There is more to distinguish The Thing About Pam<\/em><\/strong> from the rest without even delving too much into its story. Unlike other mysteries that keep audiences guessing about who the killer is, this show announces it in its opening moments. It even adds that the prime suspect, Russ Faria (Glenn Fleshler), the husband of the deceased, Betsy (Katy Mixon), isn\u2019t guilty despite the overwhelming evidence that presents itself. As its title suggests, Betsy\u2019s friend Pam (Ren\u00e9e Zellweger) is the one to watch, and why precisely she does what she does isn\u2019t clear, but there\u2019s just something about her that doesn\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n The Thing About Pam<\/em><\/strong> is most stylistically reminiscent of Marc Cherry, whose series Desperate Housewives<\/em><\/strong> and Why Women Kill<\/em><\/strong> find a way to glean humor out of murders and the people who commit them. Those shows are not based on true stories in the way this show is, and there isn\u2019t the same buoyancy and quirkiness that defines them. But Pam is absolutely eccentric, and there\u2019s a certain comedy to be found in the singlemindedness of the investigating detectives and how no one is able to see that, even if she didn\u2019t necessarily do it, it\u2019s well worth questioning her because something about her is off.<\/p>\n Zellweger is one of the top reasons to tune into this series. The actress, who made her acting debut three decades ago, netted three consecutive Oscar nominations in the early 2000s, winning on her third try for Cold Mountain<\/em><\/strong>. She was largely absent for a good portion of the next fifteen years, returning in 2019 to play Judy Garland and win a second Oscar. That same year, she anchored the Netflix thriller series What\/If<\/em><\/strong>, which got cancelled after just one season. In what is only her second-ever TV role, Zellweger delivers a nuanced and intriguing performance that makes Pam hard to read but very easy to watch.<\/p>\n While traditional broadcast networks have not jumped on the bandwagon of true-crime limited series, there have been a few exceptions, including one from NBC, Law & Order: True Crime<\/em><\/strong>. Meant to be an anthology series, its first season, subtitled The Menendez Murders<\/em><\/strong>, aired back in 2017 with no word of any successive storylines. The Thing About Pam<\/em><\/strong> stands separate in that it isn\u2019t meant to be a new twist on a popular franchise, instead telling a unique story that will cover a specific and predefined period of time, with no option for a second season or further exploration of its characters.<\/p>\n What makes The Thing About Pam<\/em><\/strong> most interesting is how it reimagines scenes based on how its characters are describing them, adjusting what audiences saw happen earlier in the episode to fit the latest report offered by Pam while she is being questioned and working to cover up a hole in her story. That structure risks repeating a strategy that worked well early on in The Affair<\/em><\/strong> and then became tiresome: when too many perspectives are offered and it becomes impossible to distinguish which one is real. The subject matter here is strong enough on its own, and the way it is presented is alternately engaging and frustrating.<\/p>\n Grade: B-<\/strong><\/p>\n Check out more of Abe Friedtanzer\u2019s articles<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/The-Thing-About-Pam-2.jpg\")
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