Nicole Kidman headlines a gripping eight-part crime thriller named after forensic pathologist Dr Kay Scarpetta, the crusading character immortalised on the pages of Patricia Cornwell's series of books dating back to 1990. Written for television by Liz Sarnoff, Scarpetta allows the present and past to collide head-on by pursuing dual timelines from Scarpetta's early years as a chief medical examiner in the late 1990s to a current murder investigation. Scarpetta (Kidman) believes that she can provide a voice to victims and uphold justice using modern forensic science and her gut instinct. She returns to her hometown to resume her former position as Chief Medical Examiner while investigating a grisly murder, 28 years after the career-making case that could also prove her undoing. As she follows the evidence, Kay navigates a tricky relationship with her sister Dorothy Farinelli (Jamie Lee Curtis), draws strength from her tech-savvy niece Lucy Farinelli Watson (Ariana DeBose) and seeks professional alliances with Detective Pete Marino (Bobby Cannavale) and FBI profiler Benton Wesley (Simon Baker).