Episode list

Co-showrunner Maggie Cohn discusses her role writing this episode, in which the introduction of the French documentary crew allows this series to comment not just on this case, but also on how it was covered, and the resulting tension between facts and an effective narrative when trying to tell a story. Plus, investigative journalist and true crime aficionado James Renner addresses his career covering crime, attempts to locate true crime's origin story, and reveals the surprising links between true crime and your college philosophy courses.

"The Staircase" researcher Michael Matthews describes the nearly overwhelming task of balancing an avalanche of factual elements, while also working with the writers room to mold those facts to best serve the interests of a compelling drama. Host Nancy Miller also speaks with lawyer, journalist, and social justice advocate Leora Smith about the subjective and often reckless nature of the forensic technique known as Blood Pattern Analysis (BPS).

Showrunner/creator/director Antonio Campos returns to the podcast, and is joined by Emily Kaczmarek, the co-writer of this episode, to examine why-and how-the HBO Max series compressed the entirety of the Michael Peterson trial into a single episode. And Michael Stuhlbarg, who portrays defense attorney David Rudolf, discusses his role as the man upon whose shoulders Peterson's fate rests.

On this packed episode, writer Craig Shilowich sits down with Nancy to talk about a reveal many viewers almost certainly assumed was manufactured - the very real Sophie, the French editor of "The Staircase" documentary, who falls for Michael Peterson; editor Sofia Subercaseaux discusses editorial objectivity and bias in filmmaking; psychologist Amanda Vicary tries to get to the bottom of why we--especially women--love true crime; and Academy Award-winning actress Juliet Binoche addresses what it's like to portray the series' most shocking character.

For many people, a killer owl was their first-ever brush with the Michael Peterson case. Attorney Larry Pollard, the Petersons' next door neighbor who brought the idea to national attention, discusses why he has fought so hard on Michael's behalf; researcher Michael Matthews returns to address more of the astonishing facts he turned up in his investigations; and actresses Sophie Turner and Odessa Young--who play Martha and Margaret Ratliff--share what it was like portraying young woman caught in the crosshairs.

In this penultimate episode, we speak with writer and co-showrunner Maggie Cohn about how the writers room managed to successfully thread multiple timelines over the course of the limited series, and inject a handful of shocking surprises--like those seen in today's companion episode--catching even die-hard documentary fans off guard. And actress Parker Posey stops by to discuss her captivating role as ADA Freda Black, and how she humanized one of the documentary's most polarizing characters.

Co-showrunners Antonio Campos and Maggie Cohn sit down with Nancy one last time to look at how the series wrapped up, and whether or not a satisfying closure is even possible in stories like this. And we finally hear from star Colin Firth about what he did to prepare for the role of Michael Peterson, and if played the title role as an innocent or a guilty man.