Pratik Handore
‘The Thing About Pam’ follows Pam Hupp (Renée Zellweger), a real estate agent from a small town in Missouri who finds herself in a complex web of crime and investigations after the death of her friend, Betsy Faria. The crime drama series is based on a sensational true story that is the basis of Dateline NBC’s podcast of the same name.
During the investigation, Captain Mike Lang is a major presence who tries to get to the bottom of the matter. Since the show’s events are rooted in reality, viewers must be wondering whether the character is based on a real person. In that case, we have gathered everything you need to know about Captain Mike Lang from ‘The Thing About Pam.’
Who Is Captain Mike Lang? Is He Based on a Real Cop?
In the series premiere episode of ‘The Thing About Pam,’ titled ‘She’s a Good Friend,’ Pamela “Pam” Hupp and her friend/co-worker, Betsy Faria, return home from Betsy’s mother Janet’s home. After Pam drops off Betsy at her home, she fails to contact her friend who is undergoing cancer treatment. Meanwhile, Betsy’s husband Russell “Russ” Faria returns home after spending the evening at his friend’s place. When he arrives home, Russ finds his wife brutally stabbed to death multiple times and has her wrists slit. He calls 911, and soon the police arrive on the scene. The responsibility of investigating the case falls on the shoulders of Captain Mike Lang and Detective McCarrick.
Captain Mike Lang is indeed based on a real person of the same name. Lang graduated from Fort Zumwalt South High School in Saint Peters, Missouri. He later joined the police force and began working at the Sheriff’s Office in Lincoln County. At the time of Faria’s murder, Lang was the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department’s Undersheriff. He was responsible for investigating homicide cases in the Greater St. Louis Area. Lang also served as the Captain of a Drug Task Force from 1996 onwards. However, not much is known about Lang’s personal life and current whereabouts. According to Lang’s LinkedIn profile, he has retired from duty.
Who Plays Captain Mike Lang?
In ‘The Thing About Pam,’ actor Adam David Thompson plays the role of Captain Mike Lang. Thompson is an American actor from New York who is known for his appearances in numerous popular television shows and films. Although not much is known about Thompson’s early life, he began his acting career with small parts in films such as ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene,’ ‘All Wifed Out,’ and ‘Saudade?’
Thompson’s first major feature film acting role came in the 2014 neo-noir thriller ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones.’ He is also known for his performance as Alexis in the horror-comedy ‘Vampires vs. the Bronx.’ Some viewers will recognize the actor as Gatz Brown from the Western drama ‘Godless’ or Craig G in the drama show ‘Mozart in the Jungle.’ Thompson is married and has a daughter. He enjoys carpentry in his free time and regularly posts updates of his life on Instagram.
Read More: Where Was The Thing About Pam Filmed?
