First, full confession. While I
am familiar with the source material, truth is that I came in way too late to
the Scarpetta series of novels by Patricia Cornwell to actually enjoy them—primarily
because reading the first book (Postmortem, 1990) thirty-plus years
after it was first published was riddled with long passages about (now) very
outdated technology. It made reading the earlier books a total slog, which
then put the kibosh on reading the more recent ones because they are
chronological in nature.
That said, not having an
intimate familiarity with the books should have made the proceedings fresher,
without that nagging book-versus-adaptation comparative analysis we tend to do
when watching adaptations of books on TV or in film.
The verdict? I enjoyed Scarpetta
but can recognize its flaws and agree with some of the criticism leveled at it.
Bias (because of my JLC super-fandom) and all.
This first season is actually
adaptations of two Cornwell novels—the aforementioned Postmortem
and 2021's Autopsy. Liz Sarnoff, who serves as Scarpetta’s
showrunner and head writer, cleverly draws a parallel between the two pieces of
source material that allows dual timelines—one set in present day, the other in
1998. Two timelines allow for two casts, and this might be Scarpetta’s
greatest first season strength. Allow me to explain.
Undeniably, the present-day
timeline has the stacked cast of the year—three Academy Award winners
(Kidman, Curtis, and DeBose), recognizable TV talents (Cannavale and Baker),
plus a few excellent character actors sprinkled in for good measure (Lenny
Clarke and a fantastic Stephanie Faracy). Hell, even author Patricia Cornwell
cameos as the judge who sears Kidman’s character in. But this is also where
Sarnoff and company throw everything and the kitchen sink at the audience in an
attempt to give all these incredible actors something to do. At times, it all
feels a little overstuffed and narratively off kilter.
The 1998 timeline, by contrast, is
more linear—a simpler, straightforward procedural in which younger versions of
the same characters grapple with the first case involving a newly-appointed
(and first female) Chief Medical Examiner, Kay Scarpetta. This is also where I’m
going to give a well-deserved shoutout to casting director John Papsidera, who
really nails the younger versions of the primary cast. The standout is Rosy
McEwen, whose past credits include Black Mirror, The Alienist, the
film Blue Jean, and alongside Julia Garner in the Rosemary’s Baby
prequel, Apartment 7A. As the young Scarpetta, McEwen embodies Kidman’s
ticks, tricks, and quirks to perfection. Also noteworthy is the genius casting
of Bobby Cannavale’s real-life son, Jacob Lumet Cannavale, as the young Marino,
Hunter Parrish as the young Benton, and Mike Vogel (Under the Dome, Bates
Motel) as Bill Boltz, a city attorney. Sosie Bacon, daughter of Kevin Bacon
and Kyra Sedgwick, shines in the small but consequential role of journalist Abby
Turnball.
Kidman is serviceable in the
titular role, while Cannavale shines and Baker gets lost in the background.
DeBose is good, but she’s saddled with an annoying character. No surprise, but
Curtis is the scene-stealing standout—even if she veers dangerously close to
her Emmy-winning character from The Bear at times. Her Dorothy (older
sister to Scarpetta) is brash and bawdy, a flamboyant children’s book author
who’s hot on men and cool on motherhood, which sets up much of the sisterly
resentments between her and Kidman. Much of Scarpetta is an exploration of
grief, with the contrast between how Dorothy and Kay each handle an early-life
tragedy setting up much of the later conflict. Again, some backstage kudos to the
show’s costume designer Ane Crabtree, who opts to emphasize Curtis’s cleavage
to the point that her breasts deserve their own credit here. Note to Sarnoff: The
winning Dorothy formula going forward is to dial down the character’s anger (which, as
mentioned, dips into Donna Berzatto territory) and tap into Curtis’s sizable
comedic chops.
Even when the audience risks whiplash from the myriad competing storylines and subplots, Scarpetta manages to keep itself narratively on task and together, leading to a jaw-dropping third act and cliffhanger that will likely lead viewers to tune in for the previously announced second season. Interestingly, both seasons were originally slated to shoot simultaneously last year. For scheduling reasons (likely those of Kidman and Curtis who are juggling multiple projects these days), it did not, and the second season is now slated to begin filming in Nashville later this month. That might be the biggest gift given to Sarnoff and her creative team, who can now take the show’s first season criticism and apply it to the next eight episodes.
