A warning. This episode contains mention of domestic violence.

The Hulu mini-series Pam and Tommy is about what was arguably the first viral celebrity

sex tape featuring Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and Molly Crew rocker Tommy Lee, played

by Lily James and Sebastian Stan. This is the latest 90s scandal to get the dramatization

and reassessment treatment on screen. And like, say, American crime story and impeachment,

the series seeks to humanize and elicit empathy for a woman who was once the subject of ruthless,

ridicule and derision. But doesn't actually succeed. I'm Aisha Harris and today we're

talking about Pam and Tommy on PopPotterHapy Hour from NPR.

Joining me today is NPR's senior editor, Barry Hardiman. Hey, Barry, welcome back.

Hey, thank you. Nice to see you.

So in Fam and Tommy, Lily James and Sebastian Stan star as Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.

Yet the series does not begin from either of the perspectives, but rather from the perspective

of Ran Gaudier, who's played by Seth Rogan. Now, Ran is a contractor working on the newly

what couples mention and is fed up with Tommy's outrageous demands and unwillingness to pay

for his time and effort. So Ran seeks revenge by stealing a safe from Tommy's garage and

unwittingly stumbles upon Tommy and Pam's sex tape. He teams up with pornography Uncle

Milti, played by Nick Offerman, to sell and distribute copies of the VHS tape. But they

soon lose control over the operation as bootlegs flood the market. Other opportunists try

to cash in and attention reaches the mainstream. Most of the events are taking place between

1995 and 1997 and the show goes to great lengths to demonstrate how the internet was still

in its infancy. So there's lots of dial-up tones and moments of waiting for websites to

load very slowly. The series is also very intent on depicting Pam and Tommy as sympathetic

...