Why ‘Scarpetta’ Is Set in Alexandria but Filmed in Nashville

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Many viewers searching for the Scarpetta Alexandria filming locations may expect to see familiar Old Town streets on screen. But while the new Prime Video series Scarpetta is set in Alexandria, the show was actually filmed hundreds of miles away in Nashville, Tennessee.

The series Scarpetta, starring Nicole Kidman and based on Patricia Cornwell’s bestselling novels about medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, is set largely in Alexandria. But viewers hoping to recognize King Street or the waterfront will likely come up empty.

As reported by the Alexandria Brief earlier this week, the series moved the setting of Cornwell’s stories from Richmond — where many of the books take place — to Alexandria for the television adaptation. But production chose to film the show primarily in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to location reports compiled by Atlas of Wonders, filming took place in several Nashville-area neighborhoods, including Germantown, Donelson and Berry Hill. Some scenes intended to represent Virginia government buildings were even filmed at the Tennessee State Capitol.

So why would a show set in Alexandria shoot hundreds of miles away?

In the film industry, the answer often comes down to economics and logistics.

Ok Tennessee offers productions a financial incentive that includes a rebate on qualified in-state spending, part of a program designed to attract film and television projects to the state, according to the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. Nashville has also developed a reputation as a production hub with experienced crews and facilities that can support large television series.

There may have been another factor as well. As the Alexandria Brief noted, Kidman maintains a home in Nashville, and the production appears to have been anchored there.

That combination — financial incentives, production infrastructure and convenience — often drives where television shows ultimately film, even when the story takes place somewhere else.

Still, Alexandria gets top billing in the show’s fictional world.

While the cameras may have stayed in Tennessee, the city’s name will be heard throughout the series — introducing millions of viewers to Alexandria, even if the streets they see on screen belong to Nashville.