The Show: Pam and TommyWhen It Premieres: February 2 on HuluThe 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 PlainsvilleWhen It Premieres: This spring on HuluThe 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 NetflixThe 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 DropoutWhen It Premieres: March 3 on HuluThe 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. CaroleWhen It Premieres: March 3 on PeacockThe 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. CaroleWhen It Premieres: March 3 on PeacockThe 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: WeCrashedWhen 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 LadyWhen 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 PamWhen It Premieres: March 8 on NBCThe 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.