Despite the 46% rating for The Thing About Pam on Rotten Tomatoes, star Renée Zellweger will soon be able to redeem herself with an upcoming James Patterson project. In 2022, Zellweger starred in the dramatic six-episode miniseries The Thing About Pam, based on a true-crime podcast of the same name. Donning prosthetics, Renée Zellweger plays the suspected murderer Pam Hupp, who was involved in the real death of Betsy Faria in 2011.

The Thing About Pam features a famous cast, including Josh Duhamel and Judy Greer, alongside Zellweger. While Zellweger’s performance has generally positive reviews, opinions on the rest of the show are middling. Many negative critiques of The Thing About Pam on Rotten Tomatoes declare that the show is “frustrating” and “boring.” Because The Thing About Pam was less creative in its execution, Zellweger was unable to showcase her full acting potential. But her upcoming show offers her a chance at legal drama redemption.

Renée Zellweger’s Jane Smith Can Make Up For The Thing About Pam

The Vaguely Similar Plots Will Have Different Executions

Zellweger has the potential to make up for the poorly rated The Thing About Pam with her upcoming Max series Jane Smith. Based on James Patterson’s 2022 legal thriller book, 12 Months To Live, the series has no official release date yet and limited public information. Both shows are legal dramas set in the twenty-first century, which revolve around Zellweger playing a layered main character with something to prove.

The show will again feature Zellweger as the titular character as she interacts with the legal world, but unlike in The Thing About Pam, Zellweger will play on the side of justice as Jane Smith. Smith is a hard-core lawyer who reassesses her priorities when diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor while remaining determined not to let it impede her work. Like in The Thing About Pam, the humor in Jane Smith will be dark, making light of serious subjects like murder, illness, crime, and the law.

Jane Smith Is A Much More Exciting Project For Renée Zellweger

Zellweger Will Be Able To Better Showcase Her Dramatic Acting Skills

As opposed to Pam, who is investigated and arrested for murder, Zellweger will play a proactive heroine as Jane Smith. Zellweger will be able to give a more emotional and thoughtful performance as someone battling internal struggles. In The Thing About Pam, her point-of-view and emotions were limited to the more sinister intentions of the actual person she was portraying. Historically, Zellweger has been lauded for her emotional acting, receiving two Academy Awards. Though her talents were present in The Thing About Pam, hopefully, Jane Smith will allow Zellweger to further showcase her dramatic and emotional acting skills.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes