TVTV NewsITVTrue crime drama fans are reminded to “take a breath” while watching this “haunting” series.Hayley Anderson Screen Time TV Reporter09:55, 25 Jul 2026“A pure piece of art” that has left fans “heartbroken” is now ready to stream for free.‌True crime drama fans cannot get enough of the eight-part series The Staircase which originally made its debut on HBO and Sky Atlantic in 2022.‌Now, the “brilliant” drama has made its way to ITVX with IMdB warning that it has “severe” sex and nudity as well as scenes of violence and gore.‌The Staircase tells the true harrowing story of Michael Peterson’s wife Kathleen Peterson whose body was found at the bottom of the stairs at their North Carolina home in 2001.Initially seen as an accident, police began to suspect crime writer Michael after an autopsy discovered Kathleen had suffered blunt-force trauma.‌The Staircase delves into the subsequent murder trial, leaving Michael’s blended family divided over whether he killed his wife or if it was a tragic accident.Taking on the emotionally traumatic role of Michael is Love Actually and Bridget Jones legend Colin Firth.His deceased wife Kathleen Peterson is played by Wayward and Heredity star Toni Collette in flashback scenes showing their marriage prior to her death.‌They are joined by a number of other big stars like Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner, The White Lotus actor Patrick Schwarzenegger and The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s Dane DeHaan.Hailing it as “haunting, disturbing and beautiful”, an IMdB user declared that it is “one of the best things I’ve personally ever watched”.‌Another shared: I binged this entire series in one 12 hour shift.“I found everyone's acting to be pretty damn good. So good in fact that the scenes of Kathleen's death were almost too hard for me to watch. And I'm a nurse.”“I had to remind myself to take a breath,” someone said.Article continues below“The emotion and acting was superb. Colin Firth was brilliant. The writers, producers did a great job. I didn't want to stop watching.”A fellow viewer described it as a “pure piece of art”, as someone said the “masterclass acting” left them “heartbroken watching it”.The Staircase is available to watch on ITVXChoose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌ITVColin FirthToni ColletteSophie Turner