A behind-the-scenes look at the fallout from Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s leaked and stolen honeymoon sex tape, in an adaptation that’s true to life!

In 2014, Rolling Stone magazine published the article “Pam and Tommy: The Untold Story of the World's Most Infamous Sex Tape" by Amanda Chicago Lewis, which detailed how the couple’s tape was stolen, and the complex dynamics surrounding the tape once it was made public. Pam & Tommy uses this article as source material to re-enact the drama of the theft and the events that follow. The show oscillates between sharing the story of the man who stole the sex tape, and the consequences of the leaked tape for Pam and Tommy. Starring big names like Seth Rogan, Lily James, and Sebastian Stan, this miniseries is sure to make you look at one of the most viral stories of the 1990s with fresh eyes. While the show focuses on the raw and emotional experience of Pam and Tommy, it also explores themes of consent, privacy, and misogyny in the media during that time.  

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A quick content warning: there are explicit sexual scenes, so be aware while watching!

I went in blind to Pam & Tommy, only watching it because a good friend recommended it to me, but from the first episode I was totally absorbed by the show. The show does an incredible job of depicting the changing world of the 90s through Pamela and Tommy’s story, while capturing how rock and roll was evolving into grunge, internet was on the rise, and how this stolen tape became an integral part of sex history. I particularly liked how the show focused on Pamela Anderson and her experience of the leaked tape. You watched along as a woman whose career defined large in part by her beauty grapple with the difference between consensual sexualization and an assault on bodily autonomy and sexuality, and how she was unashamed and empowered by her work for Playboy but was deeply affected by her private life being put on display. Consent and control were major themes throughout the show, and it was thought-provoking even for today’s culture. Pam & Tommy was a wonderful critique on patriarchal norms while capturing the history of the 1990s through a fascinating lens.