Simon Baker is firmly back at the centre of prestige television. Prime Video's Scarpetta, the glossy adaptation of Patricia Cornwell's bestselling crime novels, has been renewed with a two-season order, and production on its second run is already underway — cementing a high-profile return to leading American TV for the former Mentalist star.
The series stars Nicole Kidman as Dr. Kay Scarpetta, the brilliant chief medical examiner of Virginia, with Baker playing her husband, FBI profiler Benton Wesley. Jamie Lee Curtis co-stars as Kay's sharp-tongued sister Dorothy, alongside Bobby Cannavale as former detective Pete Marino and Ariana DeBose as tech-savvy niece Lucy. The first season, eight episodes released in March 2026, drew strong reviews for its starry ensemble and its twisty, forensic take on the serial-killer thriller.
For Baker, the role marks his most prominent US television work since he played the charming investigator Patrick Jane on the long-running hit The Mentalist. After years spent largely on film and directing back home in Australia, Scarpetta has returned him to the kind of high-wattage network-and-streaming spotlight that first made him a household name — this time as a quieter, more haunted figure at Scarpetta's side.
Season two has expanded its already formidable cast with a wave of new recurring players, among them David Arquette, Jodi Balfour, William Zabka, Kim Dickens, Holland Taylor and rapper Killer Mike, signalling Prime Video's confidence in the franchise. A premiere date for the new season has not yet been announced, but with cameras already rolling, Scarpetta looks set to remain one of the platform's marquee dramas — and one of the most talked-about comebacks of Baker's career.
Cornwell's Scarpetta novels have sold well over 100 million copies worldwide across more than two dozen books, giving the show a deep well of material to mine for years to come. For Prime Video, committing to two seasons up front is a clear bet that Kidman and Baker can anchor a long-running franchise. And for fans who followed Baker through seven seasons of The Mentalist, his return is a welcome reminder of just how magnetic he can be at the heart of a hit series.
