2021, with Renée Zellweger joining the cast to portray Hupp in her network television debut and attaching herself as an executive producer through her production company Big Picture Co. It was also reported NBCUniversal Chairman of Entertainment Content Susan Rovner would oversee the series and that Jessika Borsiczky would write and serve as showrunner. In a statement, Borsiczky said the murder case she was adapting could be interpreted as both a whodunit and a character study. Additional executive producers include Carmella Casinelli, Borsiczky, Noah Oppenheim, and Chris McCumber.[9] In May 2021, Jenny Klein signed a one-year first-look deal with Blumhouse Television and joined The Thing About Pam as a writer and executive producer.[10]
Marci Wiseman, following her resignation as Co-President of Blumhouse Television in October 2020, was later removed as an executive producer for the series.[11] In June 2021, Josh Duhamel was added to the cast with Mary Margaret Kunze joining as an executive producer.[12] By August 2021, The Thing About Pam was in the final stages of pre-production with casting still underway in New Orleans. On August 24, it was announced Borsiczky had exited the series as writer and showrunner due to creative differences but that she would remain an executive producer for the time being; Klein was appointed as the new showrunner.[13] On August 27, it was reported that pre-production would be suspended for some time due to Hurricane Ida with a filming start date set for early September.[14] On August 30, Judy Greer and Katy Mixon joined the cast.[15] On September 24, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Glenn Fleshler, Suanne Spoke, and Mac Brandt were added to the cast.[16]
On September 28, 2021, Scott Winant was announced to be directing the first two episodes as well as executive producing. Filming was postponed until October 1, 2021.[4] At the second annual BlumFest in October, Zellweger spoke with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison about portraying Hupp, "Truth is stranger than fiction. She's notorious, not famous. It won't be the same as coming to understanding a person's life experiences within context. [I am] going to be researching and trying to understand just based on the limited information that's available. I'm going to play the person that you sort of illuminated in your podcast and try to understand what makes a person like that tick".[17] Throughout October, Zellweger was photographed wearing face and body prosthetics to portray Hupp.[18][19] Filming took place in New Orleans and Hammond, Louisiana.[20]
Makeup artist Arjen Tuiten said it took eighty minutes to apply prosthetics on Zellweger. "It was Arjen who did all of the work. Arjen and Benadryl. I'm allergic to adhesives, and so there was a lot of comedy in the preparation," the actress remarked.[21] Hair department head Lawrence Davis and makeup department head Carla Brenholtz said they added light touches to prosecutor Leah Askey (played by Greer), based on a look anchored in Troy, Missouri.[22] In an interview with Vanity Fair, Zellweger revealed Morrison's role as the show's narrator and said her physical transformation was "pretty much head to toe".[1] When asked why they did not cast an actress with a closer resemblance of Hupp's physical appearance, McCumber replied, "When a two-time Oscar winner calls and says, 'I'm obsessed with this story and I want to play Pam and I want to produce, you say, 'Yes, yes, yes, yes.' And our job at that point is to provide Renee and the rest of the cast with all the tools they need to embody these characters."[23]
In November 2021, the series was given a premiere date for March 8, 2022.[24] First-look images and a trailer were released in early February.[25] Upon the release of the trailer, Zellweger's use of prosthetics and a padded suit were criticized online; Libby Hall from IndieWire called it an example of fatphobia.[26]
The series held a premiere in Los Angeles on February 28, 2022.[27][28]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 47% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Renée Zellweger is visibly having fun, but The Thing About Pam's glossy take on a true crime is neither as entertaining or insightful as it aims to be."[29]
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