Oscar-winner Renée Zellweger undergoes quite a transformation in the trailer for NBC’s The Thing About Pam. The actor puts on a “fat suit” and heavy prosthetics to play Pamela Hupp, a woman involved in the 2011 murder of her friend, Betsy Faria. The six-part limited series charts the real-life crime, which was intensely explored on Dateline episodes, and is even titled after a Dateline podcast of the same name.
As seen in the trailer, Pam Hupp is quick to blame Betsy’s (Katy Mixon) husband, Russ Faria (Glenn Fleshler) once he discovers his wife’s body. She insists to the police that Russ was violent and abusive toward her murdered friend. “You know the type,” she says to the cop.
However, Russ insists he is innocent, and quickly calls out Pam’s lies. Plus, some other people in her life also point out inconsistencies in her claims. The case gets even more complicated once it’s revealed that Betsy changed the sole beneficiary on her life insurance policy from Russ to Pam just a few days before she died.
The Thing About Pam follows the investigation into Betsy’s murder, and how it set off a chain of events that exposes Pam Hupp’s diabolical schemes and related crimes. Russ was arrested and convicted, but was exonerated later when new evidence was introduced that cast suspicion on Pam.
Zellweger, the erstwhile Bridget Jones, is a notable performer, but the show is garnering totally fair criticism online for putting her in a “fat suit” as opposed to hiring a plus-sized actor to play the lead. Last year, Impeachment: American Crime Story was similarly panned because Sarah Paulson donned a “fat suit” to play Linda Tripp. Paulson later expressed regret for wearing the costume.
The show also stars Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Suanne Spoke, and Mac Brandt. It was created in a partnership between NBC News Studios and Blumhouse Television.
The Thing About Pam premieres on March 8, 2022, on NBC.