Tom Ripley is the chilling, fascinating center of Ripley — a small-time New York grifter hired to travel to Italy and persuade a wealthy young man to come home, who instead becomes seduced by a life of beauty and money he will do anything to keep. Patient, watchful, and endlessly adaptable, Ripley is a study in the banality and artistry of deception.
His arc, adapted from Patricia Highsmith's novel, is a slow-burn descent into murder and impersonation, rendered in stark black-and-white. As Tom assumes another man's identity and improvises his way through suspicion, the series lingers on his meticulousness — the cleaning, the forging, the cold problem-solving — making us complicit in the craft of his crimes.
Andrew Scott's coolly mesmerizing, unsettling performance reinvents one of literature's great sociopaths.
Key Episodes
S1 E1
Part 1
Tom is hired to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf from Italy and glimpses the life he covets.
S1 E8
Part 8
Ripley's web of deception faces its ultimate test in the finale.
Tom Ripley is one of the central figures in Ripley, a thriller/drama/crime series that aired on Netflix from 2024. Within the narrative of Ripley, Tom Ripley serves as a pivotal character whose decisions and relationships drive key story arcs throughout Season 1. The character's journey has been central to many of the show's most memorable and discussed moments.
Portrayed by Andrew Scott, Tom Ripley has become one of the most recognizable characters in modern television. Andrew Scott's performance brings nuance and depth to the role, creating a character that resonates with audiences on both intellectual and emotional levels. Andrew Scott's work has been recognized with 3 major awards, reflecting the critical acclaim their portrayal has received.
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Andrew Scott plays Tom Ripley in Netflix's black-and-white adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel.
Ripley adapts Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr. Ripley as a stylish, black-and-white limited series.
