Based on Patricia Cornwell’s beloved book series and adapted for television by Liz Sarnoff, Prime Video‘s latest crime thriller, “Scarpetta,” is an engrossing depiction of horrific femicide, dysfunctional families and the lies that can change perceptions. Gliding seamlessly between the present and the past, the show follows Dr. Kay Scarpetta (a fantastic Nicole Kidman), who returns to her position as Virginia’s chief medical examiner after being ousted years prior. Though Kay’s comeback is supposed to be a new chapter for her and her FBI profiler husband, Benton Wesley (Simon Baker), her first new case calls into question a career-making one from 28 years ago. Graphic and intense, “Scarpetta” is a story about violence, secrets and psychologically shattering incidents.
“Scarpetta” opens in the dead of night. Hours after resuming her role, Kay is jolted awake by a call. A woman’s body has been found, hog-tied and naked, near some train tracks. The scene is nauseating, but what disturbs Kay and retired Detective Pete Marino (Bobby Cannavale) most is its uncanny similarity to a case from their past.
Dialing back in time, the audience meets a younger Kay (Rosy MeEwen), who receives a call from Pete (Jake Cannavale, Bobby Cannavale’s son), then a junior detective. It’s 1998, and the city of Alexandria is being terrorised by a serial killer; now a fourth body has been discovered. As the newly installed chief, Kay feels pressure from city attorney Bill Boltz (Mike Vogel), former interim chief Elvin Reddy (Alex Klein), who is bitter about getting passed over for the job, and tenacious reporter Abby Turnball (Sosie Bacon), who won’t take “no comment® for an answer. With the killer eluding local law enforcement, Boltz brings in Benton (Hunter Parrish) to aid Kay and Pete in sniffing out the murderer.
“Scarpetta” is gruesome to watch. The series doesn’t shyaway from the gory intricacies of death, including decaying cadavers and the detailed autopsies Kay performs. In the present, Kay drags Pete out of retirement, not only to obtain justice for the new victim and her family, but to prove they nabbed the right guy nearly three decades ago. However, as the pair delve into the evidence and dredge up the past, they realize they may have stumbled on something far more complex than they anticpated.
It’s not just the doctor’s profession that’s grotesque. Her personal life is also twisted chaos. She and Benton live in his enormous childhood home with her sister Dorothy (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Pete, who is now Kay’s brother-in-law. Moreover, Dorothy’s recently widowed daughter, Lucy (Ariana DeBose), whom Kay raised, lives in the guesthouse on the property. Though this would be uncomfortably close quarters for most people, Kay and Dorothy’s volatile relationship, Lucy’s grief and Pete and Kay’s unique bond make the situation especially tense. In flashbacks, viewers learn why Dorothy (Amanda Righetti) left an 11-year-old Lucy (Savannah Lumar) in Kay’s care, and how Lucy and Kay’s codependency continually vexes Dorothy.
“Scarpetta” is excellent storytelling. Even as the narrative grows more complicated, the show manages to keep the audience grounded in the crimes and Kay’s methodology. It also showcases the thundering misogyny of a bygone era that still echoes around us today, while unpacking the unpleasantness of death, which drastically impacts the living. Most intriguing, though, are the show’s depictions of monstrosity. There are the obvious killers, of course, but “Scarpetta” proves that villains often come in many forms.
All eight episodes of “Scarpetta” premiere March 11 on Prime Video.
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
From Variety US