The Staircase
An exploration of the life of Michael Peterson, his sprawling North Carolina family, and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen Peterson.
Where to watch
Better for ages 16+: heavy violence, moderate sexual content
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Is "The Staircase" appropriate for children?
ValorScore's Content Advisory for "The Staircase" is "Heavy" (53/100), measuring sex, violence, language, and drug use. See the full per-axis breakdown below to decide if it fits your family.
See the per-axis breakdownDoes "The Staircase" have woke/ideological content?
In ValorScore's editorial reading, "The Staircase" has ideological presence rated "Mild". This is editorial opinion, not a verdict — see the axes and their evidence in the breakdown below. The overall ValorScore (cleanliness + value + audience rating) is 80/100. See every axis and its evidence in the breakdown below.
See the per-axis breakdownScores reflect community and AI analysis as opinion with evidence — not a factual verdict.
Per-axis score breakdown
Axes on a 0–10 scale (the score at the top of the page runs 0 to 100).
AI analysis · reviewed by the community · How we calculate the scores
Ideological reading (editorial opinion)
This is ValorScore’s editorial reading + community reactions — not a claim that the work objectively is X% woke.
- Anti-Family1.0AI Analysis
Your review
Rate only what you actually noticed — leave the rest at zero.
Attach a link or quote to back up your rating — especially for high severity.
