Scarpetta is an American crime drama television series developed by Liz Sarnoff and based on the book series of the same name by Patricia Cornwell. It stars Nicole Kidman as the titular character as Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a forensic pathologist who uses forensic technology to solve crimes. The series also stars Bobby Cannavale, Jamie Lee Curtis, Simon Baker, Rosy McEwen, Jacob Lumet Cannavale, Hunter Parrish, and Ariana DeBose. Kidman and Curtis also serve as executive producers alongside Cornwell and Sarnoff. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 11, 2026.
Contents
Premise
The show centers around Kay Scarpetta (Nicole Kidman), who is a brilliant forensic pathologist. Inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro, she employs advanced forensic technology to unravel mysteries and solve crimes. Settings include Florida, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
Cast and characters
Main
Nicole Kidman as Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the chief medical examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Rosy McEwen as young Kay
Bobby Cannavale as Pete Marino, a former detective who works as a forensic operations specialist for Scarpetta and Dorothy's husband
Jacob Lumet Cannavale as young Pete
Jamie Lee Curtis as Dorothy Scarpetta, Kay's older sister and a children's book author
Amanda Righetti as young Dorothy
Simon Baker as Benton Wesley, an FBI profiler and Scarpetta's husband
Hunter Parrish as young Benton
Ariana DeBose as Lucy Farinelli-Watson, Dorothy's daughter, Scarpetta's niece, and a computer programmer and IT expert
Savannah Lumar as young Lucy. Scarpetta reluctantly raises her when Dorothy runs off with another man in the late 1990s.
Recurring
Tiya Sircar as Blaise Fruge, a police officer and Pete's mentee
Janet Montgomery as Janet, Lucy's deceased wife
Sosie Bacon as Abby Turnbull, a prize-winning journalist
Stephanie Faracy as Maggie Cutbush, Scarpetta's inherited assistant from her predecessor
Georgia King as young Maggie Cutbush
Mike Vogel as Bill Boltz, a city attorney
Anson Mount as Matt Petersen, a former actor whose wife was murdered 28 years ago
Graham Phillips as young Matt Petersen
Anna Diop as Sierra "Tron" Patron, a FBI cyber investigator and works alongside Benton
Natalija Nogulich as Yaya, a friend of Scarpetta's who babysits for her
David Arquette (season 2)
Jodi Balfour (season 2)
William Zabka (season 2)
Stella Baker (season 2)
Kim Dickens (season 2)
Troy Garity (season 2)
Jerod Haynes (season 2)
Michael "Killer Mike" Render (season 2)
Holland Taylor (season 2)
Production
Development
In June 2021, it was reported that a television series adaptation of the novel series was in development from Comet Pictures, a production company owned by Jamie Lee Curtis and Blumhouse Television. Patricia Cornwell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, Jeremy Gold and Chris Dickie would serve as the show's executive producers.
In February 2023, it was announced that Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis would join the cast and also serve as executive producers on the show. This marked the first instance of Scarpetta's transition from page to screen despite numerous prior attempts. Initially, in 1992, Demi Moore was briefly associated with the Scarpetta character, while Angelina Jolie was contemplating a big-screen franchise based on the role in 2009. A two-season order, each consisting of eight episodes, was anticipated for the series. At the beginning, when the project was announced, no showrunner was attached. However, it was later confirmed that Liz Sarnoff would step in as the series' writer and showrunner. David Gordon Green and Amy Sayres also served as executive producers.
Although the series was initially announced as Kay Scarpetta, the title was changed to Scarpetta when the casting updates were revealed. David Gordon Green was reported to be directing the first two episodes.
Charlotte Brändström was noted as one of the directors.
Casting
In February 2023, Nicole Kidman was cast in the series in the titular role, alongside Jamie Lee Curtis playing Kay's sister Dorothy. In September 2024, Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, Rosy McEwen, and Jake Cannavale joined the cast. Later that same month, Sosie Bacon, Amanda Righetti, Janet Montgomery, Stephanie Faracy and Mike Vogel were added to the cast. In October 2024, Hunter Parrish was reported to star. In November 2024, Tiya Sircar, Anna Diop, Graham Phillips and Georgia King were announced to star in recurring roles. In March 2025, Charlie B. Foster was announced to have joined the cast in a recurring role. In May 2026, it was reported that David Arquette, Jodi Balfour, William Zabka, Stella Baker, Kim Dickens, Troy Garity, Jerod Haynes, Michael "Killer Mike" Render, and Holland Taylor were cast in recurring capacities for the second season.
Filming
Filming was originally scheduled to begin in Nashville in September 2024, but was later postponed to October 2024. On March 8, 2025, Curtis announced that filming of the first season had wrapped.
On March 31, 2026, the second season had started production. The filming of the second season wrapped on July 10, 2026.
Release
Scarpetta premiered on Amazon Prime Video on March 11, 2026, and the first season consists of eight episodes.
Reception
Critical response
For the first season, the series holds a 57% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 67 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A little messy and occasionally all over the place, Scarpetta still makes for a fun watch thanks to its stacked cast and a mystery that's just compelling enough to keep viewers digging for more." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 54 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average".
Audience viewership
According to Nielsen's latest data, measuring only U.S. views on TV sets, the first season was placed #4 and #6 in the original series and overall chart during the week of 9–15 March. It maintained its #7 position for the original series chart for the week of 16–22 March.