If there’s one thing that becomes more and more apparent in the gripping true-crime drama The Staircase, it’s that things are not always as they seem.
On the surface, the Peterson family was perfect. Good-looking children, a huge mansion in Durham, North Carolina, and a seeming idyllic marriage between successful novelist Micheal and his high-powered company director wife Kathleen.
However, this illusion was shattered on the night of December 9, 2001, when Peterson rang 911 in a hysterical panic, reporting that his wife had had an ‘accident’ that had seen her ‘fall down the stairs’ but that she was ‘still breathing’.
By the time officers arrived at the grizzly scene, Kathleen was dead, sprawled in a pool of her own blood.
Subsequently, a trial was launched and despite maintaining his innocence, and stating that Kathleen had tripped while under the influence of alcohol and Valium, the jury found Peterson unanimously guilty of his wife’s murder and he was sentenced to life in prison.
Now, this trial has been dramatised by executive producers Maggie Cohn and Antonio Campos into a tight eight-part series, that features a stellar cast including Colin Firth as the psychologically hard to pin down protagonist Peterson, Toni Collette as Kathleen, and Sophie Turner as adopted daughter Margaret Ratliff.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch it in the UK and US.
How can I watch The Staircase in the UK?
The Staircase will be released in the UK on May 5, on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV.
In order to watch it, you will need to subscribe to a Sky TV package or sign up for an Entertainment Pass with Sky’s standalone streaming service, NOW.
How can I watch The Staircase in the US?
The Staircase will also be available to watch in the United States on the streaming service HBO Max.
According to the provider, the first three episodes will be available on May 5, followed by one episode every week until June 9.
In order to watch HBO Max in the US, you will need to sign up with HBO directly or bundle HBO with another streaming service like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.
Is The Staircase based on a true story?
Yes, The Staircase is based on a true story, and it comes after a docuseries made by a French team also called The Staircase – directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade – that was released in 2004.
In 2012-2013, Lestrade returned to film Peterson and his family, covering the following developments in the case, which were released in a two-hour special – which was released on Netflix as a 13-part series in 2018.
After a three-month trial, Peterson was found guilty of murdering his wife, and in 2003, he was sentenced to life in prison.
A new trial was granted when it was revealed that one of the key witnesses for the prosecution had lied under oath.
Ultimately, Peterson served 89 months in prison but was allowed to walk free in 2017 after entering a plea deal that allowed him to maintain his innocence but acknowledge that the prosecutors have enough evidence for the conviction, with the official verdict labelling him guilty (known as an Alford plea).
Is there a trailer for The Staircase and how can I watch it?
Yes, there’s a Sky Atlantic and HBO Max trailer for The Staircase, and you can watch both on YouTube.
In the official trailers, viewers are given a taster of things to come and, a feeling for the actors and roles that will be portrayed.
The Staircase is released on Sky and NOW on May 5.
Credit: Original article published here.You can read this post on My Celebrity Life.
