The mystery surrounding the death of Kathleen Peterson has been a hot topic for over 20 years.
Netflix attempted to lift the lid on what led to the tragic death in its docuseries, The Staircase, but many pivotal components didn't make it to the final edit.
HBO Max's drama series The Staircase offers a more informed approach to the details of the case.
Five of the eight episodes were screened for critics before the premiere, and the show's best aspect is how it examines all possibilities.
The series confidently highlights the weeks leading up to Kathleen's death, the case against her husband, Michael Peterson, and plenty of shocking details about those in their orbit.
Unless you paid close attention to the case as it played back in the early 2000s, there is probably a lot you don't know about it.
Then again, the people who took the Netflix series as...
Netflix attempted to lift the lid on what led to the tragic death in its docuseries, The Staircase, but many pivotal components didn't make it to the final edit.
HBO Max's drama series The Staircase offers a more informed approach to the details of the case.
Five of the eight episodes were screened for critics before the premiere, and the show's best aspect is how it examines all possibilities.
The series confidently highlights the weeks leading up to Kathleen's death, the case against her husband, Michael Peterson, and plenty of shocking details about those in their orbit.
Unless you paid close attention to the case as it played back in the early 2000s, there is probably a lot you don't know about it.
Then again, the people who took the Netflix series as...
- 5/4/2022
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
The popular documentary series “The Staircase” is now an HBO Max limited series, with Colin Firth filling the role of convicted murderer Michael Peterson.
HBO Max released the first trailer for the new series on Tuesday, which finds Firth playing a man who was accused of murdering his wife (played by Toni Collette). The case was well covered in the early 2000s, but gained more prominence with the arrival of a documentary series that premiered in 2004 and documented Peterson’s trial. New episodes with further updates were later made for Netflix in 2018.
Created by Antonio Campos (“The Devil All the Time”), the HBO Max limited series take on the case offers a dramatization of the events courtesy of a pair of Oscar-caliber performers in Firth and Collette. The show will delve into all aspects of the case including, yes, the owl theory. “We took it as seriously as any other theory,...
HBO Max released the first trailer for the new series on Tuesday, which finds Firth playing a man who was accused of murdering his wife (played by Toni Collette). The case was well covered in the early 2000s, but gained more prominence with the arrival of a documentary series that premiered in 2004 and documented Peterson’s trial. New episodes with further updates were later made for Netflix in 2018.
Created by Antonio Campos (“The Devil All the Time”), the HBO Max limited series take on the case offers a dramatization of the events courtesy of a pair of Oscar-caliber performers in Firth and Collette. The show will delve into all aspects of the case including, yes, the owl theory. “We took it as seriously as any other theory,...
- 3/29/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
HBO Max’s upcoming murder-mystery series “The Staircase” will indeed examine the so-called “Owl Theory” as a potential explanation for the death of Kathleen Peterson, co-showrunner, writer and director Antonio Campos said Tuesday.
“We will address the Owl Theory,” Campos said in a Television Critics Association call with media.
“We took it as seriously as any other theory,” he added. “So you’ll get a deep dive.”
The Owl Theory episode will be “down the road,” Campos said.
Colin Firth stars on the show as Michael Peterson, a North Carolina novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his wife Kathleen. Michael Peterson spent eight years in prison. Toni Collette plays Peterson’s wife, Kathleen, on the HBO Max series.
Essentially, the Owl Theory speculates that a barred owl could have attacked Kathleen outside of sprawling Peterson home, causing multiple, deep lacerations to the back and top of her head.
It...
“We will address the Owl Theory,” Campos said in a Television Critics Association call with media.
“We took it as seriously as any other theory,” he added. “So you’ll get a deep dive.”
The Owl Theory episode will be “down the road,” Campos said.
Colin Firth stars on the show as Michael Peterson, a North Carolina novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his wife Kathleen. Michael Peterson spent eight years in prison. Toni Collette plays Peterson’s wife, Kathleen, on the HBO Max series.
Essentially, the Owl Theory speculates that a barred owl could have attacked Kathleen outside of sprawling Peterson home, causing multiple, deep lacerations to the back and top of her head.
It...
- 2/15/2022
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Move over, Mr. Darcy — Colin Firth is now Michael Peterson. HBO Max released a pair of first-look images Tuesday for its upcoming drama series, “The Staircase,” a scripted adaptation of the Jean-Xavier de Lestrade true-crime documentary series of the same name.
Firth stars on the show as Michael Peterson, a North Carolina novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his wife Kathleen. Michael Peterson spent eight years in prison. Toni Collette plays Peterson’s wife, Kathleen, on the HBO Max series.
The scripted show also stars Michael Stuhlbarg as Michael Peterson’s defense attorney David Rudolph; Patrick Schwarzenegger as Michael’s son Todd Peterson; Dane DeHaan as Michael’s other son Clayton Peterson; Olivia DeJonge as Caitlin Atwater, Kathleen’s biological daughter; Sophie Turner as Margaret Ratliff, one of Michael Peterson’s adopted daughters; Odessa Young as Martha Ratliff, Michael’s other adopted daughter; Rosemarie DeWitt as Kathleen’s sister...
Firth stars on the show as Michael Peterson, a North Carolina novelist who was convicted in 2003 of murdering his wife Kathleen. Michael Peterson spent eight years in prison. Toni Collette plays Peterson’s wife, Kathleen, on the HBO Max series.
The scripted show also stars Michael Stuhlbarg as Michael Peterson’s defense attorney David Rudolph; Patrick Schwarzenegger as Michael’s son Todd Peterson; Dane DeHaan as Michael’s other son Clayton Peterson; Olivia DeJonge as Caitlin Atwater, Kathleen’s biological daughter; Sophie Turner as Margaret Ratliff, one of Michael Peterson’s adopted daughters; Odessa Young as Martha Ratliff, Michael’s other adopted daughter; Rosemarie DeWitt as Kathleen’s sister...
- 2/15/2022
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Tim Guinee is set to star in The Staircase, HBO Max’s limited series drama adaptation based on the true-crime docuseries. He joins previously announced Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Rosemarie DeWitt, Juliette Binoche, Parker Posey, Odessa Young, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Dane DeHaan, Olivia DeJonge, Sophie Turner and Michael Stuhlbarg..
The eight-episode series from Christine director Antonio Campos and American Crime Story writer Maggie Cohn explores the life of Michael Peterson (Firth), his sprawling North Carolina family and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen (Collette).
Guinee will play Bill Peterson, Michael Peterson’s (Firth) younger brother and an attorney by training.
The series is based on the docuseries and various books and reports on the case of Michael Peterson, who was convicted in 2003 of murdering Kathleen two years earlier. The charge was reduced to manslaughter in 2017, and Peterson subsequently was released from prison. He had claimed his wife died after...
The eight-episode series from Christine director Antonio Campos and American Crime Story writer Maggie Cohn explores the life of Michael Peterson (Firth), his sprawling North Carolina family and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen (Collette).
Guinee will play Bill Peterson, Michael Peterson’s (Firth) younger brother and an attorney by training.
The series is based on the docuseries and various books and reports on the case of Michael Peterson, who was convicted in 2003 of murdering Kathleen two years earlier. The charge was reduced to manslaughter in 2017, and Peterson subsequently was released from prison. He had claimed his wife died after...
- 7/1/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Tommy Ward, one of the subjects of Netflix’s true-crime doc series The Innocent Man, is a step closer to freedom after a judge vacated his conviction.
This comes a year after his co-defendant Karl Fontenot was released from prison for the same crime and two years after the show aired on the streamer.
On Friday, the District Judge Paula Inge in Pontotoc County, vacated the convictions and sentences against Ward, dismissed the charges and ordered his release from Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy.
Deadline understands that the state can still appeal if it wants to so it’s unclear when he will be released, but it’s another big statement of the power of television on true-crime cases.
You can read the post- conviction findings and conclusion from The District Court of Pontotoc County here.
Directed by Gleason’s Clay Tweel and produced by Ross Dinerstein’s Wheelhouse-backed Campfire,...
This comes a year after his co-defendant Karl Fontenot was released from prison for the same crime and two years after the show aired on the streamer.
On Friday, the District Judge Paula Inge in Pontotoc County, vacated the convictions and sentences against Ward, dismissed the charges and ordered his release from Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy.
Deadline understands that the state can still appeal if it wants to so it’s unclear when he will be released, but it’s another big statement of the power of television on true-crime cases.
You can read the post- conviction findings and conclusion from The District Court of Pontotoc County here.
Directed by Gleason’s Clay Tweel and produced by Ross Dinerstein’s Wheelhouse-backed Campfire,...
- 12/20/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Karl Fontenot, the subject of Netflix’s true-crime doc series The Innocent Man, has been released from prison after serving 35 years for a crime that he did not commit.
In an exclusive interview with Deadline, Ross Dinerstein, founder of production company Campfire, which made the adaptation of John Grisham’s non-fiction book, reveals how the six-part series helped shine a spotlight on the case, expediting Fontenot’s release on Thursday.
The series, which is based on Grisham’s The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice In A Small Town, launched on the streaming service in December 2018. It followed two murder cases in Ada, Oklahoma between 1982 and 1984.
Directed by Gleason’s Clay Tweel, one of the cases involved Fontenot (left), who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and killing of convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway. However, a federal judge ordered his released after discovering evidence that provides “solid proof of Mr.
In an exclusive interview with Deadline, Ross Dinerstein, founder of production company Campfire, which made the adaptation of John Grisham’s non-fiction book, reveals how the six-part series helped shine a spotlight on the case, expediting Fontenot’s release on Thursday.
The series, which is based on Grisham’s The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice In A Small Town, launched on the streaming service in December 2018. It followed two murder cases in Ada, Oklahoma between 1982 and 1984.
Directed by Gleason’s Clay Tweel, one of the cases involved Fontenot (left), who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and killing of convenience store clerk Donna Denice Haraway. However, a federal judge ordered his released after discovering evidence that provides “solid proof of Mr.
- 12/20/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
The Innocent Man is yet another compelling-yet-bleak look at the broken American justice system, courtesy of Netflix.
The six-episode series digs deep into a complex timeline comprising two similar murders in Ada, Ok, in the 1980s, with the legal proceedings for both crimes spanning into the 2000s. Although the identity of the true killer of the show's second murder, that of cashier Denice Haraway, remains a bit of a mystery - Ada natives Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot were sentenced to life in prison for her death, but maintain their innocence - the rape and strangulation of Debbie Carter is solved by the end of John Grisham and director Clay Tweel's docuseries.
Warning: Spoilers and graphic language about the events depicted in The Innocent Man ahead.
On Dec. 7, 1982, 21-year-old Debra "Debbie" Sue Carter drove home, where she lived alone, after working a late-night shift as a waitress at the...
The six-episode series digs deep into a complex timeline comprising two similar murders in Ada, Ok, in the 1980s, with the legal proceedings for both crimes spanning into the 2000s. Although the identity of the true killer of the show's second murder, that of cashier Denice Haraway, remains a bit of a mystery - Ada natives Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot were sentenced to life in prison for her death, but maintain their innocence - the rape and strangulation of Debbie Carter is solved by the end of John Grisham and director Clay Tweel's docuseries.
Warning: Spoilers and graphic language about the events depicted in The Innocent Man ahead.
On Dec. 7, 1982, 21-year-old Debra "Debbie" Sue Carter drove home, where she lived alone, after working a late-night shift as a waitress at the...
- 12/23/2018
- by Quinn Keaney
- Popsugar.com
Will our obsession with true crime ever end? Probably not. Will Netflix keep producing amazing true crime content every month to keep us happy? We sure hope so. Will our latest Netflix true crime obsession, The Innocent Man, return for a second season? For the moment, this question remains unanswered, but if this six-part docuseries follows in the footsteps of Making a Murderer - which continued the story of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey in its second season - then this story (or at least part of this story) might just have enough fodder for a second installment.
Related: A Comprehensive Timeline of the Murder Cases at the Heart of Netflix's The Innocent Man
Based on John Grisham's 2006 book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, this latest series recounts two murders that took place just a few years apart in Ada, Ok, in the 1980s...
Related: A Comprehensive Timeline of the Murder Cases at the Heart of Netflix's The Innocent Man
Based on John Grisham's 2006 book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, this latest series recounts two murders that took place just a few years apart in Ada, Ok, in the 1980s...
- 12/21/2018
- by Corinne Sullivan
- Popsugar.com
We're sure you've heard all of the buzz surrounding Netflix's six-part true crime docuseries The Innocent Man by now, but if you haven't watched it yet, we're here to tell you what it's actually about. The series is based on John Grisham's bestselling 2006 nonfiction book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, which is centered around two murders that took place just a few years apart in Ada, Ok, in the 1980s. The story that initially caught Grisham's attention was that of Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz, who were falsely convicted of killing 21-year-old Debra Carter in 1982.
Warning: The details below are extremely graphic.
Related: A Comprehensive Timeline of the Murder Cases at the Heart of Netflix's The Innocent Man
Carter had just returned from a late-night waitressing shift when an unknown assailant forced his way into her home. The man raped her,...
Warning: The details below are extremely graphic.
Related: A Comprehensive Timeline of the Murder Cases at the Heart of Netflix's The Innocent Man
Carter had just returned from a late-night waitressing shift when an unknown assailant forced his way into her home. The man raped her,...
- 12/20/2018
- by Corinne Sullivan
- Popsugar.com
If you've already binge-watched all of The Innocent Man, we have good news for you - you can read the book that inspired the series, too. Netflix's six-part true crime docuseries is actually based on John Grisham's bestselling 2006 book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, which is centered around two murders that took place just a few years apart in Ada, Ok, in the 1980s, as well as the controversial chain of events that followed. Grisham may be known for his legal thrillers - having practiced criminal law himself for a decade - but The Innocent Man remains his only work of nonfiction, and believe it or not, the subject matter was first brought to his attention by a relatively quiet obituary in the New York Times.
Related: A Comprehensive Timeline of the Murder Cases at the Heart of Netflix's The Innocent Man
In...
Related: A Comprehensive Timeline of the Murder Cases at the Heart of Netflix's The Innocent Man
In...
- 12/19/2018
- by Corinne Sullivan
- Popsugar.com
The Innocent Man, Netflix’s new binge-worthy true-crime series, is a six-part examination of two seemingly unrelated murder cases that occurred in Ada, Oklahoma, during the 1980s. Without giving too much away, here’s what you need to know about the murders of Debbie Carter and Denice Haraway, and the four men whose claims of innocence were overshadowed by questionable witness testimony, “dream” confessions and other dubious evidence.
There 1982 rape, strangulation and murder of Debbie Carter, 21, and the 1984 disappearance and murder of Denice Haraway, 24, share more than a few common threads.
There 1982 rape, strangulation and murder of Debbie Carter, 21, and the 1984 disappearance and murder of Denice Haraway, 24, share more than a few common threads.
- 12/18/2018
- by Amelia McDonell-Parry
- Rollingstone.com
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