The true story of Pam Hupp (Renée Zellweger), the seemingly prototypal suburban wife and mother who murdered her friend Betsy Faria (Katy Mixon) for her life insurance money, and nearly got away with it until she pushed her luck too far and killed again, definitely has more than enough drama to fill six episodes. But the approach of “The Thing About Pam,” at least in the four episodes provided for review, does not. Showrunner Jenny Klein effectively emulates the “Dateline” air, with help from Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison—who hosted the true crime podcast from which the miniseries is adapted—while also bringing the inherent weirdness of “Dateline” and the whole true crime entertainment complex to the fore. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this angle, indeed it’s quite innately appealing, but the easy-viewing procedural of it all, with clearly delineated villainy and victimhood straight out of the gate, makes for a story so straightforward it has no choice but to spin in circles. On one hand, “The Thing About Pam” maintains a comedic edge, but on the other, it often backs away from truly committing to the bit; you can almost feel the show fretting over how far is too far for an NBC series based on a true crime involving real people, all of whom (save Pam’s victims) are still alive.
Renée Zellweger is a phenomenally talented actress with a particular knack for voices and affects, but the show’s approach to Pam’s character is so shallow and broad that there’s nowhere for her to go but one-note mimicry, particularly in the first three episodes. That being said, after the initial murder conviction of Pam’s intended patsy, Betsy’s mercurial husband Russ (Glenn Fleshler), is successfully appealed by his defense attorney Joel Schwartz (Josh Duhamel), things do begin to get more interesting. Suddenly the master manipulator finds herself on increasingly shaky ground, and Zellweger gets more substance to work with.
Unfortunately, this does not happen until the fourth episode—also the last one made available to screen for review, leaving it unclear if the final two installments will maintain this momentum, or if this spark of life is more of a fluke. Aside from Pam, this episode also sees incompetent county prosecutor Leah Askey (Judy Greer in an impressive eyesore of a Kate Gosselin circa 2008 bob) finally taking a more dynamic turn, as preparations for Russ’ retrial finally force her to realize that “star witness” Pam might actually be a trojan horse. Prior to this point, it’s only really Joel Schwartz, seemingly the only person immune to Pam’s spell, who passes a particular threshold of dynamism. While it’s impossible to claim without viewing those final two installments, the first four do almost leave the impression that, at least as far as this version of Pam Hupp’s story is concerned, the inciting incident might be Russ’s retrial, not Betsy’s murder. Considering this does not happen until after the halfway point of the series, it’s decidedly unfortunate.