Scarpetta

Richmond, Virginie.

1990’s : Kay Scarpetta is a young chief medical examiner. As the first woman to hold this position, she is being closely watched by men who are either envious or eager to see her fail. And all the more so because she has to examine the body of the fourth victim of a serial killer who is terrorizing the women of the city. She is, however, backed by two men: Pete Marino, a stubborn and loyal cop, and Benton, an FBI agent. But she also has to deal with a complicated family life, as she has custody of her 11-year-old niece, Lucy.

2026: Kay and her husband Benton comes back to Richmond. Marino, no longer a cop and now married to Dorothy, Kay’s sister, still live here with Lucy. Lucy recently lost her wife, the love of her life, Janet. A computer whiz, she keeps her wife’s memory alive through an AI program and spends her days with her, which worries her family.

Kay returns to her old position. The victim she is examining turns out to be a spy who stole cutting-edge biotechnology. The government begins to obstruct the investigation, even as Kay suspects the motive might be something entirely different.

A family haunted by its past

Despite the somewhat convoluted dual timeline, the plot (or rather, the dual plot) is compelling. Based on Patricia Cornwell’s novel, it is indeed well written. It features a medical examiner who conducts the investigation herself, which is somewhat unusual. The series doesn’t go into detail about how investigative methods have evolved. But it does make use of two innovations: AI and biotechnology. The use of AI isn’t just a gimmick here, as it’s actually a fully-fledged character—a likable one, at that—who acts as an effective psychological guide.

But beyond the story, the series’ appeal lies in this dysfunctional family—and in particular in the three strong women, portrayed by great actresses: Kay (Nicole Kidman), Dorothy (Jamie Lee Curtis), and Lucy (Arian DeBose). The two sisters are nothing alike and are constantly at odds with each other. Yet a childhood trauma binds them together forever.

So yes, there are some flaws. While the visuals are beautiful, I didn’t understand the decision to use different colors for the 90’s. Guess what? The colors were the same 😉 And that’s fine—we don’t need that to understand the change in the timeline.

Overall, I binge-watched the episodes and am looking forward to the next season.

1 season, 8 episodes (45 mn), 2026 – ,on Amazon Prime

WITH :

• Past (young) and present : Nickole Kidman (Nine perfect strangers / The perfect couple) / Rosie Mc Ewen (young) as Key Scarpetta, Jamie Lee Curtis / Amanda Righetti as Dorothy, Bobby Cannavale (Nine perfect strangers) / Jake Cannavale as Pete Marino, Simon Baker / Hunter Parrish as Benton Wesley, Ariana DeBose / Savannah Lumar as Lucy Farinelli-Watson, Anson Mount / Graham Phillips as Matt Petersen
• Present : Tiya Sircar (The good place / Star Wars Rebels) as Blaise Fruge, Janet Montgomery as Janet, Sosie Bacon as Abby Turnbull, Mike Vogel as Bill Boltz, Stephanie Faracy (Nobody wants this) as Maggie Cutbush,
• Cameo : author Patricia Cornwell has a cameo in the first episode as the official swearing Kay in as chief medical examiner