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Viewed: All eight episodes

The Pamela Anderson sex tape is endemic to popular culture, immortalised through jokes and references (including one particular scene in 2006's Borat), to the point that the actress is synonymous with the video. Pam & Tommy reveals the wild true-life story behind the sex tape, looking at how it was stolen and distributed, while also depicting the relationship between the titular pair who got married after only knowing each other for a matter of days. It's a story that I certainly wasn't aware of, and had me instantly jumping onto Google to find out how much of it is actually truthful - as it turns out, it's largely accurate, at least in terms of the broad strokes. The resulting miniseries is a compelling human drama despite the inherent sleaziness of the source material, and it's actually surprising that something so graphic and occasionally uncomfortable could even be produced in 2022. The casting is absolutely spot-on, with Lily James and Sebastian Stan looking almost too convincing as Pam and Tommy, respectively. The insanely detailed and convincing make-up, combined with their fully immersive performances, renders their portrayals wholly definitive and it's hard to imagine them ever being topped. The period recreation and production values, on the whole, are staggering from top to bottom, while the soundtrack is also filled with awesome period-specific tunes that thoroughly evoke the 1990s. I do feel that some of the dialogue is too on-the-nose and cute, and the miniseries does feel its extraordinary length from time to time, but these are minor criticisms. It's also unfortunate that Pamela herself refused to be involved in the creative process, particularly since the show is fully on her side - I mean, hell, Tommy looks like an absolute douche and he consulted with the creators and met with Sebastian Stan. I wouldn't say that Pam & Tommy is essential television per se, but it is well worth your time and it's a story worth telling.