The Prime Video series Scarpetta arrives with Nicole Kidman leading a very well-known ensemble and the name recognition of author Patricia Cornwell. But it’s also a show that tries to do a lot: it’s a crime drama, but it presents like a horror series, and then family drama runs like a freight train through the middle of it. The end result is that the project doesn’t live up to all the anticipation.

Scarpetta joins Prime Video’s roster of crime novel-to-series adaptations, but it’s not on the level of either Bosch or Cross. Both of those programs have narrative throughlines as strong as their lead performances, whereas Scarpetta often gets lost while juggling its different ideas. There’s a present timeline in which Dr. Kay Scarpetta returns to the position of Chief Medical Examiner. There’s also a past timeline, because her first case reminds her of another case from 28 years ago. There are strong horror elements—the big, bold red titles and opening scenes of Scarpetta’s routine give off a Dexter vibe—but there are also family issues between Scarpetta and her sister. Plus, there’s the romantic subplot that is in no way subtle.

Nicole Kidman and Rosy McEwen are an effective double act as the present and past versions of Scarpetta. Kidman is as powerful and as sharp-tongued as audiences would expect, controlling every scene that she appears in. There are echoes of her Golden-Globe nominated work in Destroyer. McEwen, in her first leading TV role since Close to Me, has that same toughness. A large part of the entertainment value of Scarpetta is simply the compare and contrast between these two performances, as the series naturally moves in and out of the past to illustrate the present.

Audiences will recognize the rest of the cast, too. Jamie Lee Curtis—whom Amazon’s press notes credit with getting Scarpetta to the small screen—portrays Kay’s freewheeling sister Dorothy. Bobby Cannavale (Nurse Jackie) plays wisecracking cop Pete Marino, with his son Jake once again portraying the younger version of his dad’s character. Oscar winner Ariana DeBose appears as Dorothy’s daughter Lucy, with Janet Montgomery (New Amsterdam) as Lucy’s wife, also named Janet.

Furthermore, there are multiple connections to both The Mentalist and The Good Wife that TV buffs will appreciate. Amanda Righetti plays a young Dorothy, while Simon Baker portrays Scarpetta’s husband Benton Wesley. Elsewhere, Hunter Parrish (who will forever be remembered as the guy who killed Will Gardner on The Good Wife) is the younger version of Benton, while Graham Phillips is murder suspect Matt Petersen.

Unfortunately, the writing in Scarpetta is not on the same level as the acting. In fairness to the series, some of the weaknesses come directly from the pages of Cornwell’s novels; the TV adaptation is simply going off the source material. But there are several moments that are very on the nose, such as Scarpetta’s early interactions with Benton. Parrish’s initial dialogue makes him sound like he’s doing a poor imitation of Jonathan Groff in Mindhunter; the character is better developed as the season goes on. In general, the male characters are underwritten. In wanting to deliver a strong female-led crime drama, Scarpetta ironically treats its men the way some other shows handle women: they’re present, but overlooked.

Stylistically, the series is similarly muddled. The horror aesthetic is clear in the opening titles, the cinematography and even Scarpetta‘s key art. The creative team doesn’t flinch from close-ups of autopsies and crime scenes, and mixing horror with crime would be a strong aesthetic choice. But then Scarpetta throws in split-screen moments, odd music cues and tonal shifts that don’t always work. The murder investigation gets easily swallowed up by Scarpetta’s personal drama. Every crime TV show mixes personal and professional stories, but this one doesn’t get that balance right.

Scarpetta is worth a watch just for the performances of Kidman and McEwen, and to see many other familiar faces along the way. It has a certain amount of entertainment value because of all that star power. But Prime Video has other adaptations that have done the book to screen whodunit much better.

Scarpetta premieres March 11 on Prime Video. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.