Pam & Tommy

Did You Know?

• The series depicts personal home videos filmed on a houseboat on Lake Mead that were stolen, spliced together, and sold as a sex tape.
• The series was released internationally on Disney+ under the Star hub and on Star+ in Latin America.

Production

Producer Robert Siegel was surprised no one had already turned those events into a film or series, so he and his team secured the rights to that article. Co-showrunners Siegel and D.V. DeVincentis have said the article provided most of the essential plot points. Hulu then ordered an eight-episode limited series, with Craig Gillespie directing, Siegel writing, and Rogen and Goldberg executive producing. Editor Tatiana S. Riegel, a frequent Gillespie collaborator, joined the project. When the series order was announced, Lily James and Sebastian Stan were cast as the leads, with Rogen also taking a main role. Fred Hechinger joined in a recurring role that June. The two leads underwent extensive makeup transformations. Lily James wore a prosthetic forehead, chest, dentures, blue contact lenses, and a blonde wig. Sebastian Stan spent hours having up to 30 tattoos painted on him, grew out and dyed his hair, and wore brown contact lenses, a prosthetic penis, and pierced nipples.

Reception

The site's critical consensus reads: 'Pam & Tommy sometimes undercuts its own critique of cultural voyeurism with lurid stylization, but Lily James' performance gives this sleazy opus an undeniable heart.' On Metacritic, the series has a score of 70 out of 100 based on 42 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. James Poniewozik of The New York Times found the show consistently entertaining and praised the performances, calling James' portrayal a sneakily complex performance. Alison Foreman of Mashable praised the performances of the whole cast, especially James and Stan, and complimented the soundtrack and pace. Inkoo Kang of The Washington Post stated that the transformation of James and Stan is a casting and makeup coup, while claiming the show exploits Anderson's story. Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek reviewed Pam & Tommy positively, stating that James and Stan are excellent choices and praising the development of the characters.