The series based on the phenomenal books “Scarpetta” has appeared on streaming, starring two Hollywood legends

The new series “Scarpetta” based on the novels of the American writer Patricia Cornwell can be seen in its entirety on the Amazon Prime Video platform starting today, March 11. The main roles are played by two actresses who need no introduction.

“Famous criminalist Kay Scarpetta returns to her former position as the chief medical examiner for the state of Virginia, investigating a haunting murder with eerie echoes of her first big case decades ago. In 1998, Scarpetta works alongside Detective Pete Marino and FBI agent Benton Wesley to investigate a series of brutal strangulations,” is Prime Video's official description for the series.

Cornwell is recognized as one of the world's most influential and best-selling thriller authors, often referred to as the “queen” of the genre for her acclaimed series with Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

With her books translated into 36 languages ​​and selling more than 120 million copies, she revolutionized detective fiction by introducing advanced scientific details into the plots of her novels.

Star Cast for 'Scarpetta' Series

The role of Kay Scarpetta is played by Nicole Kidman, who won an Oscar in 2003 for her performance in the drama film “The Hours”, while another Hollywood legend, Jamie Lee Curtis, plays Dorothy Scarpetta, his older sister.

Curtis, now 67, is an Academy Award winner herself, winning in 2023 for her performance in the sci-fi comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Ariana DeBose, the 2022 Oscar winner for West Side Story, plays Lucy Farinelli-Watson, the daughter of Curtis' character, in the new Prime Video series. Detectives Marino and Wesley are played by Emmy Award-winner Bobby Cannavale and Simon Baker, known for his role in “The Mentalist,” which recently streamed on Netflix as a licensed title.

The series “Scarpetta” was created and directed by American filmmaker Elizabeth Sarnoff, known for her work on series such as “NYPD Blue”, “Deadwood”, “Lost” and “Barry”. Cornwell, 69, was one of the series' executive producers.

Does the Amazon Prime Video series live up to expectations?

Given the source material and the names involved, expectations are as high as can be. In addition, according to the Hollywood press, Prime Video would have made available to producers a substantial budget for “Scarpetta”, after the streaming division of the company founded by Jeff Bezos has created several expensive series in recent years, including “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” or, more recently, “The Night Manager.”

Overall, “Scarpetta” has an 80% approval rating from film critics on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, somewhat lower than expected for such a production.

But Variety gave it a stellar review, noting that Nicole Kidman gives a top-notch performance in a “sensational” series.

“'Scarpetta' is a brilliantly told story. Even as the story gets more complicated, the show manages to keep the audience anchored in the crimes being investigated and Kay's methodology (…) However, the most intriguing aspect is the way the show portrays the monstrosity. There are, of course, the obvious criminals, but 'Scarpetta' proves that villains often come in many forms,” ​​notes the review published by Variety.

“'Scarpetta' works—perhaps against all odds—and it works splendidly. The eight-episode series—which has already been greenlit for a second season—begins as an unusual fusion of family drama and unsettling close-ups on the autopsy table,” notes the review published by Slate magazine, which concludes that “if 'Scarpetta' has a flaw, it's that the identification of the killer seems somewhat of an afterthought.”

A negative review instead comes from The Guardian, who give the series just two stars out of five and note that it strays from its source material and falls into the trap of “trying too hard” to impress.

What is certain is that viewers can now form their own opinions, with the Amazon Prime Video platform atypically releasing all 8 episodes of the “Scarpetta” series simultaneously, in the style established by Netflix.