SCARPETTA

Series Review  - Season 1

Scarpetta’s debut season not only delivers an enticing crime thriller told across two timelines that will immediately hook viewers, but complex, strong and electrifying female characters brought to life by a talented ensemble led by the always excellent Nicole Kidman, finally giving Patricia Cornwell’s best selling novel series the screen adaptation it has long been deserving.

For over three decades, Patricia Cornwell novels about Chief Medical Officer Kay Scarpetta have been best sellers, delivering not only crime thrillers, but a psychological character thriller that have made Kay Scarpetta and the novel’s characters timeless literary characters. While many attempts have been made at trying to crack that character for the screen, it was not until executive producer Jamie Lee Curtis and Blumhouse Television acquired the rights, enlisted showrunner Liz Sarnoff and cast Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta that the right elements were in place for Kay Scarpetta to get the adaptation she was long overdue. Featuring a stellar ensemble cast of Kidman, Curtis, Bobby Cannavale, Ariana DeBose and Simon Baker, the performances are excellent while Sarnoff masterfully blends the interpersonal family drama of the characters and the chilling pursuit of justice, allowing Scarpetta to rise above the standard crime procedural and deliver a more engaging, thrilling and meaningful drama that is set to become your next binge.

Instead of doing the basic one novel per season approach as many successful television adaptations of popular novel series has done in the past, Sarnoff does something unique with Kay Scarpetta: she adapts both the first novel in the series, Postmortem, and the series’ twenty-fifth, Autopsy. Two mysteries, set twenty-eight years apart, occurring across different timelines. Sarnoff not only finds a way to weave together two seemingly independent killing sprees in a way that not only creates a thrilling mystery to be solved across two separate time periods, but infuses them with personal reckonings for the characters that heightens the narrative stakes at every reveal. In both timelines Sarnoff simultaneously introduces audiences to the characters, building the foundations of their personalities and relationships with each other in the past and showing where it has led them to in the future, developing their identities to create one distinct character instead of two versions of the same, which creates the beating heart of the series. Yes, there are two different serial killers on the loose, but it is the moments between Kay, Dorothy, Lucy, Pete and Benton that become the emotional centre of the series, allowing their larger than life personalities to clash and fuel the interpersonal drama of the series, which is what makes Sarnoff’s treatment of Cornwell’s stories and characters so compelling as it is more than just about catching the killer but about the consequences that each character faces in the pursuit of justice, love and family.

Having worked in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner herself, Cornwell’s stories have a realism to them that can’t be repeated, from the way that Scarpetta carefully examines the bodies and uncovers pertinent information to help solve each case. With each case pulled from Cornwell’s novels, there is a solid basis for Sarnoff to build the season around, but it is in the way that she connects the two mysteries which ups the stakes for Kay and Pete, having their first case together coming back to haunt not only their professional careers, but their personal relationships with their loved ones. Carefully plotting what is revealed in the present day timeline to not only spoil the ending of the case in the past, but teasing the secrets that have shaped every decision Kay and Pete have made since, Sarnoff delivers a binge worthy thriller that will not only have audiences binging it from start to finish, but one that slowly and intentionally reveals shocking information that never sacrifice character or plot development. And with the shocking note that the season finale ends on, it's incredible news that the second season starts filming in a matter of days as audiences are going to need to know what happens to Kay Scarpetta next.

When your television series stars Kidman, Curtis, Cannavale, DeBose and Baker, it is no surprise that the performances are top notch. Kidman is exquisite as Kay, capturing the character’s unwavering dedication to the victims at whatever cost with a fierce strength that instantly notes why the character has been the focus of nearly thirty novels, with that elevated poise and talent that Kidman is known for. Curtis brings a loveable yet chaotic energy to the series as Kay’s sister Dorothy, delivering some big laughs with her over the top actions when paired with her character’s busting cleavage, leopard print outfits and that wig, at the same time as developing Dorothy’s loyalty to her family when it matters most. As Pete, Cannavale finds both a passion as Kay’s best friend and Dorothy’s husband as he supports the strong women in his life, but also a powerful rage as Pete’s the impending threat of his past threatens him and his family that makes for an excellent character. It is nice to see DeBose alongside such talented actors and in a well written project after a series of disappointments following her Academy Award win for 2021’s West Side Story, giving her a chance to shine as Lucy as she brings to life her character’s unrivalled intelligence, but also finding the deeply personal sorrow that creates an engaging arc for Lucy over the season, while Baker finds a disarming ruthlessness and warmth to Benton that creates a mysterious yet caring character to add to the Scarpetta family drama.

But, it is the casting of the characters’ younger selves that is the show’s secret weapons. Rosy McEwen perfectly matches Kidman’s energy as Kay, developing a far greener and less weathered version of the character, but does so with the same intensity and love that makes it easy to see how she evolves into the version that Kidman is portraying twenty-eight years later. To no surprise, not only is Jake Cannavale the spitting image of his father, but the steadfast loyalty they both bring to Pete is uncanny and creates a seamless transition between them as the show jumps between its time periods. Hunter Parish is disarming to say the least as young Benton, developing a passionate connection with McEwen even if his accent isn’t nearly as thick as Baker’s older version of the character, while Amanda Righetti brings out the best in Dorothy and creates the foundation of the love between Kay and Dorothy, only for Kidman and Curtis to explore the fractures in it. And with a supporting cast of Sosie Bacon, Mike Vogel, Janet Montgomery, Anson Mount, Graham Phillips and so many more talented actors, there is not a single weak performance in sight.

Delivering not only a chilling search for two serial killers, but a riveting portrait of empowering female characters, Liz Sarnoff has finally cracked the code on properly adapting Kay Scarpetta for the screen. With intelligent writing that unravels an intricate, dangerous and shocking mystery full of shocking reveals, betrayals and personal drama, there is never a second of Scarpetta that fails to deliver excellent television from start to finish. Led by the fearless performances of Nicole Kidman and Rosy McEwen as Kay Scarpetta, and featuring equally as brilliant performances from Jamie Lee Curtis, Bobby Cannavale, Ariana DeBose, Hunter Parish and Simon Baker, Scarpetta delivers a riveting debut season of television under the genius of showrunner Liz Sarnoff that will not only create your next must watch binge, but leave you eagerly anticipating its upcoming second season.