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Joining fellow docudrama crime anthology series like Ryan Murphy’s Monster franchise, NBC’s Peacock is spinning off its own series, The Thing About… The 2022 launch of the Renée Zellweger-led The Thing About Pam was well received, and now a new true crime case is being dramatized. The Thing About Tommy was announced as in development at the network late last month. Once again a Dateline investigation serves as a jumping off point for this limited series delving into the details of a mysterious true-crime event.
Co-produced by NBC News Studios and venerated horror production company Blumhouse, The Thing About Tommy is inspired by Dateline’s 2021 The Widower series, about Thomas Randolph, who married six times, with four of whose wives winding up dead.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About NBC’s Twisty The Thing About Pam
Read on for everything to know about the forthcoming series:
What is The Thing About Tommy about?
The Thing About Tommy dramatizes the real-life events of “Black Widower” Thomas Randolph, four of whose six marriages ended with the death of his wife in mysterious circumstances.
Is The Thing About Tommy based on a true story?
Yes. Profiled in news-magazines like Dateline and Max’s docuseries The Black Widower: The Six Wives of Thomas Randolph in mid-July of this year, The Thing About Tommy is inspired by Randolph’s crimes.
The case began unfurling in May 2008, when 57-year-old Sharon Causse was fatally shot upon returning from a date night with her husband Randolph. While Randolph told Las Vegas police that he found her dead and shot the intruder in self-defense, it was later revealed that the trespasser was a handyman named Michael Miller whom Randolph had hired to kill Causse, his sixth wife, in order to collect more than $300,000 in insurance money.
Using Randolph’s latest crime as a jumping off point, authorities uncovered that Randolph had been married five previous times, and only two of his wives were still alive. The other three had died under suspicious circumstances. This included the 1986 alleged killing of ex-wife Becky Gault in Utah, which was ultimately deemed a suicide by the coroner and led to Randolph’s acquittal. He collected $500,000 in insurance money following her death.
Related: You Need to Listen to These 32 True-Crime Podcasts
Investigation Discovery
Where is the real Thomas Randolph now?
In April 2024, Randolph was sentenced to 60 years in prison after being found guilty of murdering Causse and Miller. Per KLAS 8 News Now, the 69-year-old Randolph insisted on his innocence and vowed to appeal. The Clark County judge gave him two consecutive life sentences, as well as additional prison time for gun charges.
The 2023 murder trial followed Randolph’s 2017 conviction on the same charges, but the Nevada Supreme Court ordered a second trial after deeming that the jury should not have heard evidence regarding the 1986 case. This resulted in a reversal of Randolph’s original sentence, which was the death penalty — legal in Nevada.
Related: Why We Love True Crime
Who’s in The Thing About Tommy cast?
Given that the series was just announced on Sept. 30, there is no casting news as of yet. While there’s no indication that The Thing About Tommy will draw from the cast of Pam (as Murphy does for his anthologies), that series starred Zellweger, Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Katy Mixon, Glenn Fleshler, Sean Bridgers and Keith Morrison.
When does The Thing About Tommy premiere?
There is no premiere date as of yet. However, Pam received a six-episode series order in Feb. 2021, with a premiere date in March 2022. As such, audiences can expect a premiere sometime around late 2025.
How many episodes are there in The Thing About Tommy?
There is no known episode count for the show yet. The Thing About Pam consisted of six episodes, so viewers can expect a similar showing for The Thing About Tommy.
Will there be a second season of The Thing About Tommy?
No. As with The Thing About Pam, the limited series is part of a larger crime anthology. Should the series continue, it will likely delve into an unrelated true-crime story in its third iteration.
Is The Thing About Tommy a sequel to The Thing About Pam?
No. While they are both seasons in the same Peacock anthology series, they will stand alone as separate stories and don’t contain any of the same characters.
Related: Renée Zellweger on Bringing Murderer Pam Hupp To Life, Why We Love True Crime and How She Physically Prepared for the Role
Will Renee Zellweger be in The Thing About Tommy?
While The Thing About Tommy is not a sequel to The Thing About Pam and therefore won’t see Renee Zellweger reprise her role as Pam Hupp, it is possible that Zellweger will return to play a different character. Thomas Randolph did after all have six wives that she could choose from to play.
Related: Is The Thing About Pam a True Story?
