# The Thing About Pam (2022)

> A six-episode dramatization of the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria, whose overturned conviction exposes a scheme involving her friend Pam Hupp.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/104273

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 42 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Renée Zellweger, Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Gideon Adlon, Sean Bridgers, Suanne Spoke, Mac Brandt, Katy Mixon
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13984270/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, unsettling, grim, measured, suspenseful

## What critics say

Audiences rate the miniseries positively, admiring its true-crime dramatization of the Betsy Faria murder and the performances at its center.

## Synopsis

The Thing About Pam (2022) is an American true crime limited series created for NBC, a six-episode miniseries built from the 2011 killing of Betsy Faria and the conviction of her husband Russ, who insisted he was innocent. Renée Zellweger plays Pam Hupp, a seemingly warm friend whose hidden schemes gradually come into focus, while Josh Duhamel plays Joel Schwartz, a figure drawn into the case and its aftermath, and Judy Greer plays Leah Askey, a character whose perspective widens the picture. Glenn Fleshler plays Russ Faria and Katy Mixon plays Betsy Faria, grounding the story in the household at its center. Each episode peels back another layer of testimony, rumor and investigative detail, so the engine is the slow pursuit of what really happened and who was lying. Keith Morrison narrates in the measured, unhurried voice familiar from long-form true crime reporting. The tone is tense, unsettling and quietly grim, with an atmosphere of small town Missouri domesticity souring into dread. Its restrained, documentary-adjacent approach and a serialized structure hold the viewer's attention across its run. Fans of The Staircase, The Act and The Jinx will find resonance in its dramatization of a real crime and a deceptively charming central figure.

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