Renée Zellweger is worlds away from Bridget Jones as she makes gritty TV comeback in true crime thriller

BRIDGET Jones star Renée Zellweger is about to take on her grittiest role yet as murderer Pam Hupp in true crime thriller The Thing About Pam.

The petite actress has signed up for her broadcast debut in NBC's new six episode limited series, based on a set of stories from the news magazine programme Dateline.  

Renée, 51, will also executive produce the series about the killer Pam Hupp, who is currently serving a life sentence for the carefully orchestrated killing of Louis Gumpenberger, a man with mental disabilities. 

The Thing About Pam is the first major scripted project under Susan Rovner, Chairman of Entertainment Content for NBCUniversal’s Television and Streaming division.

Speaking about the new show, Susan said: “When you think about what qualifies something as a ‘must watch,’ I’m not sure you could do any better than the undeniable trifecta of Renee Zellweger, Blumhouse and ‘Dateline’.”

She went on: “The twists and turns of this saga are truly stranger than fiction, and in the hands of this incredibly talented artistic team, this series will bring a completely new perspective to a story that has already captivated millions.”

The limited series will come from Blumhouse Television, NBC News Studios and Renée’s own production company Big Picture Co. 

The Thing About Pam is the utterly ubsurd true-crime phenomenon stranger-than-fiction story behind the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria. 

The real life twists and turns of the case captured the attention of the world and gripped audiences as even more strange and complex details emerged about Betsy’s death and subsequent murders.