[20] At the second annual BlumFest in October, Zellweger spoke with Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison about portraying Hupp, "Truth is stranger than fiction. "[36] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 55 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in the conviction of her husband, Russ, but he insisted he did not kill her. It's a factor that is constantly upsetting schedules and casting calls. In February 2021, the series was given a six-episode order with Zellweger joining the cast and the production as an executive producer. Shannon Cochran (in Sexual Harassment) Linda Purl Helene Beesly is Pam 's mom, played by Shannon Cochran in "Sexual Harassment" and subsequently played by Linda Purl in episodes starting with " Niagara ." Contents 1 Season 2 2 Season 4 3 Season 5 4 Season 6 5 Season 7 6 Season 9 7 Behind the scenes 8 Appearances 9 References Season 2 Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. Watch The Thing About Pam: Becoming Pam Hupp, Watch The Thing About Pam: She's A Killer, Watch The Thing About Pam: She's A Star Witness, Watch The Thing About Pam: She's A Good Friend, Watch The Thing About Pam: Renee Zellweger Is Pam. "I mean she does it with such ease, the way that she portrayed Pam and sort of the fallout. . Variety reported that the decision was sparked by the rise of streaming services and a necessity for "higher-quality productions". Between Hupps deception and the misguided prosecution, Russ has all the blame placed on him all while grieving the death of his wife. The first time we meet Helene, she's played by Shannon Cochran. Both Russ Faria and his attorney Joel Schwartz helped advise the writers and showrunner Jenny Klein in the creation of the NBC show. Josh Duhamel will play Joel Schwartz, the defense attorney Russ hired to plead his case. With heavy makeup and prosthetics Renee Zellweger is unrecognizable until she speaks. When asked how she would respond, Adlon said she could see why Mariah was concerned and would likely feel the same in her position, but she assured that was never their intention. Turns out, the blond bombshell pulled down a measly $1,500 per episode during the first season. The slurping effect, which the duo came up with before filming began, was also used in the sound design. Everybody has a strong opinion about NBC's "The Thing About Pam," starring Rene Zellwegger and Josh Duhamel. [47] By the end of its run on April 12, 2022, The Thing About Pam had become NBC's highest-rated freshman series of the 20212022 television season. Recovering from cancer, trying to get her life back together and her only mistake was to trust the wrong person. [1] When asked why they did not cast an actress with a closer resemblance to 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.' Oscar-winning actress Rene Zellweger is making her return to broadcast TV as Pam Hupp. You can just tell that the toxic narcissistic energy that she has is just starting to eat her alive and you know, bite her in the a**," the actor said. "But what she gave me in that conversation definitely made it more personal and definitely helped form what I wanted to do with the role.". However, his troubles had only just begun when he was arrested and convicted for her death. Shirley Neumann was 77 years old and living alone in a third-floor apartment of a senior . He has also appeared in such films as A Most Violent Year and Joker. In The Thing About Pam which is based on the Dateline podcast of the same name Katy Mixon plays warm, non-confrontational, easily manipulated Betsy Faria. ', "How could you blame her for saying that? Jennifer McHugh is a Los Angeles-based writer. Still she is as always supportive and inclusive with her daughter. Since then, she has starred in Mike & Molly, American Housewife, and has done voice work in Robot Chicken, The Looney Tunes Show, and the feature film, Minions. Pams first victim, or so they thought. Did we mention its free with your cable subscription? Watch Global, HGTV, FoodNetwork, Slice, History, WNetwork, Showcase, NatGeo, Adult Swim and 24/7 Global News LIVE or VOD. The Thing About Pam. ("Threat Level Midnight"), When Jim and Pam are getting ready to attend Roy's wedding, Jim tells Cece to go inside who was playing in the yard, telling her "grandma almost has breakfast ready". She will soon begin production on the feature film The Back Nine in the role of a former golfer who set her clubs aside to make way for her husbands pro career and raise her son, only to then turn pro during the back nine of her life. In 2003, Pam and Mark move from Florida to Missouri due to Pam's possible involvement in, Best Writing in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Movie, Best Supporting Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Movie, Best Supporting Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Movie, Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series, Anthology Series, or TV Movie. He never gets the chance to tell her he might have herpes. "[45] In a more positive review, The A.V. "The writers and the showrunner spent upwards of 60 hours just. Zellweger's received criticism for donning a fat suit to play Pam Hupp (via The Wrap), the Midwestern mom and alleged serial killer.And some critics have found the comedic elements of the story off-putting. "[44] Ciara Wardlow, writing for RogerEbert.com, categorized it as "a watchable if often underwhelming true crime docudrama that wants to both be weird and play it safe, ending up in a strange middle ground between the two. She's well known for her voice work as Cheryl Tunt on Archer and for playing Kitty Sanchez on Arrested Development and for playing Bridget Schmidt in Two and a Half Men. Kimberly Potts of TheWrap said it appeared Zellweger was "thoroughly enjoying her time" as Hupp. "But it was intense. One of the things about Pam is that its no easy task to prove shes a liar. On stage, Spoke has twice won the Ovation Award, the Garland Award/LA Weekly Award for Best Performance in numerous productions and has also been awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award/Garland Award for Best Production/Producer. One of the earliest of these characters to have actual screen time is Pam's mom, Helene Beesly. As well as starring as Pam Hupp, Rene is also on hand as an executive producer. Russ Faria spent years in jail after finding wife Betsy fatally stabbed. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expo Based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in the conviction of her husband, Russ, but he insisted he did not kill her. By using the site, you consent to these cookies. 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". Patricia French has appeared in True Detective, The Good Lord Bird, The Act, Halt and Catch Fire, and Ozark. She can also be seen in "Whiplash," "Wild Prairie Rose," "Gastropod" and many others.On stage, Spoke has twice won the Ovation Award, the Garland Award/LA Weekly Award for Best Performance in numerous productions and has also been awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award/Garland Award for Best Production/Producer. You will receive a verification email shortly. The case is very interesting, so I was intrigued. It won't be the same as coming to understanding a person's life experiences within context. It stars Rene Zellweger, Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Suanne Spoke, Mac Brandt, Katy Mixon, and Glenn Fleshler. "[Back] then she was so young, when it all happened she was only 17 and she was open, but obviously still reserved. : 1) Ben Vereen 2) Michael Fishman 3) The Lincoln Tunnel 4) The Lincoln Tunnel. With Jim splitting time between Dunder Mifflin and Athleap, Pam was left back in Scranton, where she was forced to balance a job while raising the family. Spoke currently serves on the faculty at the California Institute of the Arts, where she teaches acting in the Film Directing Program and in Character Animation. The character appears twice. Duhamel made his directorial debut at the 2019 Mammoth Film Festival with The Buddy Games, which he also co-wrote, co-produced and starred in. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp. Lancaster on HBOs Lovecraft Country. Previously, he co-starred on DirecTVs Kingdom and has also recurred on Night Shift, Colony and Valor. On the film side, he has appeared in the features Game Over, Man and Venom, and hell also be seen in the upcoming feature films To Leslie and Grey Elephant., Katy Mixon plays Betsy Faria in the NBC limited series The Thing About Pam.. "I understand completely, I think I'd feel the same way," Adlon said. The Thing About Pam is an American true crime comedy-drama television miniseries detailing the involvement of Pam Hupp in the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria. New episodes air weekly on NBC on Tuesdays. What is there to say about Pam Hupp? This is the first television role for Jeff Ryan Baker. So, Josh drank bourbon in that scene.". Club's Gwen Ihnat said "The Thing About Pam does an impressive job of translating an addictive tale to the small screen. But he is looking guiltier by the minute. Thank you for signing up to Whattowatch. Zellweger serves as an executive producer on both The Back Nine and The Thing About Pam through her production company, Big Picture Co. Zellweger is known globally for her starring role as the seminal British everywoman in the film Bridget Joness Diary, for which she received an Oscar nomination, and the sequels Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Bridget Joness Baby. She also earned an Academy Award nomination as convicted killer Roxie Hart in Chicago and won her first Oscar in the category of Best Supporting Actress for Anthony Minghellas Cold Mountain., After graduating with an English degree from the University of Texas, Zellweger made her feature film debut in Richard Linklaters seminal coming-of-age film Dazed and Confused. Other film roles quickly followed, including Reality Bites, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and My Boyfriends Back. Soon after, Zellweger won the affection of audiences with her breakthrough role in Jerry Maguire., Additional credits include One True Thing, Nurse Betty, Me, Myself & Irene, White Oleander and Cinderella Man. She has also lent her voice to such animated features as Shark Tale, Bee Movie and Monsters vs. Aliens and made her television debut in the Netflix limited series What/If., Suanne Spoke stars as Janet, Betsy Farias mother and grandmother to Betsy and Russ two daughters, including Mariah Day, in the new NBC limited series The Thing About Pam.. Adlon spoke to Newsweek about portraying the character and speaking to her real-life counterpart. Purl's iteration of the character is a bit more involved. It's a documentary inside of a show. The Thing About Pam premieres Tuesday, March 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, ET: This article was updated to include Newsweek's interview with showrunner Jenny Klein. [30], First-look images and a trailer were released in early February. Zellweger's received criticism for donning a fat suit to play Pam Hupp (via The Wrap), the Midwestern mom and alleged serial killer. She most recently contributed to the book "Perform: Acting for the Screen" and was interviewed for the podcast/video "SuperImage, Ltd."Spoke is repped by The Culbertson Group. Actress Katy Mixon portrays Betsy Faria in limited series 'The Thing About Pam'. * Because it is. When the ladies of Dunder Mifflin got to the Season 2 episode "Sexual Harassment" the first episode with Pam's Mom physically present they broke down the recasting question. Katy is known for her work on CBS' Mike & Molly, ABC's American Housewife and is due to appear alongside Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon in George & Tammy later in 2022. ("Niagara"), Later, she starts to date Michael Scott, making Pam angry and Pam begins to dislike them both. "The writers and the showrunner spent upwards of 60 hours just with Russ and myself in communication just to make sure they were truthful to the story," he explained. Bath 2023 [19], On September 28, 2021, Scott Winant was announced to be directing the first two episodes as well as executive producing. Josh Duhamel most recently played The Utopian in Jupiter's Legacy, and he's also known for his performances in Las Vegas, Unsolved, and for playing Captain Lennox in the live-action Transformers movies. Mariah spoke about the show in an interview with KSDK News in March 2022 in which she shared some concerns with the tone of the drama, saying that watching the trailer made her concerned it was "kind of making a mockery of" what had happened. All of those things were really important because all those bits and pieces are what construct the person that we project our own conclusions and presumptions onto.. After that, we hear that Pam's parents are going through a divorce, but we don't see much on screen. 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