10 Crime Dramas Similar to Prime Video's Scarpetta

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A Scarpetta still featuring Jamie Lee Curtis and Nicole Kidman holding hands at an event

Published Mar 14, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT

Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV.

TV crime dramas like Prime Video's original series Scarpetta have become a staple of the modern streaming era, and many have some major elements in common. Scarpetta, developed by Liz Sarnoff, stars Nicole Kidman as Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a brilliant forensic pathologist who uses advanced investigative techniques to solve murder cases. Based on the novels by Patricia Cornwell, the series follows Scarpetta as she works an eerily familiar case.

The series also employs four younger versions of the cast, with Rosy McEwen as young Kay, Amanda Righetti as young Dorothy, Jacob Lumet Cannavale as young Pete, and Hunter Parrish as young Benton. What helps Scarpetta stand out among the crowded landscape of crime dramas is that it stems from Cornwell's novels, which have sold over 120 million copies worldwide since the character's debut in 1990.

Bringing such an established character to TV allows the adaptation to draw from a deep well of stories, themes, and character development already built within the books. While Scarpetta doesn't pull everything from the novels, it takes the richest source material and makes it into something even more refined. The modern streaming era has produced many gripping crime dramas built on similarly rich foundations, both original and adapted.

10 Bones

Three people staring at a skull in Bones season 2, episode 1.

Bones, which ran on Fox from 2005 through 2017, follows the ongoing work for Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist, as she works with FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). Bones follows Brennan, based on the life and novels of crime writer and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, and Booth as they work to solve tough-to-crack crimes.

Notable Character

Actor

Temperance “Bones” Brennan	Emily Deschanel
Seeley Booth	David Boreanaz
Angela Montenegro	Michaela Conlin
Jack Hodgins	T.J. Thyne
Camille Saroyan	Tamara Taylor
Lance Sweets	John Francis Daley

While the series dips in quality closer to the end, Bones is one of the most interesting procedurals of the last 20 years. The series works with a specific style of science and does its best to continue character threads through each season. It's best known for its ability to create compelling crime stories that keep viewers entertained, like Booth and Brennan's slow-burning romance.

Release Date 2005 - 2017

Network FOX

Showrunner Hart Hanson

Directors Ian Toynton, Dwight H. Little, Chad Lowe, Jeannot Szwarc, Allan Kroeker, Kate Woods, Steven DePaul, Tim Southam, Jeff Woolnough, Milan Cheylov, Randall Zisk, Alex Chapple, François Velle, Jesús Salvador Treviño, Tony Wharmby, Craig Ross Jr., Kevin Hooks, Michael Lange, Sanford Bookstaver, Allison Liddi-Brown, David Grossman, Emile B. Levisetti, Greg Yaitanes, Brad Turner

Writers Hart Hanson, Michael Peterson, Dean Lopata, Jonathan Collier, Keith Foglesong, Janet Lin, Elizabeth Benjamin, Pat Charles, Josh Berman, Scott Williams, Hilary Weisman Graham, Noah Hawley, Lyla Oliver, Karyn Usher, Dave Thomas, Janet Tamaro, Sanford Golden, Steve Blackman, Joe Hortua, Karen Wyscarver, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Emily Silver, Yael Zinkow, Greg Ball

Emily Deschanel

Temperance 'Bones' Brennan

9 Body Of Proof

A woman in a teal coat walking up to a crime scene in Body of Proof.

Body Of Proof stars Dana Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt, a medical examiner working in Philadelphia. Although Body Of Proof is a procedural at heart, the series focuses on Hunt's complicated life in an interesting way. Throughout the series, Body Of Proof pays close mind to Hunt's work, balancing her difficult personal life and her high-powered professional life.

Hunt, a former neurosurgeon, had a patient die on the table after a life-changing car accident, which resulted in her resignation from her position and an early retirement from practicing medicine. Now, estranged from her daughter and hoping to resolve their relationship, Hunt's work as a regarded medical examiner becomes a huge part of her story. Running from 2011 through 2013, Body Of Proof's 3 seasons were messy.

Release Date 2011 - 2013-00-00

Directors Christine Moore, Nelson McCormick, Matthew Gross, Eric Laneuville, Paul Holahan, John Terlesky, Tom Verica, Stephen Cragg, Nathan Hope, Michael Grossman, Alex Zakrzewski, David Platt, Kate Woods, John Putch, John Polson, Dwight H. Little, David Solomon

Writers Diane Ademu-John

8 Rizzoli & Isles

Based on the novel series of the same name by Tess Gerristen, Rizzoli & Isles follows Boston Homicide police detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) as they bring their expertise together to help solve tough cases. While the series is a fairly typical procedural, Rizzoli & Isles plays on the relationship between its main characters more than some others.

With a supporting cast including Lorraine Bracco, Bruce McGill, and the late Lee Thompson Young, the series created compelling crimes that entangled its main cast members throughout the series. Framing female friendships and familial relationships as a central piece of the show's DNA, Rizzoli & Isles takes an interesting approach to crime.

Release Date 2010 - 2016-00-00

Angie Harmon

Jane Rizzoli

7 Crossing Jordan

Jordan and Woody looking apprehensive at a crime scene in Crossing Jordan

Following Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh (Jill Hennessy), a crime-solving forensic pathologist working in the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Crossing Jordan is an interestingly layered procedural. While Cavanaugh is obsessed with solving violent crimes after her mother's murder, the rest of the ensemble cast works in a more standard practice as the series continues.

Notable Character

Actor

Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh	Jill Hennessy
Dr. Garrett Macy	Miguel Ferrer
Dr. Mahesh "Bug" Vijay	Ravi Kapoor
Lily Lebowski	Kathryn Hahn
Nigel Townsend	Steve Valentine
Detective Woody Hoyt	Jerry O'Connell

With a supporting cast that includes Miguel Ferrer, Mahershala Ali, Kathryn Hahn, and Jerry O'Connell, Crossing Jordan features some highly complicated relationships throughout its six-season run. The show's quirky nature did come with a cost, and ultimately the show was cancelled before it could conclude some of its bigger story points.

Release Date 2001 - 2007-00-00

Directors Allan Arkush, Roxann Dawson, Michael Gershman, Donna Deitch, Bethany Rooney, Ian Toynton, Stephen Williams, Arvin Brown, Jesús Salvador Treviño, Miguel Ferrer, John Badham, Michael Zinberg, Tim Hunter, Aaron Lipstadt, Alex Zakrzewski, Andy Wolk, Craig Ross Jr., Curtis A. Schnell, Dianne Houston, Dick Lowry, Ernest R. Dickerson, Jill Hennessy, Jonathan Kaplan, Joyce Chopra

Writers Tim Kring, Kathy McCormick, Damon Lindelof, Gary Glasberg, Linda Gase, Melissa R. Byer, Treena Hancock, Aron Eli Coleite, Andi Bushell, David Amann, Diane Ademu-John, Elizabeth Sarnoff, Ian Biederman, Scott Williams, Jim Praytor, Lynne E. Litt, Ashley Gable, Rob Wright, Kira Arne' Verica, Brian L. Ross, Christopher Barbour, Jill E. Blotevogel, Lawrence Meyers, Samantha Corbin-Miller, Jon Cowan, Robert Rovner

Cast

Jill Hennessy

Jordan Cavanaugh
Ravi Kapoor

Mahesh 'Bug' Vijay

6 Prime Suspect

A British procedural that ran from 1991 through 2006, Prime Suspect follows Helen Mirren as one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, Jane Tennison. A series that tackles a ton of issues throughout its run, Prime Suspect's most consistent thread tugs on the struggle of sexism within the force.

Constantly dealing with the difficulties of dealing with a male-dominated field, Mirren's performance as Tennison brought much acclaim throughout the show's long-drawn-out run. While Prime Suspect's format likely seems strange to US viewers with two episodes released every few years, the show's gradual momentum is a perfect fit for the story.

Release Date 1991 - 1991-00-00

5 Ballard

Renee Ballard looks upset in Ballard season 1

Part of the Bosch universe, Ballard is a spinoff of the original show following a different Michael Connelly book series. Featuring the work of Renée Ballard (Maggie Q) as she takes command of the LAPD's newly formed cold case unit of the Robbery-Homicide Division, Ballard opens long-lost investigations and works with a huge lack of resources throughout the show's first season.

As a part of the Bosch universe, Ballard does come in contact with the franchise's most notable character, still played by Titus Welliver. The Prime Video original has been an interesting piece of the franchise's puzzle, with Ballard finding a thread of corruption throughout her investigation of the cold cases she's been given access to.

Release Date July 9, 2025

Network Prime Video

Directors Jet Wilkinson

Writers Michael Connelly, Brandi Nicole, Galeesa Murph, John Coveny, Julissa Castillo, Kendall Sherwood, Liz Hsiao Lan Alper, Michael Alaimo, Ralph Gifford, Thania St. John

Franchise(s) Bosch

Maggie Q

Detective Renée Ballard
Courtney Taylor

Samira Parker

4 His & Hers

One of Netflix's newest thrillers, His & Hers, is an adaptation of the 2020 Alice Feeney novel of the same name. The series, starring Jon Bernthal as Detective Jack Harper and Tessa Thompson as news reporter Anna Andrews, follows the estranged couple as they investigate a murder in Dahlonega, Georgia from two different motives.

An intense game of cat and mouse, His & Hers plays on relationship dynamics that aren't the usual for a crime thriller. With a murder at the core of the series, the show's decision to revolve around a crime without being a full-blown procedural is an interesting choice, and the performances from Bernthal and Thompson shine because of it.

Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00

Network Netflix

Directors Anja Marquardt

Writers Tori Sampson

3 Will Trent

ABC's Will Trent, which is currently airing its fourth season, is one of the best procedurals on network TV. The titular Will Trent (Ramon Rodriguez) and the rest of the GBI and Atlanta PD on the series, make for one of the best ensembles, seamlessly fitting into one another's lives on screen.

While Will has his own demons to deal with, and consistently finds them popping up throughout his work as a GBI agent, the series has been able to ensure that the rest of the cast, including Erika Christensen, Jake McLaughlin, and Iantha Richardson, are three-dimensional. A sleeper hit for ABC, Will Trent is based on the Will Trent and Grant County by Karin Slaughter.

Release Date January 3, 2023

Directors Howard Deutch, Eric Dean Seaton, Holly Dale, Lea Thompson, Patricia Cardoso, Sheree Folkson, Bille Woodruff, Erika Christensen, Gail Mancuso, Geary McLeod, Jason Ensler, Mark Tonderai, Paul McGuigan

Writers Inda Craig-Galván, Henry 'Hank' Jones, Karine Rosenthal, Adam Toltzis, Antoine Perry

Ramón Rodríguez

Will Trent
Erika Christensen

Angie Polaski

2 Cardinal

Still from Cardinal featuring Billy Campbell as John Cardinal in the woods.

A Canadian series starring Billy Campbell as Detective John Cardinal, Cardinal is based on the novels of Giles Blunt. Following Cardinal and his partner, Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse), the pair investigate cases in the fictional Algonquin Bay. Each season of the series, which ran from 2017 through 2020, works through one case over the course of six episodes. The series dives deep into the mystery elements, keeping viewers guessing.

Release Date 2017 - 2020-00-00

Network CTV

Directors Daniel Grou

Writers Aubrey Nealon, Alison Lea Bingeman

Billy Campbell

John Cardinal
Karine Vanasse

Lise Delorme
Kristen Thomson

Noelle Dyson
Glen Gould

Jerry Commanda

1 Bosch

As Prime Video's biggest hit in the modern streaming era, Bosch is a series that stems from the books of Michael Connelly. Featuring Titus Welliver as the titular Harry Bosch, the series follows his career as an LAPD homicide detective, slowly working through cases from season to season. Bosch and its spinoff, Bosch: Legacy, moves at a fascinating pace that leave viewers wanting more.

With Bosch having become the benchmark of a successful series on Prime Video, the unique elements of the series have left many looking for shows like the crime drama. While Scarpetta may not be the perfect next step, viewers of Bosch would ejoy the new Prime Video thriller.

Release Date 2015 - 2021-00-00

Network Prime Video

Showrunner Eric Ellis Overmyer

Directors Alex Zakrzewski, Ernest R. Dickerson, Patrick Cady, Aaron Lipstadt, Adam Davidson, Daisy von Scherler Mayer, Kevin Dowling, Neema Barnette, Tim Hunter, Zetna Fuentes, Christine Moore, Jim McKay, Laura Belsey, Matt Earl Beesley, Phil Abraham, Roxann Dawson, Sarah Pia Anderson, Stephen Gyllenhaal, Tara Nicole Weyr, Thomas Carter, Hagar Ben-Asher

Writers Jeffrey Alan Fiskin, Tom Bernardo, Elle Johnson, John Mankiewicz, Shaz Bennett, Alex Meenehan, Katie Pyne, Osokwe Vasquez, Lolis Eric Elie, Jessica Kivnik, Mitzi Roberts

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