Inspired by a true story, The Staircase explores the life of Michael Peterson, his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson. On December 9, 2001, Michael makes a frantic 911 call reporting Kathleen has fallen down the stairs of their Durham, NC home. But when the district attorney brings murder charges, members of Michael’s blended family must choose whose side they’re on and which version of events to believe. As the case becomes engulfed in a media circus, a French documentary film crew arrives to meticulously chronicle its many twists and turns. Intertwining multiple perspectives and timelines, this gripping limited series explores the elusive nature of truth.
For thoughts on The Staircase, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The Staircase comes to DVD with 8 episodes over 3 discs, which offers a decent amount of room to avoid compression issues. This is a show we believe should have made the cut for a Blu-Ray release, as there is some imagery that would be greatly elevated in HD. Due to the limitations of the format, these episodes are not going to look as good as they do in high definition on HBO Max, but they look pretty decent within the limitations of the DVD format. Shadow detail is one of the main elements which struggles a bit in the underwhelming black levels that lose distinct edge detail. There is some decent depth within the more well-lit settings. Skin tones appear pretty natural, and close ups look quite good with some texture within the setting and outfits. Colors are not completely desaturated, but they are a bit understated for stylistic reasons. It is not looking likely that we will ever get a Blu-Ray release, so this stands as an acceptable backup for the series if you do not want to trust HBO Max to keep it around.
Audio Quality
This DVD comes with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track that showcases this series well within its format limitations. Dialogue comes through clearly with a focus in the center channel and some stretch into the surrounds. Sound effects and ambient chatter never interfere with the dialogue causing lost information. The subtle score of this one flows through the room with an unwavering fidelity. The mix establishes a formidable sense of directionality so that nothing ever feels like it is emanating from the wrong place. The rear speakers create an immersive atmosphere as the sound of various interiors create a distinct soundscape. While this show would fair better with a lossless track, it does everything it can within its limitations on DVD. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Inside The Episode: Every episode is given a post-show breakdown in which the cast and creative team discuss the plot developments of the episode, production details, perspectives on evolving relationships and themes, and much more that gives some decent context to what you just watched.
- 911 (4:03)
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- Chiroptera (3:53)
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- The Great Dissembler (3:50)
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- Common Sense (4:04)
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- The Beating Heart (4:25)
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- Red In Tooth and Claw (5:29)
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- Seek and Ye Shall (5:36)
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- America’s Sweetheart or: Time Over Time (5:25)
- Peterson Home Set Tour: A four-minute featurette in which Production Designer Michael Shaw gives you a tour of the set and explains what level of dedication was put forth to make the house on the show accurate to the real-life house along with the ways in which changes were made to accommodate the production.
- The Art of Acting: A four-minute piece in which the actors discuss the inherent challenges of playing real-life people and how they interpret certain moments throughout the series.
- Sustainable Set Tour: A four-minute look at the “green” efforts implemented on set in hopes of making a more sustainable production including modifications to the set, catering and more.
- Georgia Public Locations: A five-minute exploration of the buildings and structures in Georgia and how they were modified to try to replicate their counterparts in Durham, NC such as the courtroom, hotels, and more.
- The Owl Theory: A three-minute dissection of the headline-grabbing theory about what may have actually happened in this case featuring some insights from the cast and crew members.
Final Thoughts
The Staircase is another in a seemingly endless line of true-crime prestige dramas. While the presence of Colin Firth and Toni Collette does a lot of heavy lifting to demand your attention at the beginning, the narrativized version of this story never captures the intrigue of the documentary. All of the performances and craft work is top tier, but the story as revealed over these eight episodes is painfully slow and uninteresting. The developments in the case seem too crazy to be true, but the show cannot seem to properly convey the information in a way that captures that feeling. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has delivered a DVD with a pretty good A/V presentation for the format and some solid special features that fans will appreciate. If you are a fan, you will want the security of physical media in case this ever disappears from streaming, but a Blu-Ray release should have been provided as an option. .
The Staircase is currently available to purchase on DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the DVD.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.