EXCLUSIVE: On her broadcast debut, Renée Zellweger, twice an Oscar winner, will headline and executive produce limited series The thing about Pam, which received a green light from NBC with a six-episode order straight to the series.
Based on a true crime phenomenon, the real-life story, stranger than fiction, behind Betsy Faria’s murder in 2011, which was presented at Dateline NBC, The thing about Pam is a collaboration between Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and Zellweger’s Big Picture Co.
The marquee series, one of the highest profile packages to reach the broadcast in a long time, marks the first major scripted project under the supervision of Susan Rovner, President, Entertainment Content. It also marks a return to broadcast for Blumhouse since the company’s first foray into TV with the 2012 ABC drama The river as well as the first project to come out of the Blumhouse TV partnership with NBC News Studios announced last year.
“When you think about what qualifies as a ‘must watch’, I’m not sure you could do better than Renee Zellweger’s, Blumhouse and Dateline”Said Rovner. “The twists and turns of this saga are really stranger than fiction and, in the hands of this incredibly talented artistic team, this series will bring a completely new perspective to a story that has already captivated millions.”
Written by Jessika Borsiczky (House of lies) that will serve as a showrunner, The thing about Pam is based on the murder of Betsy Faria, which resulted in the conviction of her husband Russ. He always insisted that he didn’t kill her, and his conviction was later overturned when the brutal crime triggered a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp, a role that will be played by Zellweger.
“Similar to our acclaimed and award-winning series of crimes, as The Jinx and Pointed Objects, we see this opportunity to fuel viewers’ appetite for strong and compelling stories, ”said Jason Blum, CEO and founder of Blumhouse. “This opportunity to build a powerful and scripted franchise and work with the incomparable Renée Zellweger in her first star role on open TV, with a writer as talented as Jessika Borsiczky and adapting material from the treasures of Dateline in partnership with our friends at NBC, it’s unmatched. I couldn’t be more proud of the Blumhouse team for making it happen. “
The Betsy Faria case has been examined in several episodes of Dateline, becoming one of the most popular topics of all time in the NBC news magazine. It also became the subject of the popular 2019 NBC News Dateline podcast The thing about Pam, which remains one of the most downloaded podcasts from iTunes.
“As NBC News Studios continues to build an impressive track record just a year after our launch, we couldn’t be more proud to work with this extraordinary team of contributors on our first foray into the script,” said Noah Oppenheim, president, NBC News. Added Liz Cole, president, News Studios and executive producer of Dateline: “This story resonated with the public whenever we covered it. We are excited to share it in a new way, collaborating with Renee and our incredible partners at Blumhouse and NBC. “
Dateline airs on NBC on Thursdays and Fridays, and episodes of the current season are available for broadcast the next day on Peacock.
“Like someone who hasn’t missed an episode of Dateline in 10 years, what immediately stood out to me about Pam in other true crime stories is that while on its surface it has all the twists and turns of an exciting murder mystery, it’s really a character story in your heart that the American landscape is reflected in a way back to us, ”said Borsiczky.
The thing about Pam executive produced by Zellweger, Carmella Casinelli, Borsiczky, Cole, Oppenheim, Blum, Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold. Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and Big Picture Co. will produce.
Zellweger was nominated for an Oscar four times, winning as Lead Actress in 2020 for Judy and as a supporting actress in 2004 for Cold mountain. She also won five Golden Globes and four SAG awards. Zellweger’s only previous foray on television was in the Netflix anthology series 2019 What if. Borsiczky directed an episode of the series, where she and Zellweger met, leading to their collaboration in The thing about Pam.
Borsiczky most recently wrote, executive produced and directed the next Netflix series Sex Symbol, and is also a consulting producer on the next Netflix series On the edge. In addition, she was the executive producer and directed the fourth season of Unreal on Hulu.
Zellweger is represented by Carrabino Management and CAA. Borsiczky is represented by ICM Partners, Rain Management and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer.