The Staircase
The documentary series about the death of an author’s wife gets a star-packed make-over that is bubbling with excitement and tension. Colin Firth & Toni Collette are fabulous in this riveting true-crime drama.
The eight-part drama tells the story of Michael Peterson, whose second wife, Kathleen, died in December 2001. He claims he found her at the bottom of the stairs after she had fallen. The police . . . confronted with a body whose head had exploded seemed convinced he had bludgeoned her to death. Peterson was arrested and charged with murder. The investigation revealed a minefield of layers to the man, his family, and the story.
The series moves in and out of various timelines – 2017, the months leading up to Kathleen’s death, and the start of the trial. At first the family is united by the horror, but under pressure, the cracks start to form. As the evidence against Michael grows, the family begins to fall apart. Kathleen’s sisters turn against him; the children either change or cling to him.
We see the lawyers, collecting the facts and deciding on the best way to present them, and others along the way pushing would-be errant players into position. As in the documentary, it’s a portrait of how we see the truth and all its impossibilities.
The two leads are absolutely brilliant. Both slippery and arrogant, with performances that leave a nasty taste in your mouth. The family, traumatised with grief, yet detached and self-indulgent . . . you can’t help but watch them fall.
The Staircase is top-quality telly of highest level. If you haven’t seen the documentary, I would watch this first. Recommended. The series is available on Sky Atlantic.
