What To Watch: Scarpetta, Vladimir, Louis Theroux: Into The Manosphere, Outlander and Rooster

Scarpetta

Wednesday, streaming on Prime Video

If you’ve never whipped your way through a “Dr Kay Scarpetta” forensic crime thriller while lying on a beach or travelling on a long-haul flight, you’re missing out: Patricia Cornwell’s fantastically readable page-turners are tailor-made for holiday reading.

Beloved by millions of fans, they’ve been a mainstay of second-hand bookshops and backpacker hostels for three decades now, and finally we’re getting a small-screen adaptation.

Nicole Kidman plays the titular character, the genius medical examiner at the centre of Cornwell’s stories. This TV version of Cornwell’s world sees the storyline criss-crossing between the present day and the late 1990s, when Kay is just starting out her career.

Her present-day case and the career-defining one she worked on some 28 years earlier are set to intersect as this story plays out across eight episodes, and it’s going to be fascinating to watch.

Rosy McEwen plays Kay’s younger self (she’s a dead ringer for Nic), and there’s also a terrific supporting cast, including Simon Baker, Jamie Lee Curtis (who plays Kay’s sister Dorothy — Curtis is an EP, along with Kidman) and Bobby Cannavale, who appears as Pete Marino (Cannavale is exactly how we always pictured Marino in our heads — swoon!).

“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 multilayered thriller that examines the toll of pursuing justice at all costs,” an official synopsis reads. Sign us up.

This one is already getting heaps of buzz, with early chatter suggesting it’s a cross between procedural crime shows like CSI and juicier character-led dramas like Big Little Lies.

If that hasn’t sucked you in, we don’t know what will.

Vladimir

Streaming now on Netflix

Based on the novel by Julia May Jonas and starring Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall, this drama about a midlife university lecturer whose life begins to unravel after she meets a charismatic young colleague has everyone buzzing. And rightfully so — it’s fantastically watchable. Some fabulous performances, a tight script and compelling and surprising premise make this one of the most bingeable shows I’ve seen this year. Don’t miss this one.

Louis Theroux: Into The Manosphere

Wednesday, streaming on Netflix

I’ve never met a Louis Theroux doco I’ve not enjoyed. This one sees the documentarian travel to the extreme end of the manosphere, travelling to Miami, New York and Marbella to meet a network of influencers and content creators who are “helping to reshape young men’s ideas about masculinity and fuelling a resurgent global men’s rights movement”. Oof. This is sure to be horrifying and fascinating in equal measure.

Outlander

Saturday, streaming on Foxtel and Binge

The eighth and final season of this viewer favourite lands this week, and it’s shaping up to be a rollercoaster conclusion. In this final season, Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) have returned to Frasers Ridge after Jamie resigned his continental army commission to head back home. But war has followed them there, and the Frasers will have to choose what they are willing to sacrifice to stay together. Mark your diaries: this is going to be big.

Rooster

Monday, streaming on HBO Max

This big-budget comedy series, from Ted Lasso and Shrinking creator Bill Lawrence, marks Carell’s first major return to television since The Office (we don’t talk about his failed series Space Force). It’s getting plenty of buzz. He stars as Greg Russo, an author who gets drawn into the world of academia after visiting his lecturer daughter at the university she works at. Scrubs’ John C. McGinley (who famously played Dr Cox) pops up in this series as Carell’s colleague. Don’t miss this one.