jamie lee curtis

Scarpetta is the crime drama on Amazon Prime Video starring Nicole Kidman as Dr Kay Scarpetta

Scarpetta landed on Amazon Prime Video recently, and the crime drama has gripped viewers.

The programme is fronted by Oscar winner and Big Little Lies star Nicole Kidman in the titular role as Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the chief medical examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Alongside Kidman, Scarpetta features an impressive cast, which also includes Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, and Ariana DeBose.

Here’s a breakdown of how many episodes are in the show.

How many episodes are in Scarpetta?

Scarpetta comprises eight episodes, which dropped on Prime Video all at once on March 11 for global audiences to devour.

A synopsis for the programme states: “With skilled hands and an unnerving eye, this unrelenting medical examiner is determined to serve as the voice of the victims, unmask a serial killer, and prove that her career-making case from 28 years prior isn’t also her undoing.

“Set against the backdrop of modern forensic investigation, the series delves beyond the crime scene to explore the psychological complexities of both perpetrators and investigators, creating a multi-layered thriller that examines the toll of pursuing justice at all costs.”

Scarpetta unfolds across two timelines, one in the past and the other in the present, with actors portraying the younger versions of the principal characters.

The programme has been adapted from renowned crime author Patricia Cornwell’s cherished book series of the same name.

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The first Scarpetta novel was published in 1990, and Cornwell has continued writing further books, with the most recent instalment released just last year. Blue Jean star Rosy McEwen portrays the younger version of Kidman’s Scarpetta in the series.

Discussing the character and what she gleaned from Moulin Rouge’s Kidman in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, McEwen explained: “Sometimes you feel like to be powerful you want to puff up and be louder.

“But actually, as I was watching Nicole, I was like, ‘No, power is quiet. Power is stillness.'”

She continued: “I think [Kay Scarpetta] grows into that. I’m quick to react and be emotional, but actually having the strength to take a second to think how you’re going to respond and then respond – that’s how she’s learned to make her way through this world.”

Beyond starring in the production, both Kidman and Curtis serve as executive producers on Scarpetta.

The drama has elicited a divided reaction from viewers, with some applauding the programme and demanding a second season, whilst others have felt let down and remain devoted to the original novel.

One viewer posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Nicole Kidman is that girl in #scarpetta. Brilliant crime drama. Season 2, better hurry up.”

A second viewer posted: “Also, the killer was a bit underwhelming for me. That and maybe the secret sorta #Scarpetta.”

They followed up with: “I’m watching season 2 though! #Scarpetta.”

A third commenter wrote: “You better tell me we’ll get a second season of #Scarpetta because you don’t end 8 episodes like that unless you’re a meanie [sic].”

Whilst another remarked: “I was super excited for Scarpetta, having read the books since the 90’s, but 3 episodes in on Prime, and I cannot continue watching it. Sometimes adaptations ruin the books for you, and I don’t want that to happen to my feelings for this beloved series and characters #Scarpetta.”

Someone else penned: “#Scarpetta was such a disappointment. These aren’t the characters that many people loved. And Jamie Lee Curtis, terrible acting, terrible character.”

Another contributed: “@lizsarnoff really did an horrific job on #scarpetta. Ridiculous dialogue, wide disparity from the tone and tenor of the source material and the casting is among the worst ever seen. Cornwell should be embarrassed by this adaptation.”

Despite the mixed response, Scarpetta has already secured a second season after it was revealed that the programme received a two-season commission, according to Decider.

Given that all the characters survived, they will be making their return for the subsequent season.

Scarpetta is streaming on Prime Video now

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From Hollywood actors to Olympic athletes and politicians, California’s newest Hall of Fame class runs the gamut in talent and achievements.

Academy Award-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis and former governor/action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olympic champions Janet Evans and Carl Lewis, authors Riane Eisler and Terry McMillan, chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, groundbreaking ensemble Mariachi Reyne de Los Ángeles and former state Democratic leader John L. Burton all earned a spot into the assembly of distinct Californians, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.

This class, the 19th in state history, will be formally enshrined during a ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento on March 19 as a “celebration of their contributions to civic life, creativity, and social progress,” according to Newsom’s office.

The inductees “have reshaped our culture and our communities. Resilient and innovative, these leaders and luminaries represent the best of the California spirit,” Newsom said in a statement.

To be inducted, candidates must have lived in California for at least five years and “have made achievements benefiting the state, nation and world,” according to the California Hall of Fame website. To date, 166 Californians have been selected by three governors since 2006.

Schwarzenegger, 78, served as the state’s 38th governor and last Republican head of state from 2003 to 2011. His renaissance man biography includes a career as a body builder, highlighted by his Mr. Universe titles, action film success, political stardom and even tabloid-fodder infidelity.

Curtis, 67, a Santa Monica native, is among Hollywood’s elite and teamed with Schwarzenegger in the action blockbuster “True Lies” in 1994. Her acting career dates to 1977, and she earned a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 2023 for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Evans, 54, is a four-time Olympic gold medal swimmer and Fullerton native who attended Placentia El Dorado High School, Stanford University and USC. She serves as chief athletic officer for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Lewis, 64, is considered by many one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. The track star won 10 medals, nine of them gold, in four Olympics.

Eisler, 88, and McMillan, 74, added multiple bestsellers to this Hall of Fame class.

Eisler’s critically acclaimed “The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future” examines roughly 20,000 years of partnership between men and women and male domination over the last 5,000 years. The futurist, cultural historian and Holocaust survivor who has degrees in sociology and law from UCLA said she was informed of the honor last year by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and recently was honored by the Austrian government with its Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class.

“I am very honored at this time in my life to be inducted into the California Hall of Fame,” Eisler wrote in an email. “I have worked tirelessly to help create a better world, and firmly believe that a new paradigm, a new way of looking at our world and our place in it, is crucial.”

McMillan has written a series of smash hits, including a couple that became major studio films in the ‘90s, “Waiting to Exhale” and “How Stella Got her Groove Back,” centered on Black women’s voices.

Matsuhisa, 76, know for his iconic Japanese restaurant Nobu, which has six locations in California, owns businesses across five continents.

Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, founded in South El Monte, rewrote the rules of music, becoming the first all-woman mariachi ensemble that has entertained for more than three decades.

Burton, the former chair of the California Democratic Party who died last year at 92, boasted a political career that included time in the California State Assembly and Senate and the U.S. House.

“This year’s class embodies the very best of California — creativity, resilience and a spirit of community,” Siebel Newsom said in a statement. “These honorees remind us that innovation and courage flourish when people are lifted up by those around them.”