The Staircase (2004 - 2018)**

Originally, I started watching The Staircase because I woke up way too early one morning, so I got through episodes 1 - 6 while I was half asleep! A few weeks later, my best friend started talking about a new show he was fixin' to watch and it sounded familiar. I soon realized he was talking about The Staircase! After that conversation, I re-watched episode 2 and saw so much that I must have slept through during the first viewing, including the fact that these approximately 50 minute episodes were entirely too long and could use some better storyline guidance including cutting some excessively long scenes and adding more explanatory text or narration. Sophie Gilbert summarizes this up perfectly in her article about the show by noting a “distinct feeling of passivity” on the director's part.  

The basic story of The Staircase is rather interesting: Michael Peterson is accused of beating his wife and pushing her down some stairs to her death. He claims she fell because she was drunk and stoned on Valium. The show is a documentary following the preparation and litigation of the defense's case. Of course there were several reveals. Now I am one for a good crime mystery, but The Staircase is just executed in an uninteresting way and maybe more importantly, it was too long. Cut! Cut! Cut!

THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH. READ AT THE PERIL OF YOUR OWN SURPRISE!

I thought I was done with this review and I wasn't going to finish watching the show, but I kept on for some reason (TV addiction) and I'm kind of glad I did because episodes 9 – 13 were much better than 1 – 8. It was as if the crew took the time after Peterson was convicted of murder to learn how to make a good documentary. Then they applied that knowledge to the episodes that followed the re-opening of the case and his release from prison.

Overall, I found this series to be closer to Not Fun on the scale and I'd give it two stars** because I watched the whole series, but I don't ever want to watch it again.

If you found this case intriguing, also check out this article: 9 Interesting Things About Kathleen and Michael Peterson That Were Left Out of “The Staircase.” https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a21562822/did-michael-peterson-kill-kathleen-peterson-the-staircase-debt-money-motive/

I watched The Staircase on Netflix.