10 Unexpectedly Awesome Netflix TV Shows That Need Binge Watching

Before Serial, before Making A Murderer, we had The Staircase, a true crime documentary series that debuted in 2004 detailing the death of Kathleen Peterson, found at the foot of her stairs by her husband Michael.

Arrested for her murder after forensic and circumstantial evidence seems to contradict his story, Peterson’s case was followed by French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and compiled into a miniseries documenting the trial up to his conviction and sentence to life without parole in 2003.

It didn’t end there, though. Conspiracy theories began to mount. Peterson was bisexual and having affairs with men behind his wife’s back; he claimed they had an open marriage. Kathleen was attacked by an owl and fell while trying to make her way up the stairs; a theory dismissed as outlandish despite significant corroborating evidence.

Persuaded that a key witness had exaggerated his testimony and qualifications at trial, a judge allowed a retrial in 2010. Peterson, who maintained his innocence, eventually allowed an Alford plea to be entered on a reduced manslaughter charge. That’s where a defendant doesn't admit guilt but enters a technically guilty plea due to the existence of sufficient evidence to convict him. Peterson’s new sentence was less than his time served, and accordingly he was released in February 2017.

Compelling and incredibly detailed, with astounding archival footage, a unique access to the case and additional episodes commissioned by Netflix, The Staircase is possibly the best true crime documentary on television, a monumental achievement devoted to a singular and still-puzzling case.