‘The Thing About Pam’: How NBC Took the Twisty Murder Case From ‘Dateline’ to Renee Zellweger TV Series

variety.com:

Diane Garrett Creating a scripted TV adaptation of “The Thing About Pam” was a no-brainer for NBC News executives looking to expand their IP beyond the podcast of that name and “Dateline NBC” reporting that preceded it.“We started looking into the ‘Dateline’ archives for some of the most interesting stories that they’ve told, and ‘The Thing About Pam’ immediately stood out — we’ve been covering its various twists and turns going back to 2014,” says Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News. “And I think it was clear to everyone pretty quickly that there was enough material in this story to support a scripted adaptation that would lend itself to a fresh telling.”The resulting limited series, also called “The Thing About Pam” and made in partnership with Blumhouse TV, stars Renée Zellweger in her network TV debut.

Bowing March 8 on NBC, it’s the first scripted adaptation from NBC News Studios, launched a little more than two years ago to help feed the parent company’s growing number of platforms.

Zellweger got involved after learning about the project during a Blumhouse meeting and became a producer on the series. A fan of the podcast, she and producing partner Carmella Casinelli already wanted to tell the story of Pam Hupp, a duplicitous Midwesterner eventually charged with the 2011 murder of her cancer-stricken friend.“We had actually been, like many people, trying to pursue the rights to ‘Pam’ on our own,” says Casinelli, “and when they brought up ‘Pam,’ we stopped them in their tracks and said that we have to do this with you — we were obsessed with this story.”The adaptation pulls off a tricky tone, balancing horrific mendacity with moments of levity. “Dateline NBC” mainstay Keith Morrison provides wry narration to the.