PickFlick
The Staircase

The Staircase

TV-MA2004•49m•7.6/10
DocumentaryCrime

Ratings

🎬TMDb
7.6/10(192)

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade's cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. The series is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller.

Open in PickFlick

Production

Maha Productions

Language

EN

Status

Ended

First Aired

October 7, 2004

Last Aired

June 8, 2018

Networks

SundanceTV, Canal+, Netflix

Created By

Jean-Xavier de Lestrade

Trailers & Videos

Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
Crime or Accident?
E1
Crime or Accident?
Air date: 2004-10-07
Following his wife's suspicious death, Michael Peterson speaks about his version of the events while lawyers and expert witnesses prepare for trial.
Secrets and Lies
E2
Secrets and Lies
Air date: 2004-10-07
As Michael's hidden life comes out into the open, defense experts debate if it will have a significant impact on the coming trial.
A Striking Coincidence
E3
A Striking Coincidence
Air date: 2004-10-14
The death of another woman close to Peterson from 17 years earlier sparks a new investigation. She also died on a staircase, casting major doubts over the defense case.
A Prosecution Trickery
E4
A Prosecution Trickery
Air date: 2004-10-14
As the trial looms and media attention heats up, an autopsy report's wording ruffles the feathers of the defense team.
A Weak Case
E5
A Weak Case
Air date: 2004-10-21
The prosecution presents its case while the defense strives to cast a reasonable doubt within the minds of the jury.
The Prosecution's Revenge
E6
The Prosecution's Revenge
Air date: 2004-10-21
A witness brings surprising levity to the stand. The judge rules on an important matter, and Michael's alleged temper comes under scrutiny.
The Blow Poke Returns
E7
The Blow Poke Returns
Air date: 2004-10-28
Kathleen's sisters pore over Michael's writings. Jurors visit the staircase at Michael's home. A vital piece of evidence reappears.
The Verdict
E8
The Verdict
Air date: 2004-10-28
Is Michael Peterson guilty or not guilty? The jury delivers its verdict regarding the mysterious death of his wife, Kathleen.
Reopening the Case
E9
Reopening the Case
Air date: 2013-01-30
Eight years later, the possibility that a key witness for the prosecution may have misled the jury could prompt the need for a new trial.
The Last Chance
E10
The Last Chance
Air date: 2013-01-30
After more experts testify about the questionable conclusions and claims of Duane Deaver, the judge rules on whether a new trial is necessary.
Looking for Closure
E11
Looking for Closure
Air date: 2018-06-08
Following two and a half years of house arrest, Michael must decide whether to push for a plea or risk his freedom with a new trial.
Between Anger and Despair
E12
Between Anger and Despair
Air date: 2018-06-08
Their faith in the justice system forever shaken, Michael and his family discuss what they can hope to achieve by continuing the fight.
Flawed Justice
E13
Flawed Justice
Air date: 2018-06-08
Michael speaks to a reporter about the reasons behind his plea. Later, Kathleen's sister delivers a statement of defiance in court.

Cast

Michael Peterson

Self

Ron Guerette

Self

Tom Maher

Self

David Rudolf

Self

Bill Peterson

Self

Recommended

Live PD: Police Patrol

Live PD: Police Patrol

8.4
2017
TV Show

An unfiltered look at police departments in action.

Live PD: Police Patrol

2017
8.4
Monkey Dust

Monkey Dust

8.1
2003
TV Show

Monkey Dust is a British satirical cartoon, notorious for its dark humour and handling of taboo topics such as bestiality, murder, suicide and paedophilia. There were three series broadcast on BBC Three between 2003 and 2005. Following co-creator Harry Thompson's death, no further series were made.

Monkey Dust

2003
8.1
What Remains

What Remains

7.3
2013
TV Show

When the decomposed body of Melissa Young is found by a couple in their new flat, Detective Len Harper is determined to discover what happened to her and why nobody noticed she was missing.

What Remains

2013
7.3
Guns Germs & Steel

Guns Germs & Steel

6.4
2005
TV Show

A PBS documentary concerning Jared Diamond's theory on why there is such disparity between those who have advanced technology and those who still live primitively. He argues it is due to the acquisition of guns and steel and the changes brought about by germs.

Guns Germs & Steel

2005
6.4
Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless

Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless

7.0
2010
TV Show

Riveting performances from the 2010 tour, revealing interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and early home videos come together to tell the story of a little girl who dared to dream big, and who fearlessly faced near-insurmountable obstacles to make those dreams come true.

Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless

2010
7.0
Evil Genius

Evil Genius

7.3
2018
TV Show

This baffling true crime story starts with the grisly death of a pizza man who robs a bank with a bomb around his neck - and gets weirder from there.

Evil Genius

2018
7.3
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

8.0
2015
TV Show

Robert Durst, scion of NY's billionaire real-estate family, has been accused of three murders but has evaded justice for over 30 years. Durst speaks in this true crime series, revealing secrets of a case that has baffled authorities.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

2015
8.0
Storage Wars

Storage Wars

5.8
2010
TV Show

When rent is not paid on a storage locker for three months in California, the contents can be sold by an auctioneer as a single lot of items in the form of a cash-only auction. The show follows professional buyers who purchase the contents based only on a five-minute inspection of what they can see from the door when it is open. The goal is to turn a profit on the merchandise.

Storage Wars

2010
5.8
Holocaust

Holocaust

7.3
1978
TV Show

Berlin, Germany, 1935. The day Karl Weiss, a Jewish painter, and Inga Helms, a Christian woman, marry, is the one in which both of them and the entire Weiss family are caught up in the maelstrom of the Nazi regime, the storms of World War II and the horrors of the criminal Final Solution, the Holocaust, the Shoah; while Erik Dorf, an ambitious lawyer, undertakes his fall into hell at the hands of the sinister Reinhard Heydrich.

Holocaust

1978
7.3
Transparent

Transparent

6.3
2014
TV Show

An LA family with serious boundary issues have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone's secrets to spill out.

Transparent

2014
6.3
Wild Wild Country

Wild Wild Country

7.7
2018
TV Show

When a controversial cult leader builds a utopian city in the Oregon desert, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal.

Wild Wild Country

2018
7.7
The Confession Killer

The Confession Killer

7.2
2019
TV Show

Henry Lee Lucas rose to infamy when he confessed to hundreds of unsolved murders. This docuseries examines the truth -- and horrifying consequences.

The Confession Killer

2019
7.2

Similar TV Shows

Debi Marshall Investigates: Frozen Lies

Debi Marshall Investigates: Frozen Lies

2019
TV Show

Investigative crime journalist Debi Marshall explores one of Australia's most sensational murders – the case of the Lawyer in the Freezer.

Debi Marshall Investigates: Frozen Lies

2019
Unsolved Mysteries

Unsolved Mysteries

7.7
1988
TV Show

Combines four to five segments of dramatic re-enactments, interviews and updates of real human and paranormal mysteries. An audience interactive call-to-action request allowed viewers to call in with tips to help solve the cases.

Unsolved Mysteries

1988
7.7
Ei vanhene koskaan

Ei vanhene koskaan

7.0
1997
TV Show

No overview available.

Ei vanhene koskaan

1997
7.0
Sleeping With Death

Sleeping With Death

7.0
2022
TV Show

This compelling edge-of-your-seat docu-series recounts some of the most bizarre and crazy murders in which someone wakes up to a dead body.. With access to lead investigators, key witnesses and those closest to the victim, the series uncovers the secrets and truth behind each twisted murder.

Sleeping With Death

2022
7.0
Dateline

Dateline

6.4
1992
TV Show

Dateline NBC, or simply Dateline, is a weekly American television newsmagazine series. It was previously the network's flagship newsmagazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasional editions that focus on other topics.

Dateline

1992
6.4
The Real Unforgotten

The Real Unforgotten

2025
TV Show

Detectives reinvestigate the murder of Carol Morgan in the storeroom of her Bedfordshire corner shop in 1981 - re-examining the files, revisiting the crime scene, and looking for new witnesses as previously missed evidence points to a different theory.

The Real Unforgotten

2025
Who Killed Jenni Rivera?

Who Killed Jenni Rivera?

4.0
2022
TV Show

A celebration of the life and an exploration of the mysterious death of award-winning Latin superstar Jenni Rivera. Through intimate footage and interviews delving into the still undetermined causes of the horrific 2012 crash of her plane outside Monterrey, Mexico, it provides an in-depth look at the real story and continuing questions behind the accident and events leading up to it.

Who Killed Jenni Rivera?

2022
4.0
Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers in America

Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers in America

6.2
2021
TV Show

Examine the intersecting paths of five of America’s most notorious killers–Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, The Green River Killer and BTK–who all operated during the same period, across two decades.

Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers in America

2021
6.2
The Confession

The Confession

6.1
2022
TV Show

When Patricia Hall vanishes from the small Yorkshire town of Pudsey, her husband Keith becomes a suspect, caught in a storm of rumour and suspicion. Only after a year, when Keith Hall falls in love with a beautiful stranger, does the terrible truth about his wife's disappearance seem to emerge in a shocking series of twists and revelations.

The Confession

2022
6.1
A Shop for Killers

A Shop for Killers

8.1
2024
TV Show

A niece who lost her parents and grew up in the hands of an uncle who runs a shopping mall faces a new truth after her uncle's sudden death.

A Shop for Killers

2024
8.1
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

7.2
2020
TV Show

Via interviews with friends, players and insiders, this docuseries examines how Aaron Hernandez went from an NFL star to a convicted killer.

Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

2020
7.2
Rubicon

Rubicon

7.6
2010
TV Show

An intelligence analyst at a national think tank in New York City called the American Policy Institute discovers that he may be working with members of a secret society that manipulates world events on a grand scale.

Rubicon

2010
7.6