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HBO Max's The Staircase is the most recent true-crime drama series that no one should miss. The thriller, which stars Colin Firth, Toni Colette, Sophie Turner, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, portrays on the small screen the case of Michael Peterson, a Vietnamese soldier and crime novelist who was convicted of a gruesome homicide.
Many true-crime podcasts and a documentary series by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade have already covered the story. Still, Peterson's story and his alleged crimes have never been told like this before.
Here's everything from the release date, timing, and what to expect from the upcoming HBO drama series.
When will The Staircase premiere on HBO Max?
The Staircase's first three episodes will premiere on HBO Max on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at 3 a.m. ET.
There are eight episodes, with the remaining five installments airing on the streaming site weekly.
What to expect from the HBO Max drama series?
The HBO Max show presents the fascinating true story of Michael Peterson to the small screen. Peterson was an author convicted of murdering his second wife, Kathleen Peterson, in December 2001.
After a judge ruled that a prosecution witness gave false testimony, Peterson was granted a new trial. In 2017, he entered an Alford plea, which is a guilty plea in which the defendant admits that the evidence against them is likely to lead to a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Still, the defendant does not admit to the crime and maintains their innocence. Peterson replaced Alford's plea to voluntary manslaughter, which was a lesser crime.
Lestrade began filming Peterson's tale shortly after his arrest in 2001 and continued until his Alford Plea in 2017. The first 13 episodes of the documentary were shown in 2004, with updates in 2015 and 2018.
The Staircase chronicles Kathleen Peterson's death and trial, anf the filming of Lestrade's documentary, and the family turmoil that was never included in the docuseries.
The trailer of The Staircase discussed
The eerie trailer of the show begins with Firth, who has dropped his British accent for the part, saying that he is proud of the close-knit family that they all are before cutting to the complete family seated at the dinner table.
Colette, who plays Kathleen, Michael's wife, offers a toast, joyfully stating:
"Every day is gonna be an adventure so always stop and think. This is one of the happiest days of my life."
Then everything changed in a split second as Michael started yelling at 911 that his wife had been found unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. Next thing we know, Michael Peterson appeared in court, defending himself against charges that he was to blame for his wife's death.
The trailer ends with the family in a massive brawl with someone exclaiming, "The Petersons are crazy," before someone is spotted sneaking up the stairwell stealthily.
Don't forget to catch the first three episodes of The Staircase, which premieres on HBO Max on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at 3 a.m. ET.
