'The Staircase': A Guide to the Family, Theories and HBO Max Series (Exclusive)
, the captivating HBO Max true-crime series, explores the complicated lives of Michael Peterson, who is suspected of killing his wife, Kathleen, after she is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, and members of his large family, who are trying to cope with the unexpected death of their matriarch all the revelations that emerged in the investigation that followed. Inspired by the real-life story that was first captured in the Netflix docuseries of the same name and later lampooned in season 1 of NBC’s, the limited scripted series adapted by showrunners Maggie Cohn and creator Antonio Campos features an all-star cast, including Colin Firth as Michael and Toni Collette as Kathleen as well as Dane DeHaan, Odessa Young, Olivia DeJonge, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sophie Turner as their various kids. Additionally, Juliette Binoche, Michael Stuhlbarg, Parker Posey, Rosemarie DeWitt, Tim Guinee and Vincent Vermignon appear as extended family members and other people involved in the investigation. While Michael’s story may be familiar to some, especially given the attention that surrounded the many iterations of the docuseries and the scripted parody that followed, ET has put together a guide to the sprawling Peterson family, the various theories surrounding Kathleen’s death as well as the ins and outs of the HBO Max series. “While it feels like this story has kind of been told before, the reality is there's so much of the story that hasn’t been explored,” Campos said, with Firth adding that this version “messes with your expectations.” Michael’s immediate family is quite large – and quite layered – especially considering it’s a blended family made up of kids from previous marriages and the adoption of two daughters.