Dateline NBC (8pm, NBC) - A special two-hour "Dateline" revisits the death of Durham's Kathleen Peterson and the conviction of her husband Michael Peterson for her murder, with fresh interviews and recent developments in the case. Here's a preview of the episode.

Inside World War II (8pm, NGC) - A documentary sharing firsthand accounts of World War II through archival footage and more than 50 testimonies from American, British, German and Soviet service members.

Treehouse Masters (10pm, Animal Planet) - In this new eight-episode series, world-renowned treehouse designer and builder Pete Nelson (left) travels the country with a team of skilled craftsmen to build super high-end treehouses for their clients. Nelson uses science and art to create homes and businesses that are sustained by the trees. Nelson and his crew construct homes in New York, Texas, Ohio and Seattle. If you're into treehouses, also check out "Ultimate Treehouses" on Animal Planet at 8.

Merlin (10pm, Syfy) - In the series finale, Merlin faces his greatest challenge as Morgana threatens to destroy King Arthur and Camelot.

Mystery Diners (10pm, Food) - The owner of a Texas restaurant chain called Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que suspects that one of his employees has divulged a secret family recipe to a rival business.

Wild West Alaska (10pm, Discovery) - Ken and Phred promote the store with a contest for mustaches and beards. Also, Jim builds a custom rifle for a river guide, but the plane delivery is problematic.

Switched at Birth (8pm, ABC Family) - The Carlton students learn the outcome of their protest, while John's campaign ends abruptly.

Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? (8pm, NGC) - The Scouts face off against three adults in the Sequoia National Forest. Raleigh's Will Fleming (pictured here on the far left) competes in tonight's episode.

The Bachelor (8pm, ABC) - In the Season 17 finale, Sean must choose between the two remaining bachelorettes. Before that, he introduces them to his family goes on final dates with both women. "After the Final Rose" airs at 10.

King's Point (9pm, HBO) - The Oscar-nominated documentary that tells the stories of five seniors living in a typical American retirement resort -- men and women who came to Florida decades ago with their spouses by their sides and their health intact, and now find themselves grappling with love, loss and the universal desire for connection. Adrienne has a review.

Dallas (9pm, TNT) - The Ewing family tries to unite to mourn the death of J.R. Look for lots of colorful characters from "Dallas" days of old.

The Staircase (10pm, Sundance) - The conclusion of the 10-part documentary chronicling the case of Durham's Michael Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen in 2001. Tonight, the defense team's request for a new trial. More information on tonight's final chapter of "The Staircase."

Catfishin' Kings (10pm, Animal Planet) - Teams of noodlers (people who catch catfish with their bare hands) from different states face off in a new reality competition series. This first episode begins with North Carolina vs. Louisiana (I'm so proud) and Kentucky vs. Tennessee.

Tonight the Sundance Channel will air the final installment of "The Staircase," the ten-part documentary about the 2001 death of Durham's Kathleen Peterson and her husband Mike Peterson's trial and conviction for murder in 2003.

The final two chapters of "The Staircase" have been postscripts to the original 8-part documentary, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.

The new chapter airing last Monday caught viewers up on Peterson's life in prison in 2011, with his children and with his defense team's work to get him a new trial. Tonight's episode focuses on the 2011 hearing in which Peterson's lawyers used the shattered reputation of SBI analyst Duane Deaver to lobby for a new trial.

"The Staircase" is a Peabody Award-winning documentary. Tonight's episode airs at 10 p.m. on Sundance. More information on the updated additions to "The Staircase."

Staff photo by Chuck Liddy

The Sundance Channel will air a follow-up to the acclaimed French documentary "The Staircase" tonight at 10. "The Staircase" told the story of Kathleen Peterson's death in Durham in 2001, and the trial and conviction of her husband Mike Petersonfor her murder in 2003. The film's director, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, had unrestricted access to Peterson's family and defense team for the 8-part film, and for the 2-part follow-up that debuts on television tonight at 10.

The second hour of "The Staircase: Last Chance" airs next Monday night at 10.

Read more about the follow-up to "The Staircase: Last Chance" here.

Antiques Roadshow (8pm, UNC-TV) - Part one of Season 17 begins in Corpus Christi, Texas, where a million-dollar discovery is made: an oil painting created by an 18-year-old Diego Rivera in 1904.

Switched at Birth (8pm, ABC Family) - In the second season opener, a newly wealthy Angelo buys expensive presents for everyone, and John and Kathryn contemplate entering the political arena.

The Bachelor (8pm, ABC) - Dallas businessman Sean Lowe (from a previous "Bachelorette" season) looks for another chance at love in Season 17. In the opener, Sean meets 26 female contenders and seven are sent home.

Bunheads (9pm, ABC Family) - The second half of season one has Michelle readjusting to life in Las Vegas, where she finds work as a magician's assistant.

The Mob Doctor (9pm, Fox) - In the series finale, Grace's world is falling apart when her family's in danger and the FBI's ready to make a move.

The Staircase (10pm, Sundance) - The acclaimed French documentary about the trial of Michael Peterson for the murder of his wife Kathleen is broken into eight parts to air on Sundance. After the eight original episodes air, two new installments will air (early March) featuring developments in Peterson's case. In tonight's first part, executive Kathleen Peterson is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, and her devastated writer husband, Michael, is accused of killing her. You can also watch the first episode at the Sundance website. Jean-Xavier de Lestrade directed.

Deception (10pm, NBC) - A new series about a detective who keeps her job a secret as she reenters the lives of a wealthy family to investigate the mysterious death of her childhood friend. Adrienne reviews.

A true crime program airing tonight on Investigation Discovery will tell the story of the 2001 death of Kathleen Peterson from the perspective of Kathleen's daughter, Caitlin Atwater.

Kathleen Peterson's husband Michael Peterson (left) was convicted in 2003 of murdering her in their Durham home.

Peterson is currently seeking a new trial. A hearing on that is scheduled for next month.

"The Devil You Know," airing at 10 p.m., features interviews with Atwater, as well as Art Holland of the Durham Police Department, and Fred Atwater, Kathleen's first husband.

The episode airing tonight is called "Stairway to Hell." (The murder trial was the subject of a 2004 documentary by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade called "The Staircase.")

"The Devil You Know" describes itself as a series that "delves into the secret lives of men and women who masquerade as law-abiding citizens but, behind the charade, are hiding deadly intentions from their loved ones." The shows offers first-hand accounts from friends and family members to tell the stories.

Investigation Discovery airs on 251 and 1251 on Time Warner Cable. On DirecTV you'll find it on 285 and 1285; AT&T U-Verse has it on 260 and 1260; Dish Network has it on 192.

Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson has barred attorney Larry Pollard from filing further motions on behalf of convicted murderer Michael Peterson because Peterson says Pollard does not represent him.

Pollard filed a motion this month seeking to introduce new expert testimony that an owl killed the Durham writer’s wife, Kathleen Peterson, in 2001.

A new motion filed by David Rudolf, one of Peterson’s original attorneys, asks Hudson to rule on whether the owl theory justifies a new trial. Rudolf did not pursue the theory during the original trial.

Rudolf’s motion also asks the judge to dismiss, but just for now, Pollard’s claims regarding potentially unreliable evidence offered by State Bureau of Investigation agent Duane Deaver. Rudolf plans to represent Peterson on a pro bono basis in proceedings challenging SBI testimony that helped convict the Durham novelist of murder.

A lawyer for Michael Peterson filed three affidavits this week to further support the theory that an owl killed the novelist's wife.

T. Lawrence Pollard, one of Peterson's attorneys, says the written statements from three experts should persuade Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson to order the state Medical Examiner's Office to turn over all documentation related to Kathleen Peterson's autopsy, including photos, videos, notes and audio recordings. The affidavits also ask to unseal the autopsy photographs.

If granted, the information would be used to prove that Kathleen Peterson was killed by an owl, not from blunt force trauma, Pollard said. Michael Peterson was convicted of killing his wife in 2003 and is currently serving a sentence of life in prison.

Pollard is a former neighbor of Peterson who has pushed the owl theory for several years. Prosecutors and police dismiss his theory, which defense lawyers did not mention during Peterson's trial. 

The request follows a News & Observer series that questioned the investigative tactics of State Bureau of Investigation agents. Testimony of SBI Agent Duane Deaver helped convict Peterson of killing his wife, who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in a pool of blood in 2001. Peterson's children, who recently wrote a letter to the N&O, want their father to have a new trial.

Pollard has asked Hudson to hold off his ruling until all of Peterson's lawyers have met and finalized paperwork. A ruling may be made next week, the lawyer said.

Read more here.

In  response to The N&O's series on the SBI, the children of Michael Peterson have written a letter imploring the state to give Peterson, who was convicted in 2003 of killing his wife, Kathleen, a new trial.

We, Michael Peterson’s children, would like to thank The N&O for its series on agent Duane Deaver and the N.C. SBI.

At our father’s trial, there were no eyewitnesses, no murder weapon and no credible motive. He was convicted solely on forensic evidence presented by Deaver and his colleagues at the SBI – evidence that was based on junk science and that included experiments designed to support the state’s case, not to determine the truth.

The videos of the unscientific “experiments” Deaver and his colleagues performed clearly show an attempt to re-create a desired outcome rather than to examine all possibilities. His experiments made a mockery of good science and objective testing protocols.

It is impossible to overestimate how crucial Deaver’s testimony was at the trial. Despite the objections of the defense, which vigorously questioned his qualifications, knowledge and expertise, he testified over eight days.

In her closing argument to the jury, assistant district attorney Freda Black reinforced Deaver’s importance in the state’s case by saying: “Now let’s look at Agent Deaver. Agent Deaver, Dr. Radisch, Dr. Butts, they’re state employees. And they work for your state. They work for your state, North Carolina. They work for us. They gave you truthful and accurate information. … They are tried and true. Tried and true. Because they work for us.

“Deaver will be back again. There will be other cases, other murder cases. They’ll be in the witness stand again. They wouldn’t come in and give inaccurate information. They’re not going to do that.”

Deaver did testify in other murder trials, and your series has exposed his testimony for what it is: worthless. The same can be said for his qualifications and his lack of scientific rigor.

Our father has been imprisoned for nearly seven years on the basis of testimony that not only lacked scientific validity, but also was given added import by Black’s endorsement of Deaver’s honesty and abilities.

We are heartened by Attorney General Roy Cooper’s commissioning of an independent investigation into the actions of the SBI, which will allow North Carolina to restore justice by undoing the damage perpetrated by its employees and agents at the SBI.

And in the interest of justice, we ask the state of North Carolina to overturn Peterson’s conviction and grant him a new trial, as it is clear his trial was irreparably damaged by Deaver’s involvement.

Clayton and Rebecca Peterson
Baltimore, Md.

This letter also was signed by Todd Peterson, Margaret Ratliff and Martha Ratliff.
 

One of Durham's famous true crimes gets another airing tonight at 10 on "True Crime with Aphrodite Jones" (Investigation Discovery; channel 114).

It's the Staircase Murders aka the Michael Peterson case, in which the Durham socialite/author/failed mayoral candidate was convicted of killing his wife by bashing her head with a fireplace poker.

Or, if you ask Mr. Peterson, she fell down the stairs. Just like his friend in Germany.