Pam yells "Thanks Mom!" Dateline journalist Keith Morrison provides the show's narration. After a nearly flawless relationship, the final season of The Office found Pam and Jim's marriage seriously on the rocks. Adlon resides in Los Angeles, where she was born and raised. In a statement, NBC said the company was "shifting its documentary strategy to an entirely new model" that would be "consistent with industry trends". ET. She has been a series regular on General Hospital and Switched at Birth as well as having smaller roles in Step by Step, Judging Amy, The Division, and ER. Additional executive producers included Carmella Casinelli, Borsiczky, Noah Oppenheim, and Chris McCumber. 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. Heres how it works. The entire experience was a revelation to many diehard fans, and it offered up an endless stream of juicy behind-the-scenes details. Adlon is a passionate advocate for womens rights and various human rights causes and continues that work through UNICEFs Next Generation. There was a problem. Ilia's really beautiful . Its almost hard to watch how easily people can be fooled. Mixon is best known for her title role on ABCs American Housewife, which recently aired its fifth and final season. "Oh, wow!" she . NBC picked up the story now called The Thing About Pam starring Rene Zellweger, Josh Duhamel, and Judy Greer for a limited series that premiered on March 8, 2022. Rene Zellweger spoke to Newsweek about the true-crime drama, saying she particularly liked the way the show balances dark humor with the horrors of the case it examines. Starring two-time Oscar winner Rene Zellweger as convicted murderer Pam Hupp, "The Thing About Pam" follows the real-life story behind Faria's brutal death that was featured in several. She has also had memorable roles in movies such as 13 Going on 30, The Village, 27 Dresses, Ant-Man, and Halloween. Shirley Neumann was 77 years old and living alone in a third-floor apartment of a senior . ("Niagara"), Later, she starts to date Michael Scott, making Pam angry and Pam begins to dislike them both. Filming took place in New Orleans. On television, she has popped up on such shows as Arrested Development, Californication, Kidding, and Archer just to name a very select few. The twists and turns of this saga are truly stranger than fiction, said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, adding, This series will bring a completely new perspective to a story that has already captivated millions.. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp. Everybody has a strong opinion about NBC's "The Thing About Pam," starring Rene Zellwegger and Josh Duhamel. In February 2021, the series was given a six-episode order with Zellweger joining the cast and the production as an executive producer. The limited series stars Lily James as actress Pamela Anderson, and Sebastian Stan as drummer Tommy Lee. All Rights Reserved. The District Attorney who failed to fully investigate Pam Hupp wound up prosecuting Russ Faria twice for the murder of his wife. Pam Hupp (Rene Zellweger), who declares herself "a pillar of the community," has been intimately involved in Betsy's life while Betsy has been getting cancer treatments. [11], The limited series was given a six-episode order and titled The Thing About Pam on February 4, 2021, with Rene 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. She has series regular roles in the Netflix animated shows Pacific Rim and Battle Kitty. She also guest-starred on the premiere of Hulus Solar Opposites.. Film credits include Think Like a Dog, The Lost Husband, Love, Simon, Transformers and New Years Eve.. Gideon Adlon had her first major movie role in 2018s Blockers. Even portraying Mariah for a few months, having that moment was a relief for me. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. (6 episodes, 2022) Series Art Direction by Kirby Feagan . With heavy makeup and prosthetics Renee Zellweger is unrecognizable until she speaks. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp.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. He added that when he did speak to Faria, "he took me so much deeper into his story and his pain and the humanity of it all.". There are so many things about Pam. "[36] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 55 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Both Russ Faria and his attorney Joel Schwartz helped advise the writers and showrunner Jenny Klein in the creation of the NBC show. "But we just found that it was Pam's choices that she made, the things that are on public record from her interviews, the information that she shared, her personal narrative, it was impossible to tell it without introducing levity, because of the absurdity. She has taught at Deaf Wests Summer School and does specialized audition technique seminars as well as serving as an acting consultant for the UCLA Extension for screenwriters and UCLA/US Performing Camps. It's a workplace comedy. She always has lip balm, CBD oil, and Ilia's Skin Serum Concealer with Vitamin C. "I love Ilia. The first time we meet Helene, she's played by Shannon Cochran. Where do we even begin? Suanne Spoke has been on television since the mid-1980s. Actress Katy Mixon portrays Betsy Faria in limited series 'The Thing About Pam'. [22][23] Filming took place in New Orleans and Hammond, Louisiana. Zellweger told Newsweek: "I love an opportunity to be cheeky with something. Barnes? On television, Duhamel is known for his role on the NBC drama Las Vegas. Additionally, he lent his voice to Nickelodeons Emmy Award-winning animated series Fanboy & Chum Chum and starred in several seasons of the long-running ABC soap opera All My Children, for which he received three consecutive Daytime Emmy nominations. : It stars Rene Zellweger, Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Suanne Spoke, Mac Brandt, Katy Mixon, and Glenn Fleshler. "And [the episode] is me really being able to dig deep and I think my favourite thing is that Mariah, you can see how strong she is, you can always see her strength, but then the fact that she really got to stick up for herself. Pam Hupp is a wife and mother of two, a neighbor, a "nice lady"and a suspected murderer in mom jeans. She's lightly involved in the later seasons of the show, as well, and even makes the final cut for Michael's off-beat flick "Threat Level Midnight.". We intended for her to always play Pam's mom. Schwartz, who is portrayed by Josh Duhamel in the show, explained to KSDK that he and his client were very involved in the project. Actor Bio. I spoke to the writers just last week and they were very excited and wanted to let me know and thank me for all my hard work and time working with them.". [10] 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". Mark Hupp is the unsuspecting husband of Pam. Seth Rogen will also appear in the show, playing Rand Gauthier, the electrician who stole the tape from Anderson and Lee. "I mean, she's a real person, her family's real, [and] are here except for Betsy. 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. And they were right, there are some real strange things about Pam. [14] In June 2021, Josh Duhamel was added to the cast with Mary Margaret Kunze joining as an executive producer. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Previously, she directed an AOL original short that documents the practice of Transcendental Meditation and how it has changed the lives of teachers and students who learned the practice from the David Lynch Foundation. What's interesting is we wanted to be really careful with how we navigated the tongue-in-cheek because it's tragic. This shift in policy started much earlier than the fading moments of Season 7, though, and by the time Pam's mom was needed again in Season 6, the team was ready to bend their no stunt-casting rule to recast Pam's mom. Pam mentions that Betsy had planned to reveal "something" Russ did to her. She dates Michael Scott for a brief stint and is present during the delivery of Cece at the hospital. If only Pam had one. 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. At the time of its announcement, NBC News Studios had already attained partnerships with Blumhouse Television and Focus Features, with the former revealing they were in negotiations to develop and produce scripted programs based on stories told on Dateline. 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. Jennifer McHugh is a Los Angeles-based writer. In addition to her on-screen projects, Adlon is an active voiceover artist. Watch Global, HGTV, FoodNetwork, Slice, History, WNetwork, Showcase, NatGeo, Adult Swim and 24/7 Global News LIVE or VOD. Here is a list of the characters to watch out for. The show premieres on March 8 and also stars Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, and Katy Mixon. More recently, she's played the lead role in Judy and Anne Montgomery in Netflix's What/If. But when Tanya hit her head while trying to escape from a yacht full of would-be murderers, she . Glenn has held a variety of recurring roles over the years, including Orrin Bach in Billions, George Remus in Boardwalk Empire, Goran Pazar in Barry and multiple roles in Law & Order: SVU. Thankfully, Schwartz never gave up as he was virtually Russs only hope. Unfortunately, Anderson, who was married to Lee from 1995 . ("Roy's Wedding"), Months later, Helene called Pam at work to inform her that Cece had been infected with head lice, unwittingly revealing to the entire office that Pam had infected them with lice. [29] The theme implemented the use of an English horn, a prepared piano with coins between the strings, a harmonica, "ka-ching" sounds, a custom-made Italian instrument combining a waterphone and daxophone, and the sound of someone slurping. While Pam's mom was a less disruptive recast than those examples, it did break some pretty important rules that "The Office" had in place. Fleshler earned an MFA from the NYU Graduate Acting program. Judy Greer stars as Leah Askey in the new NBC limited series The Thing About Pam.. Michael gets upset and leaves calling her a "jerk". While speaking to Vanity Fair, which first debuted the images of the six-part limited series, Zellweger described what went into becoming Pam. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, One of those details was why on earth Pam's mom had to be recast in a show with so much continuity to its characters (per Showbiz Cheat Sheet). Opinion", "Impressive performances steer the twisty true-crime story of, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Thing_About_Pam&oldid=1140290565, Russ is interrogated and released from the station after 24 hours. Meanwhile, television producers sought to devote several episodes from Dateline NBC to Betsy's story, which uncovers Pam's past and makes her a suspect in the case. Adlon added that she'd never want to discuss their conversations in detail because she wants to "be respectful" to Mariah, but she did share some insight into what was said between them. So, Josh drank bourbon in that scene.". Zellweger had previously put on weight to play her role in "Bridget Jones's Diary" but found that this had affected her health, so she agreed to the use of prosthetics and a "fat suit" to play Pam. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). "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.". Adlon spoke to Newsweek about portraying the character and speaking to her real-life counterpart. So, go download it now. The . The film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for several awards, as was its director, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre. 25 2022, Published 8:55 a.m. Glenn Fleshler plays Betsy's husband, Russ. For more information on cookies including how to manage your consent visit our. Unfortunately, she too becomes a victim of Pams manipulation. [48], The series was one of 94 out of the 200 most-popular scripted television series that received the ReFrame Stamp for the years 2021 to 2022. She has taught at Deaf West's Summer School and does specialized audition technique seminars as well as serving as an acting consultant for the UCLA Extension for screenwriters and UCLA/US Performing Camps.Spoke participated as an actress at the Sundance Lab and on panels for ActorFest, along with judging the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. [15] By August 2021, The Thing About Pam was in the final stages of pre-production with casting still underway in New Orleans. Since 2014, Dateline has assigned multiple episodes to the story and created a podcast centered around the case in 2019 titled "The Thing About Pam". The Thing About Pam finale airs Tuesday, April 8 on NBC at 10 p.m. Feature film credits include Take Shelter, Four Christmases, All About Steve, Drive Angry, State of Play, Soul Ties and Hell or High Water, opposite Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine. One of the earliest of these characters to have actual screen time is Pam's mom, Helene Beesly. However, showrunner Klein told Newsweek: "The people we interviewed who were still in contact with Pam Hupp did let us know that Pam was aware we were making this show. Hupp is already serving a life sentence for a separate case. Morrison is a cult fan favorite with his dulcet, baritone voice, and animated narration. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Pam has a strained relationship with her mother. Later this year, he's due to appear in Blackout, Shotgun Wedding and opposite Mel Gibson in Bandit. On Halloween day of 2013, the body of Pam Hupp's 77-year-old mother Shirley Neumann (played by Celia Weston) was found on the lawn of the senior retirement community where she was living at the time. The cast of The Thing About Pam is a star-studded one that includes Josh Duhamel as Joel Schwartz, Russ' defense lawyer, Judy Greer as Lincoln County prosecutor Leah Askey, Katy Mixon as Betsy and Gideon Adlon as Mariah Day, Betsy and Russ' 17-year-old daughter. It's her mom, it's her family, and it's weird that actors are portraying the worst thing that ever happened to your life.". That Sunday morning, one of Dee's daughters stopped by her mother's house around 9 a.m., but Dee was nowhere to be found. I listened to the podcast, so I did know the background on this case. Pams first victim, or so they thought. The real-life Pam is currently serving a life sentence in prison for the 2016 murder of Louis Gumpenberger, and therefore has not spoken about the NBC show. [49], Accolades received by The Thing About Pam, Last edited on 19 February 2023, at 11:39, Best Actress in a Miniseries, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television, "Rene Zellweger Is Unrecognizable as a Midwestern Murdering Mom", "Tuesday Ratings: Sluggish Returns for NBC Comedies, "CBS Leads in Total Viewers Despite Airing Repeats; NBC's, "NBC News Will Shut Down Peacock Productions (Exclusive)", "NBC News Launches Documentary Studio for Streaming-Video Era (Exclusive)", "Keith Morrison's Voice Elevates The Thing About Pam", "NBC News, Blumhouse Set Scripted Series Based on, "Rene Zellweger To Star In NBC True-Crime Limited Series, "Marci Wiseman Exits As Co-President Of Blumhouse Television", "Josh Duhamel Joins Rene Zellweger In NBC Limited Series, "How Rene Zellweger Is Preparing to Play 'Diabolical' Killer Pam Hupp in New True Crime TV Series", "Renee Zellweger spotted in 'fat suit' playing Pam Hupp in true-crime series", "Rene Zellweger Is Unrecognizable as Convicted Killer Pam Hupp on Set of, "NBC Limited Series filming less than one hour from Baton Rouge", "Rene Zellweger on Bringing Murderer Pam Hupp To Life, Why We Love True Crime and How She Physically Prepared for the Role", "Rene Zellweger On Why 'Things' About Pam Lured Her To A Limited NBC Crime Series After Winning A Second Oscar The Actor's Side", "Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli Scoring NBC's, "Why Rene Zellweger Drinking a Slurpee Was Integral to, "Why Can't We Cast Actual Fat Actresses to Play Fat Roles? In order to protect the purity of the final product, the production crew resisted using this splashy option for short-term attention at the risk of undermining the long-term cohesion of the entire project. The case shocked the nation, becoming the subject of several Dateline episodes, and is stirring up attention once again through NBC's true-crime series, which airs on Tuesdays. The studio's "Wheel of Time" adaptation had an even more catastrophic issue when Mat Cauthon actor Barney Harris exited the show well after filming started (per Newsweek). (3 episodes, 2022) Series Set Decoration by Kristin Bicksler . Thank you for signing up to Whattowatch. All rights reserved. Needless to say, he filed for divorce from dear Pam in 2020. "[46], The premiere episode increased its viewership by 205% after seven days, from 2.9million viewers when it aired to 8.7million viewers after a week with delayed viewing across linear and DVR, as well as Hulu, NBC.com, the NBC app, and Peacock. ("Chair Model"), Helene and William Beesly separate to the dismay of Pam. As the daughter of Betsy and Russ Faria, Mariah is torn between supporting her father and finding justice for her mother. Every suburban midwestern mom needs a Pam in her life. [43] Liam Mathews at TVGuide said the "deliciously satisfying" tone was similar to that of the Coen brothers, but that its use to convey the story of a real murder would make "you feel [a] little queasy. "[41] Variety's Daniel D'Addario criticized the "uncanny" prosthetics and the appearance of a Dateline producer as a character, writing, "It'd be a shame if Zellweger's first acting gig after her Oscar-boosted return to Hollywood were, ultimately, little more than NBC cross-promotion. The Thing About Pam may seem too far-fetched to be real, but it is based on the actual 2011 murder of Betsy Faria. Jenna Fischer took the lead, explaining that "We wanted Shannon Cochran to come back. ", The Academy Award winner went on: "It's the juxtaposition of the making you comfortable to laugh and then the tragedy that's ongoing in this story that makes you stop for a second and really feel the gravity of the consequences, the decisions and the choices that this person made. An award-winning actor and producer, Suanne Spoke has made more than 150 appearances on stage/film/television, most recently on ABCs Station 19 and starring in Second Chances with Jason Nash for YouTubeTV. Poor Betsy. This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 11:39. It was a smart policy, as it allowed the less-well-known actors (many of which have since become super stars in their own right since) to develop into the characters that we all know and love. 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. She accidentally locks her in her car and calls Jim to tell him. During the date, Michael learns Helene's age and breaks up with her on her birthday. One of the earliest of these characters to have actual screen time is Pam's mom, Helene Beesly. Lincoln County prosecutor Leah Askey deems this, Producer Cathy Singer decides to devote several episodes of. In 2021, the real Pam was charged with first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of Betsy Faria in 2011 she has pleaded not guilty and is still awaiting trial. The brutal crime kicked off a series of events that exposed a diabolical scheme in which their neighbor, Pam Hupp, was deeply involved. The Thing About Pam details the murder of Betsy Faria, a cancer-stricken woman found dead in her home in Troy, Missouri, in December 2011. Cast and character guide to the new true-crime drama, The Thing About Pam. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! In a perfect world, Van Sant's vicious satire should have inspired "The Thing About Pam." The limited series does put some clever, over-the-top spins on the well-trod story; Hupp is often . "[45] In a more positive review, The A.V. Drew Scheid as Travis Hupp, the son of Pam and Mark. 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". Going on to speak about what it was like filming with Zellweger, Adlon said her co-star was able to convey Pam's "toxic" nature with ease. Brian Lowry at CNN called it a failed attempt to be "the next Fargo". Mariah was only 17 at the time, her sister Leah was 21, and she struggled with being "extremely manipulated" by those in authority around her, Adlon said.