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HBO’s The Staircase Is Now on Netflix, Renewing Focus on the Peterson Case

Viewers can now see the dramatization alongside the original documentary, inviting fresh scrutiny of the evidence and the ethics of true‑crime storytelling.

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THE STAIRCASE, from left: Colin Firth (head turned) as Michael Peterson, Toni Collette as Kathleen Peterson, ‘The Beating Heart', (Season 1, ep. 105, aired May 19, 2022). photo: ©HBO Max / Courtesy Everett Collection; THE STAIRCASE, Colin Firth as Michael Peterson, ‘The Beating Heart', (Season 1, ep. 105, aired May 19, 2022). photo: ©HBO Max / Courtesy Everett Collection
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Image via ©HBO Max / courtesy Everett Collection

Overview

  • The 2022 eight‑episode limited series starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette has moved to Netflix, where it is drawing a larger audience, according to new coverage.
  • The show revisits Kathleen Peterson’s 2001 death and presents multiple competing theories without naming a definitive cause.
  • Jean‑Xavier de Lestrade’s multi‑installment documentary (2004–2018) remains available on Netflix, offering a non‑fiction companion to the dramatized account.
  • Documentary editor Sophie Brunet later had a relationship with Michael Peterson and has said it did not influence her editing decisions.
  • Legally the case concluded with Michael Peterson’s 2017 Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter after a 2003 murder conviction was overturned in 2011, yet the manner of death continues to be publicly debated.