The Staircase (2004)

Crime · Documentary · Drama

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade's cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. The series is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller.

IMDb rating: 7.8 (29,852 votes)
Episode average: 7.5 -0.3 vs IMDb
Seasons: 1
Streaming (US): Netflix
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 1 season indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (2004)

7.52 avg 13 episodes 7.4 → 7.6 47 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Crime or Accident?	7.4	670
2	Secrets and Lies	7.4	609
3	A Striking Coincidence	7.4	584
4	A Prosecution Trickery	7.5	547
5	A Weak Case	7.6	541
6	The Prosecution's Revenge	7.5	534
7	The Blowpoke Returns	7.6	530
8	The Verdict	8.0	551
9	Reopening the Case	7.5	472
10	The Last Chance	7.7	485
11	Looking For Closure	7.2	450
12	Between Despair and Anger	7.3	433
13	Flawed Justice	7.6	445