Longtime Richmonders know that Patricial Cornwell (#2 female author in the world) used to live here and placed the mysteries of the titular forensic pathologist in Virginia. (Sadly, this was shot in Tennessee). Turns out this series is a pretty standard crime drama, but what sets it apart is the amount of time devoted to the dysfunctional family at the center. Nicole Kidman and Rosy McEwan hold the title role in 2 different time periods (Kidman in present and McEwan 28 years earlier). Jamie Lee Curtis and Amanda Righetti are cast as her sister and so on. As a result, the first eps seem muddled and confusing as we try to figure out who’s what when. The mystery later unfolds with the expected twists and although the end solves this season’s killer, it’s left with a cliffhanger. Meanwhile, much time is spent with this group, none of whom are especially likable. Kidman/McEwan have a shutdown persona (typical for Kidman), while the over-the-top performance by Curtis gets extreme until she moderates later in the show. The writers let the ball drop by using current phrases like “off the table” and “optics” in the past and staging one scene in a 1998 cinema with recliners, which didn’t show up for another 20 years. The series has some merit, especially using some new technology (which gets shuffled aside without completion). Considering the cast, this could have been better. Instead, it’s competent, but not exceptional. NOTE: Cornwell shows up in the first ep swearing in Scarpetta. (8 one-hour eps) 
(3 / 5)
