On December 9, 2001, novelist and aspiring politician Michael Peterson (Colin Firth) frantically called 9-1-1 to report finding his wife Kathleen (Toni Collette) bloody and unconscious at the bottom of a staircase in their home. She passed away before the police arrive, and Michael is arrested and charged with murder until a full investigation can be performed. Michael hires attorney David Rudolf (Michael Stuhlbarg) to defend him in this case that will go on for 16 years. They will face off against DAs Tom Maher (Justice Leak) and Freda Black (Parker Posey), overzealous blood spatter analyst Duane Deaver (Myke Holmes), and a livid and grieving Candace (Rosemarie DeWitt), who has no doubts that Michael killed her sister. It also doesn’t help that Michael has been writing bad things about the police in his column in the local paper, so they aren’t in any mood to help him.
As the investigation plays out, the case takes many odd and unexpected twists and turns. The first of these is that a French documentary crew wants to document Michael’s legal battle in order to explore the effectiveness of the American Judicial system. Michael has a large family, including 2 adult sons with his first wife—Todd (Patrick Schwarzenegger) & Clayton (Dane DeHaan)—two German daughters he took guardianship of after their mother died when they were young—Margaret (Sophie Turner) & Margaret Ratliff (Odessa Young)—and Kathleen’s daughter Caitlin (Olivia DeJonge) from a previous marriage, who was just starting college when her mother died. As new secrets about Michael come to light, and lies from his past come back to haunt him, this causes some friction among the siblings, who used to be one happy blended family before this. Now they need to decide if they believe their father’s story of what happened, and if they will stick by him though all of this. The children also have their own secrets and issues they are going through in their own lives, which may affect their willingness to stick by Michael.
I wasn’t really familiar with the real case/people/documentary this series is based on, but quickly realized as I was watching that this was case that was parodied in the first season of the hilarious NBC comedy Trial & Error. The case itself is so outrageous and ridiculous at times, that there is already so much humor baked into this series as well, despite there being a potential gruesome murder at the heart of it. The series follows three concurrent timelines—the past: the three months leading up to Kathleen’s death, the present: from the moment Kathleen is found on the staircase, and the future: in as the legal battle is finally coming to a close. While most of the time periods are noted on the screen, sometimes the series will jump to a different timeline and it’s not quite clear when the scene takes place, which can be slightly confusing at times. There are also several moments throughout the series where two events will be taking place at the same location in two different time periods, and the series will contently flip back and forth between them one line of dialogue at a time. This juxtaposition often works really well in an interestingly creative way, especially as we see two very different trials play out at the same time. Another thing the filmmakers like to do is any time there is a new theory as to what happened to Kathleen, we see it play out as though it is fact. So, unless you already know the details of the case, the series does a nice job of keeping you guessing what happened and what is going to happen, especially when every theory appears to be somewhat plausible. Episodes also often end on some big reveal, making you eager to see what happens next.
Ultimately, the series never explicitly states what did or didn’t happen, as that still remains a mystery to this day with Michael still proclaiming his innocence. But it is an interesting and entertaining exploration of the case, and the people and relationships that were affected by it, and the various motives for Kathleen’s death, and the various ways it could have happened. We also see the failure of the system, particularly in the eyes of the documentarians who are trying to tell a story of their own, and the passion they have for their project—especially editor Sophie (Juliette Binoche), who is making the doc a little too personal. Throughout the series the tone and focus of the episodes changes, whether it be murder mystery, prison movie, love story, thriller, or even comedy. It is a unique blend that keeps the show evolving and interesting.
As far as physical media, Warner Bros. has only released The Staircase on DVD. The picture quality is generally clean and good, though slightly on the dark side, but I never found this to detract from the enjoyment of the series. It is definitely lacking that extra level of clarity and detail of an HD presentation, like how it originally aired on HBO Max. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to give a more immersive viewing experience. This is noticeable right from the start as we experience the chaotic ambiance of the crime scene. The series is also available for purchase in HD and is currently still streaming on HBO Max, but given recent events, there are no guarantees as to how long it will stay there.
The series’ 8 episodes are split across 3 discs, with 3 episodes on each the first 2 discs and the final 2 episodes on the third disc. The discs are placed in trays in a standard-size DVD case, which is placed inside a cardboard slipcover. There is no digital copy included, but nearly and hour of behind-the-scenes bonus featurettes/
What’s Included:
- All 8 episodes of the limited series:
Disc 1 (3:15:10): “911”, “Chiroptera”, “The Great Dissembler”
Disc 2 (3:09:28): “Common Sense”, “The Beating Heart”, “Red in Tooth Claw”
Disc 3 (2:15:51): “Seek and Ye Shall”, “America’s Sweetheart or: Time Over Time” - 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Inside the Episode (36:45)
The cast and crew talk about the people, events, relationships and themes covered in each episode, and share stories about the production. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with writer/co-showrunner Maggie Cohn, writer/ director/ co-showrunner Antonio Campos, and stars Colin Firth (“Michael Peterson”), Patrick Schwarzenegger (“Todd Peterson”), Toni Collette (“Kathleen Peterson”), Odessa Young (“Martha Ratliff”), Parker Posey (“Freda Black”), Dane DeHaan (“Clayton Peterson”), Michael Stuhlbarg (“David Rudolf”), Juliette Binoche (“Sophie Brussard”) & Sophie Turner (“Margaret Ratliff”). Select from: - Inside the Episode: 911 (4:03)
- Inside the Episode: Chiroptera (3:53)
- Inside the Episode: The Great Dissembler (3:50)
- Inside the Episode: Common Sense (4:04)
- Inside the Episode: The Beating Heart (4:25)
- Inside the Episode: Red in Tooth Claw (5:29)
- Inside the Episode: Seek and Ye Shall (5:36)
- Inside the Episode: America’s Sweetheart or: Time Over Time (5:25)
- Peterson Home Set Tour (4:12)
As production designer Michael Shaw gives a tour of the Peterson house set, he explains how they tried to make certain aspects, such as the staircase, accurate to the real house while other things were changed to make the production easier.
- The Art of Acting (3:54)
The cast talks about the challenges of playing real people, especially if they are still alive. Includes interviews with Colin Firth, Sophie Turner, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Odessa Young, Dane DeHaan, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Parker Posey & Juliette Binoche. - Sustainable Set Tour (4:00)
In this promotional featurette, actor Tim Guinee (“Bill Peterson”) discusses how the sets, catering, etc. were all done with a focus on the HBO Green effort to create a sustainable production. - Georgia Public Locations (5:02)
The crew talk about taking existing buildings in Georgia, and making them look like their counterparts in Durham, NC, including the courtroom, period hotels, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer Carol Cuddy, set decorator Edward McLoughlin & location manager Leif Tilden. - The Owl Theory (3:15)
The cast and crew discuss the seemingly-crazy but somewhat plausible Owl Theory. Includes interviews with writer/co-showrunner Maggie Cohn,writer/ director/ co-showrunner Antonio Campos, and stars Toni Collette, Juliette Binoche, Sophie Turner, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Parker Posey, Michael Stuhlbarg & Dane DeHaan.
Episodes: (8:40:29)
Extras:
Final Thoughts:
The Staircase is an entertaining limited series—it’s crazy to think how much of this story is actually true! It features an amazing cast filled with talented and recognizable actors. Warner Bros.’ DVD release features somewhat solid picture and sound, and about an hour of entertaining bonus material. It appears that iTunes also includes the same bonus material with its digital release, but Vudu and Amazon do not. For those on the fence, the series is still currently streaming on HBO Max.
Staircase, The: Limited Series (DVD)
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