THE STAIRCASE SKY/NOW

NEW DARK THRILLER

Remember the hit documentary of the same name about novelist Michael Peterson, who was accused of murdering his wife, Kathleen, in 2001? He claimed she had fallen down the stairs when drunk at their mansion in North Carolina but her head injuries led police to suspect foul play.

This is an eight-episode dramatisation of the long-running case and its jaw-dropping twists and turns — at one point, an owl was accused of being the killer! As the press and police delve into the case, buried secrets about the Peterson family begin to rise to the surface. Colin Firth is excellent as Michael (it was originally going to be Harrison Ford in his first TV series lead role), while Toni Collette plays his wife (with Firth, right). The original documentary is on Netflix, while this drama is on Sky/ Now. Episodes 1-3 from Thursday, with more episodes arriving weekly.