Doug Schneider

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

A range of stories was in the media this past week about Steven Avery, Brendan Dassey and 'Making a Murderer. Let's get to it.

If you've been a dedicated watcher of the Netflix documentary, there likely was a particular episode that hooked you into watching through the end of the 10-part series.

That's the word from Netflix, which says its in-house research can pinpoint the episode that prompted viewers to watch through to the bitter end. And as ThisIsInsider.com reports, the episode in which Brendan Dassey tells his interrogators that he was involved in the 2005 killing of Teresa Halbach was when most viewers got deadly serious about 'MaM.'

"Netflix says the heartbreaking interrogation of Brendan Dassey is what really got to viewers," the site says. "An unexpected confession casts doubt on Steven's (Avery, Dassey's uncle and co-defendant in the Teresa Halbach homicide) role in the murder case, but the new suspect gives conflicting accounts of what occurred."

Avery and Dassey are serving life sentences for the murder of Halbach, who disappeared after arriving at the Avery family's auto salvage business in northwest Manitowoc County to photograph a car for sale. Both Avery and Dassey are appealing their convictions.

Dassey's 're-entry' plan

Rolling Stone pokes through the details of the motion by Dassey's lawyers to have him released during his appeal.

Not surprisingly, they prompt some "Man, this would be logistically difficult" reactions.

Consider that they involve a man-child, from a family of limited means, who can't drive, hasn't used a cellphone and last saw the inside of a non-prison classroom a decade ago, when he was in his mid-teens. It's probably not a great idea to have him right in Manitowoc, but it's probably not feasible or affordable to have him too far away, and — you get the idea.

RELATED: Lawyer says Dassey ruling tells important story

Highlights of the RS piece:

►Dassey would spend the first one to three months in a trailer his family owns in rural northeastern Wisconsin.

►After that, he would move to an apartment rented by his mom and step-dad in Brown County, at which time "he would begin participating in educational, vocational and therapeutic services in the Brown County area as appropriate."

►Dassey's only disciplinary issues during his time in prison to date have involved five packets of Ramen noodles and a checkerboard. Not at the same time, though.

(Ramen, as we learned from this USA Today video, is a currency more precious than cigarettes in some prisons. So, there's that.)

Of course, as our Andy Thompson points out, the state of Wisconsin will "vigorously oppose" the attempt to release a person a jury convicted of a brutal homicide.

JonBenet comparisons

In a sentence that might set a record for most commas, Vulture says 'Making a Murderer' "moved the case forward," using that to criticize CBS's recent JonBenet Ramsey show.

Film-makers "Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos spent years working on Making a Murderer, the binge-watchable docuseries about Steven Avery …," the site reports.

" … Ricciardi and Demos also moved the case forward; in part because of Making a Murderer, Avery’s nephew, Brendan Dassey, who was also charged in Halbach’s murder, recently had his conviction overturned by a judge, though that decision has since been appealed."

And, no, author Jen Chaney did not enjoy the Ramsey piece.

"In its eagerness to get on the air and capitalize on a trend, The Case Of:JonBenét Ramsey ignores most of the things that made true crime a trend in the first place: rigorous reporting, clear, journalistic storytelling, and an appreciation for placing a subject in deeper cultural context," she wrote. "If the folks at NBC, TNT, Netflix, and other networks continue with their plans for more shows of this type, let’s hope they see this JonBenét Ramsey disgrace as an example of what not to do …."

Indiana Jerry

Erstwhile Avery defense lawyer and Indianapolis native Jerry Buting is going to be Back Home Again in Indiana on Sept. 29.

Buting told TheIndianaLawyer.com that he and co-counsel Dean Strang, who remain convinced that Avery is not guilty of Halbach's murder, see far-reaching consequences when someone is wrongly convicted.

“When people come away feeling like it’s not fair, it’s not just they lose respect for the law,” Buting said. “When they lose respect for the law, not only are they more likely to violate it, but they’re not likely to support it financially either.

RELATED:Avery rips former lawyers, Buting, Strang

"So you see this self-perpetuating thing of people saying only the rich have a chance and poor people lose.”

UK tour extended

And though Buting and Strang both have spoken of needing to get their message out before their notoriety fades, it appears that their fame will last a good deal longer than 15 minutes.

RELATED:Avery lawyer Strang speaks in Ashwaubenon

Stereoboard.com reports that their speaking tour, "A Conversation on Making a Murderer," has booked seven more dates in the United Kingdom through the end of January.

Tickets go on sale Friday, in case you're going to be in that neck of the woods four months from now.

dschneid@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter @PGDougSchneider