Scarpetta (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The character Kay Scarpetta is inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro.
• Settings include Florida, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Cast and characters

Nicole Kidman portrays Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the chief medical examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia, with Rosy McEwen playing a younger version of the character. Bobby Cannavale plays Pete Marino, a former detective turned forensic operations specialist who is married to Dorothy; Jacob Lumet Cannavale appears as young Pete. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Dorothy Scarpetta, Kay's older sister and a children's book author, while Amanda Righetti portrays young Dorothy. Simon Baker plays Benton Wesley, an FBI profiler and Scarpetta's husband, with Hunter Parrish as young Benton. Ariana DeBose plays Lucy Farinelli-Watson, Dorothy's daughter and Scarpetta's niece, a computer programmer and IT expert; Savannah Lumar plays young Lucy, whom Scarpetta raises after Dorothy leaves. Tiya Sircar plays police officer Blaise Fruge, Pete's mentee. Janet Montgomery appears as Janet, Lucy's deceased wife. Sosie Bacon plays journalist Abby Turnbull. Stephanie Faracy plays Maggie Cutbush, Scarpetta's inherited assistant, with Georgia King as young Maggie. Mike Vogel plays city attorney Bill Boltz. Anson Mount plays Matt Petersen, a former actor whose wife was murdered 28 years ago; Graham Phillips plays young Matt. Anna Diop plays FBI cyber investigator Sierra 'Tron' Patron. Natalija Nogulich plays Yaya, a friend who babysits for Scarpetta. Charlie B. Foster co-stars as Wingo, Scarpetta's morgue assistant. Patricia Cornwell cameos as the official swearing in Kay as chief medical examiner. Additional cast for season two includes David Arquette, Jodi Balfour, William Zabka, Stella Baker, Kim Dickens, Troy Garity, Jerod Haynes, Michael 'Killer Mike' Render, and Holland Taylor.

Production

In June 2021, a television adaptation of the novel series was reported in development from Comet Pictures, owned by Jamie Lee Curtis, and Blumhouse Television. Executive producers initially included Patricia Cornwell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Blum, Chris McCumber, Jeremy Gold, and Chris Dickie. In February 2023, Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis joined the cast and became executive producers, marking the first screen adaptation of Scarpetta after prior attempts involving Demi Moore in 1992 and Angelina Jolie in 2009. A two-season order of eight episodes each was anticipated. Liz Sarnoff later became showrunner and writer. David Gordon Green and Amy Sayres also served as executive producers. The series was initially announced as Kay Scarpetta but retitled Scarpetta when casting updates were revealed. David Gordon Green directed the first two episodes; Charlotte Brändström also directed. In February 2023, Kidman and Curtis were cast. In September 2024, Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale, Simon Baker, Rosy McEwen, and Jake Cannavale joined, followed later that month by Sosie Bacon, Amanda Righetti, Janet Montgomery, Stephanie Faracy, and Mike Vogel. Hunter Parrish was cast in October 2024. In November 2024, Tiya Sircar, Anna Diop, Graham Phillips, and Georgia King were announced in recurring roles. Charlie B. Foster joined in March 2025. In May 2026, David Arquette, Jodi Balfour, William Zabka, Stella Baker, Kim Dickens, Troy Garity, Jerod Haynes, Michael 'Killer Mike' Render, and Holland Taylor were cast for season two. Filming was originally scheduled for Nashville in September 2024 but postponed to October 2024. Curtis announced first-season filming wrapped on March 8, 2025. Second-season production began March 31, 2026, and wrapped on July 10, 2026.

Reception

The first season holds a 57% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 67 critic reviews, with the consensus calling it 'a little messy and occasionally all over the place' but 'a fun watch' due to its cast and mystery. Metacritic assigned a score of 54 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating 'mixed or average' reviews. Nielsen data for U.S. TV set views placed the first season at #4 and #6 in the original series and overall charts for the week of March 9–15, and at #7 in the original series chart for the week of March 16–22.