Prime Video’s Scarpetta Is “Bones Meets Big Little Lies”

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With so many streaming services available, Prime Video has carved out a niche for itself by offering a fantastic selection of original crime thrillers. Whether you’re a fan of the popular Bosch series, Reacher, or Cross, Prime Video seems to have all the best adaptations of crime novels and stories.

While many shows offer compelling and original content, the crime genre is noticeably dominated by male leads and perspectives. That’s what makes Prime Video’s Scarpetta so different. Starring and executive produced by Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis, the series – based on the novels by Patricia Cornwell – follows the story of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a smart and sophisticated forensic pathologist.

The crime show Scarpetta, featuring a female lead and a focus on forensic science, is a standout in the same vein as Bones. Unlike many crime dramas that center around investigations at crime scenes, Scarpetta primarily takes place in the lab, where Dr. Scarpetta, as Virginia’s Chief Medical Examiner, does most of her detective work.

Unlike many similar shows, Scarpetta uses two timelines. The first season focuses on a case from Kay’s early days as Chief Medical Examiner, which resurfaces decades later after she returns to the job following years in Boston. These two timelines work together seamlessly, building suspense and showcasing strong performances from the show’s younger actors, who stand out alongside their more established colleagues.

Currently, Nicole Kidman and Jamie Curtis are acting alongside Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale and Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, making the cast of Scarpetta exceptionally star-studded – among the most famous of any crime thriller on Prime Video. This echoes the high-profile cast of Big Little Lies, the HBO series that helped establish Nicole Kidman as a major television star. However, a famous group of actors led by Nicole Kidman isn’t the only similarity between Scarpetta and Big Little Lies.

Scarpetta Is The Perfect Blend Of Bones & Big Little Lies

Many crime shows use car chases and shootings for excitement, but Scarpetta stands out. Despite being quite graphic, the show builds tension through its brilliant and highly skilled main character. This makes the Prime Video series similar to Bones, a popular show from the 2000s that many viewers missed when it ended in 2017.

Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan is a highly skilled forensic anthropologist, similar to Kay Scarpetta, who is a pathologist. Both women are passionate about their careers, which is essential to how they solve crimes. Because they’re so dedicated, both characters often face prejudice due to being perceived as cold or unemotional. Ultimately, it’s their intelligence and unwavering commitment that make Bones and Scarpetta compelling characters.

Both Scarpetta and Bones center around a professional working relationship between the main character and a law enforcement officer—FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth in Bones, and Detective Pete Marino (a former detective in the current timeline) in Scarpetta. While Bones features a romantic tension between the leads that eventually leads to marriage, the relationship between Scarpetta and Marino is far more complex.

Marino is married to Kay’s sister, Dorothy, and Kay is married to FBI profiler Benton Wesley. Despite these relationships, there’s a strong, undeniable attraction between Kay and Marino, and almost everyone can see that Marino has feelings for Kay – except for Kay herself.

The complicated relationships in Scarpetta are similar to those in Big Little Lies, which focuses just as much on the private lives of its characters as it does on the central murder. While Kay and Benton don’t deal with abuse like the characters in Big Little Lies, they face their own challenges, including Dorothy and Marino constantly being around, Benton keeping secrets, and his personal struggles.

Both Scarpetta and Big Little Lies initially present their main characters as living perfect, wealthy lives, but quickly show that appearances can be deceiving. Scarpetta is more over-the-top than Big Little Lies, and some viewers might not enjoy that style. However, if you like dramatic stories with talented actors, Scarpetta could be your new favorite show.

Scarpetta Has The Potential To Be The Rare Long-Running Streaming Crime Thriller

It’s always a bit of a mixed feeling when you find a really good crime thriller on a streaming service. You’re thrilled to have a new show to watch, but these days, most don’t last very long. Shows that ran for many seasons, like Bones, are becoming rare.

One thing that makes Scarpetta different from many other crime shows is its stability. While many series are canceled quickly, Scarpetta is confirmed to have a second season—and even a third—because Amazon ordered two seasons before the show even began airing.

The Scarpetta series could continue for quite a while, as it’s based on Patricia Cornwell’s popular book series. Currently, there are 29 books in the series, and Cornwell is still writing them – her latest, Sharp Force, came out in 2025.

As a huge fan of Patricia Cornwell’s work, I was thrilled to see Scarpetta brought to life! The first season cleverly weaves together the plots of Postmortem and Autopsy. And apparently, season two will do the same with Cruel and Unusual and The Body Farm. If they keep adapting two novels per season, that means there are enough books for potentially fourteen seasons! It’s amazing – Scarpetta could become one of those rare crime shows that just keeps going and going, which as a devotee, I’d absolutely love.

Scarpetta Is A Hit Prime Video Series Despite Divisive Reviews

Despite featuring a strong cast and being based on popular novels, the series Scarpetta didn’t receive positive reviews, earning a 58% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found the show overly complicated due to its use of two different timelines – a departure from the straightforward storytelling of the books – and described it as disorganized and confusing at times.

Okay, I’ll admit, the criticism about the show being a little confusing is fair, especially around the middle of Scarpetta season 1 – there’s a whole thing with 3D-printed organs, just so you know! But honestly, it really picks up again, and by the time you get to the season finale, it’s a total rollercoaster – seriously thrilling stuff! I was on the edge of my seat!

Scarpetta Rotten Tomatoes Critics & Audience Scores
Critics Score 58%
Popcornmeter 44%

Despite receiving a low score of 44% on the Rotten Tomatoes audience poll, the show Scarpetta is actually very popular with viewers. It’s currently ranked as one of the top 3 most-watched shows on Prime Video worldwide, according to data from FlixPatrol.

It’s remarkable that Scarpetta is still gaining traction, especially since the entire first season was released over a month ago. Similar to other successful crime series on Prime Video, Scarpetta is clearly popular with viewers and could become one of the platform’s biggest hits.

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2026-04-14 18:11