The Staircase | |
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![]() Poster for the 2018 Netflix release | |
French | Soupçons |
Genre | Documentary film |
Written by | Jean-Xavier de Lestrade |
Directed by | Jean-Xavier de Lestrade |
Starring |
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Country of origin | France |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Denis Poncet |
Producer | Allyson Luchak |
Production locations | |
Editors | Sophie Brunet[1] Scott Stevenson[2] |
Running time | 44-55 minutes |
Production company | Maha Productions |
Original release | |
Network | Canal+ |
Release | 7 October 2004 30 January 2013 | –
Network | Netflix |
Release | 8 June 2018 |
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) |
The Staircase (French: Soupçons, lit. ''Suspicions''; also known as Death on the Staircase) is a 2004 French-produced, English-language documentary television miniseries directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade about the trial of Michael Peterson, convicted of murdering his wife, Kathleen Peterson.
Following from de Lestrade's Oscar-winning Murder on a Sunday Morning, filming began soon after Peterson's indictment. Camera crews were given access to the accused's extended family, the defense attorneys, and the courtroom.[3]
An abbreviated version was broadcast as a special two-hour presentation of American news show Primetime Thursday on July 22, 2004.[4] The miniseries was completed in September 2004,[5] and premiered in October on Canal+,[6] from January 10–14, 2005, on BBC Four (as part of its Storyville documentary series),[7] and from April 4–25 on Sundance Channel.[8][9]
Lestrade returned to film Peterson and his family in 2012–2013, covering developments in the case that were released as a two-hour sequel. Three new episodes with further updates were later made for Netflix, and in 2018, the streaming channel added all 13 episodes to its catalog, making it available as one series.