As fans count down to the premiere of Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis’ new show, Scarpetta, author Patricia Cornwell is giving her stamp of approval on the TV adaptation of her bestselling book series.
Cornwell, 69, published her debut novel, Postmortem, about medical examiner Kay Scarpetta in 1990, kicking off a series that has spanned 29 books. Now, 36 years later, Kidman, 58, is the lead of the Prime Video show based on the thrillers.
In an interview with People published on Wednesday, March 4, Cornwell acknowledged that the show veers from what’s written in her books. While she initially found the changes surprising, she now believes the alterations made for the TV series are “better than what I did” in the novels.
For instance, Cornwell noted that her favorite scene in season 1 is the conclusion, which is entirely different in her book.
“The ending will blow your socks off,” she insisted. “That was a big moment. And I think other people are going to find it a big moment too.”
Cornwell applauded the show’s creators for adapting her book in such a satisfactory way.
“What [the creators have] done is so good,” she said. “And the fans will get the bones and the DNA of my usual stories, but they’re going to get a whole lot more.”
Scarpetta is the first adaptation of Cornwell’s books to make it to the screen despite past options on her novels.
“There are no words, actually, to describe how unbelievable this is to me,” she gushed. “I mean, this is beyond my wildest dreams.”
Kidman portrays chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta on the show, while Curtis, 67, plays her sister, Dorothy. As Kay works to solve a series of murders reminiscent of the case that launched her career, her strained relationship with Dorothy complicates her personal life.
As producers of the streaming series, Kidman and Curtis were both involved in the development of their characters off screen.
“Jamie had a lot of ideas about how she wanted to look and what she wanted to wear and her hair. Nicole too. Suddenly she was speaking with a deeper voice,” showrunner Liz Sarnoff told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Wednesday. “Everybody sort of morphed into their characters and really built them up with us [writers].”
The actresses also influenced the tone of the show, leaning into the story’s darker themes.
“[Jamie and Nicole] really like things that are scary, and they were like, ‘We’re very dedicated to the show staying scary,’” Sarnoff added. “They really wanted it to be a mystery but also one that was terrifying and beautiful.”
Scarpetta—which also stars Ariana DeBose, Bobby Cannavale and Simon Baker—has already been renewed for season 2.
Scarpetta premieres on Prime Video Wednesday, March 11.
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.aol.com ’
