PAM HUPP IS a wife and mother of two, a neighbor, a "nice lady"...and a suspected murderer in mom jeans. Played by an unrecognizable Renée Zellweger in the six-part limited series The Thing About Pam, she's already been the subject of five Dateline NBC episodes and a hit podcast. The homicide in a small Midwestern town that unfolds is about as twisty as they come. The location: Troy, Missouri, the "sort of place that didn't make a fuss," notes wry narrator Keith Morrison of Dateline fame (see sidebar). But on December 27, 2011, "there'd be a fuss tonight." Pam's friend Betsy Faria (Katy Mixon) is killed, stabbed 55 times, the blame pinned on Betsy's husband, Russ (Glenn Fleshler). Something is off, though, and the trail leads back to Hupp. Eventually. Here's more on what makes Pam tick.
THE THING ABOUT...BECOMING A SERIES
“I binged [the podcast The Thing About Pam] on a road trip in one go," recalls Zellweger. "It's about a series of escalating absurdities that make you keep questioning how. How? How's that possible?"
The actress' enthusiasm to adapt Hupp's story for TV opened doors quickly. Says executive producer Chris McCumber: "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 and yes.''
THE THING ABOUT...THE TITLE CHARACTER
This story is from the FEB. 28–MARCH 13, 2022 edition of TV Guide Magazine.
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This story is from the FEB. 28–MARCH 13, 2022 edition of TV Guide Magazine.
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THE CHOSEN
It's a bumpy start for Jesus (Jonathan Roumie) and His followers in the fourth season of the Bible-based historical drama. They're about to face rougher terrain-and we're not talking about sleeping arrangements on the road. Jesus' cousin, preacher John the Baptizer (David Amito), has been executed by King Herod (Paul Ben-Victor), and the group is reeling from that loss. In September 8's episode, Jesus declared apostle Simon (Shahar Isaac) is now \"Peter,\" the rock of the group. They're going to need him for what's to come.
FOUND
The chains are now off in the cat-andmouse game at the center of this perpetually taut NBC thriller. In Season 1, public relations specialist Gabi (Shanola Hampton) held her former kidnapper, Hugh Evans, aka Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), captive in her basement and used him to help her team find missing people.
ELSBETH
Carrie Preston has played quirky, brilliant Elsbeth Tascioni for 14 years, through memorable appearances on The Good Wife, The Good Fight and now this warmhearted mystery. Viewers can't seem to get enough of this over-the-top Chicago defense attorney turned NYPD police consultant-and unofficial detective.
FBI
Last season ended with Special Agent Tiffany Wallace (Katherine Renee Kane) completely spent after a harrowing struggle to track down and finally kill the terrorist who murdered fellow agent and friend Hobbs (Roshawn Franklin).
RETURNING FAVORITES
Everything's coming up roses for Joan Vassos, whose search for a new romance begins our annual look at all the shows you love
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
As the third young woman hired to play The Young and the Restless' Sharon Collins in 1994, Sharon Case didn't really know if her new gig would last. \"Soaps tend to be a revolving door,\" says the actress, who had previously appeared as Dawn Winthrop on General Hospital and Debbie Simon on As the World Turns. \"I didn't have super-high expectations.\"
Only Murders in the Building
This season's investigation introduces a set of West Tower oddballs harboring secrets across the courtyard
BOLD'S KARATE KID
The Bold and the Beautiful's Sean Kanan is thrilled that he is once again playing Mike Barnes in the sixth and final season of Cobra Kai, streaming now on Netflix.
Nelly Knows Mysteries: A Fatal Engagement
LEE AND ROSEMARY COULTER, is that you? When Calls the Heart stars Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith (above) may be reuniting for this new Hallmark Mystery movie, but their roles are a far cry from the Hope Valley power couple they play on the Western romance series.
WHAT'S WORTH WATCHING
Your day-by-day guide to the week's best television