The biggest TV trend of 2022? Transformations.
With shows based on true sagas like the downfall of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson's sex tape scandal, viewers will be doing a lot of double-takes as stars such as Amanda Seyfried, Lily James and more have rendered themselves unrecognizable to portray these real-life characters.
While Julia Garner is trading the Ozarks for NYC on Netflix to play convicted scammer Anna Delvey, Elle Fanning is sporting a facial prosthetic in the Hulu miniseries based on the Michelle Carter texting-suicide case. And Renee Zellweger and Jared Leto have transformed once again after winning Oscars for previous metamorphoses.
Check out these transformations you need to see to believe that are hitting the small screen this year:
The Show: Pam and Tommy
When It Premieres: February 2 on Hulu
The Transformation: The first look at the duo in character nearly broke the Internet when it was released in May 2021, which seems fitting as the eight-episode series tells the unbelievable-yet-true story behind the release of the first ever viral video in history—the sex tape of the Baywatch star and the Mötley Crüe drummer.
For the show that was adapted from a 2014 Rolling Stone article, James spent a minimum of three hours in hair and makeup to transform into Anderson, with writer Robert Siegel telling Variety, "I sometimes will see a picture of Lily in character and it takes a second to just double-check in my mind that it's not the real Pam."
The Falcon and Winter Soldier star, meanwhile, went on a fast to achieve Lee's slim physique and had to have replicas of his tattoos applied every few days.
The Show: The Girl From Plainsville
When It Premieres: This spring on Hulu
The Transformation: To portray Carter, who was convicted in 2017 of the involuntary manslaughter of her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, in a texting-suicide case that made headlines, the Maleficent star darkened her eyebrows and wore a facial prosthetic. The resemblance is, to quote January Jones on Instagram, "Uncanny wow."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, writers, executive producers and co-showrunners Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus said it didn't take much work to turn Fanning into Carter. "The first time that I met [Fanning], I was really struck by how eerily similar they actually looked just naturally," Macmanus said. "It was something that around the table when we all met, we all talked about."
They added that Fanning just wore some light makeup and a forehead prosthetic, which helped to match Carter's hairline. According to Hannah, they kept things simple because they didn't want her appearance to be "distracting."
The Show: Inventing Anna
When It Premieres: February 11 on Netflix
The Transformation: The Ozark Emmy winner wears an auburn wig, black-framed glasses and designer duds to play the high-class status-seeker and fake heiress who swindled her glamorous contacts out of millions in this Shonda Rhimes-created series inspired by a viral New York Magazine article. But it was Garner's accent that really caught people's attention when the first trailer debuted.
When Julia spoke to W magazine in August 2021, she said that she blended together multiple accents, explaining, "Anna's posing as a German heiress, but actually she's Russian, so first I had to learn to speak in English with a proper German accent, and after that learn a slightly Russian accent to add underneath."
To make matters more complicated, Delvey lived in the United States and was around Americans, so Julia said the "musicality of her speech was American."
The Show: The Dropout
When It Premieres: March 3 on Hulu
The Transformation: The Oscar nominee has that red lip classic thing that the disgraced Theranos founder favored, along with her signature black turtleneck and deep voice, in the miniseries based on the ABC News podcast.
Seyfried joined the project after Kate McKinnon dropped out in February 2021 to take on another role about a real person...
The Show: Joe vs. Carole
When It Premieres: March 3 on Peacock
The Transformation: Hey all you cool cats and kittens, the Saturday Night Live star delivers her best impersonation yet as the controversial big cat advocate, complete with long blonde hair, chunky necklaces and eccentric blouses.
Based on the Wondery podcast Joe Exotic, the eight episodes will delve deeper into the feud between Baskin and Joe Exotic that became a pop culture phenomenon after Netflix released Tiger King in March 2020.
The Show: Joe vs. Carole
When It Premieres: March 3 on Peacock
The Transformation: The Broadway star looks purr-fect as the exotic animal lover in the first teaser trailer for the Tiger King-inspired series, complete with bleached-blonde mullet and eyebrow piercings.
"John Cameron Mitchell is one of the most gifted and thoughtful actors I've ever worked with," executive producer and writer Etan Frankel said in a statement of the stars take on the imprisoned former zookeeper. "He cares so deeply about the work, and his performance is breathtaking."
The Show: WeCrashed
When It Premieres: March 18 on Apple TV+
The Transformations: WeImpressed by the two Oscar winners' take on the disgraced WeWork couple in the first look at the miniseries about the rise and fall of the tech giant.
Known for his transformations for roles in movies such as House of Gucci, The Little Things and Dallas Buyers Club, Leto sports prosthetics and uses an Israeli accent in the drama that is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name.
The Show: The First Lady
When It Premieres: The Spring on Showtime
The Transformation: This new political drama will retrace the lives of three memorable women in the White House in the limited series from Crash showrunner Cathy Schulman and The Undoing director Susanne Bier. To convey Obama's eight-year stay at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the How to Get Away With Murder star met with the former First Lady and read her bestselling memoir, Becoming.
"I feel very protective of Michelle," the Oscar and Emmy-winning actress, who also executive produces the series, told Entertainment Weekly. "It's our job as actors not to judge whoever we are portraying, but I ended up thinking she's just dope."
Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson will portray Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt, respectively, in the anthology series.
The Show: The Thing About Pam
When It Premieres: March 8 on NBC
The Transformation: The Oscar winner dons facial prosthetics, fur-trimmed boots and a strawberry-blonde bob to play the convicted killer in this true-crime limited series inspired by a saga told on Dateline NBC.
(E!, NBC and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)