The Peterson ‘Staircase’ saga in pop culture: TV, movies, books and podcasts

▪ “The Staircase” — Jean-Xavier de Lestrade embedded with Peterson and his defense team to make his eight-episode French documentary series now known “The Staircase.” The series was first available in England to viewers of the BBC and appeared with the title “Death on the Staircase,” airing in January 2005 as part of the network’s “Storyville” documentary series.

In April 2005, “The Staircase” aired on the Sundance TV channel in the United States. That same year it won the prestigious Peabody Award.

The film crew returned to Durham in 2012 to film two more episodes updating developments in the case, including Peterson’s release from prison. Those episodes were released in 2013, bringing the total number of episodes to 10.

The three new episodes that debuted on Netflix on June 8, 2018 (bringing the series total to 13 episodes), were filmed after that, covering further developments in Michael Peterson’s journey through the justice system.

▪ “Forensic Files” — A 2006 episode of the Headline News series “Forensic Files” focused on the Peterson case. The episode was called “A Novel Idea.”

▪ “The Staircase Murders” — In 2007, a Lifetime movie called “The Staircase Murders” starred Treat Williams as Michael Peterson and Kevin Pollak as Peterson’s attorney, David Rudolf.

▪ “Trial & Error” — The French documentary series “The Staircase” was the inspiration for the first season of the NBC sitcom “Trial & Error,” which aired in March 2017. In that show, a poetry professor (played by John Lithgow) goes on trial for the murder of his wife, who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase. In the final episode of the season, after the husband is convicted and sent to prison, cellphone video is discovered of the wife being attacked and killed by an owl.

▪ “Dateline NBC” — In April 2017, NBC’s “Dateline” tackled the Peterson case with an episode called “Down the Back Staircase.” Michael Peterson was interviewed by correspondent Dennis Murphy.

▪ “American Murder Mystery” — The Investigation Discovery (ID) channel ran a three-part series on the Peterson case on April 8, 2018, called “American Murder Mystery: The Staircase.” The series included interviews with Durham District Attorney Jim Hardin; the former male escort Brent Wolgamott (aka Brad from Raleigh) who was called to testify at the trial; and with Kathleen Peterson’s sister Candace Hunt Zamperini, who initially defended Michael Peterson but later testified against him.

▪ “Dr. Phil” — In April 2019, the “Dr. Phil” show devoted two episodes to psychologist Phil McGraw’s interview with Michael Peterson.

▪ “Dr. Oz” — In October 2019, Peterson and his first wife, Patricia “Patty” Peterson, appeared on the Dr. Oz show to be interviewed by surgeon and TV personality Mehmet Oz. Oz asked the two about the death of their friend Elizabeth Ann Ratliff in Germany in 2005, and had forensic criminologist Dr. Laura Pettler on the show to offer an analysis of the case.

▪ “The Staircase” — on May 5, 2022, HBO Max released an eight-part dramatic series based on the Netflix documentary series, as well as other source material, telling the story of Kathleen and Michael Peterson. In the series, British actor Colin Firth plays Michael, Australian actress Toni Collette plays Kathleen and French actress Juliette Binoche plays documentary film editor Sophie Brunet.

Michael Peterson / ‘Staircase’ podcasts

▪ “Criminal” — The premiere episode (“Animal Instincts”) of the acclaimed Phoebe Judge-hosted “Criminal” podcast in 2014 was devoted to The Owl Theory (the theory that Kathleen died as the result of an owl attack) and included a lengthy interview with Peterson’s neighbor Larry Pollard.

▪ “Beyond Reasonable Doubt” — In late 2017, a BBC podcast called “Beyond Reasonable Doubt?” examined the case and scored a long interview with Michael Peterson. Reporter Chris Warburton also interviewed the Petersons’ former neighbor, Larry Pollard, who came up The Owl Theory.

▪ “My Favorite Murder” — In December 2017, the popular podcast “My Favorite Murder” released a special 100th episode about the case. “The Staircase” documentary series was one of the things hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark bonded over the first time they met.

Books about the Kathleen and Michael Peterson case

▪ “Written in Blood” by Diane Fanning — True-crime writer Diane Fanning was first out of the gate with her 2005 book on the case, “Written In Blood.” The book is subtitled: “The True Story of Murder and a 16-Year-Old Secret That Tore a Family Apart.”

▪ “A Perfect Husband” by Aphrodite Jones — Aphrodite Jones’ book on the case, “A Perfect Husband,” was released in 2013. The book description on Amazon indicates the book was updated after Peterson’s release from prison.

▪ “Behind the Staircase” by Michael Peterson — In January 2019, Peterson self-published a memoir on Amazon, stating that the proceeds from sales of the book would go to charity. The book is also in the public domain. In the book, Peterson talks about his conviction and his time in prison, as well as life after prison.

▪ “Beyond the Staircase” by Michael Peterson — Peterson release a second self-published book in February 2020. The Amazon description reads: “After my trial and conviction for murder, eight years in prison, my release from prison, the Netflix documentary The Staircase, new stories and photographs, and the first four chapters on my new book ATMAN, a novel about evil. Included in this volume is a re-edited version of Behind The Staircase.”

More on HBO’s ‘The Staircase’

For full coverage of HBO Max’s “The Staircase” and other background on the death of Kathleen Peterson and the murder trial of Michael Peterson, visit: newsobserver.com/topics/staircase