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The creators behind Making A Murderer have admitted that timing and social media was key to the show's viral success.

The ten hour-long true-crime series was released on Netflix last December and in just 35 days had racked up 19.3million viewers in the US alone.

It's popularity has led to the confirmation that extra episodes - taking us back into the story of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey's fight to overturn their 2007 conviction for the murder of Teresa Hallbach - and directors Laura Riccardi and Moira Demos believe the December 18 release date was a huge factor in it's popularity.

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"We wanted more time [to finish the series], but it was the genius of Netflix to insist on putting it out just before Christmas," Moira told Heat Magazine.

"We were demanding a lot from viewers and it was great that people had the time to watch it all over the holidays."

Admitting that it was a close turn around, Laura confessed: "We finished the show on 15 December and it launched on 18 December."

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The success of the show was almost instant and the creators said the support of high-profile names like Alec Baldwin and Ricky Gervais was key to spreading the word.

"We had family and friends in town for the launch party and we started to hear from them [Netflix], 'You have to go on social media...everyone is talking about it.' We were really grateful to people like Ricky Gervais and Alec Baldwin for getting behind it."

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Thanks to the success of the show It was confirmed by Netflix last week that new episodes of the series are already in production that will return to the story of Steven and Brendan as their legal teams fight to get their convictions overturned.

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Following the news, Ricciardi and Demo said in a statement: “We are extremely grateful for the tremendous response to, and support of, the series. The viewers’ interest and attention has ensured that the story is not over, and we are fully committed to continuing to document events as they unfold.”

Steven Avery's lawyer Kathleen Zellner has revealed that she intends to prove her client's innocence in the new episodes, where she would be sharing brand new evidence she's discovered since taking on the case earlier this year.

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"The new Netflix episodes will reveal all of the new evidence we have developed to show Steven is innocent and was framed for a second time," Zellner told PEOPLE magazine.

Zellner took over Avery's case just a month after Making a Murderer was released and has vowed to clear his name.

It's not the first time she's made this claim and speaking in her first TV interview in February hinted forensic testing would be key to her case.

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"Generally, since 2007, there have been significant advances in forensic testing. The clearest way to do this is with scientific testing," she told Dateline NBC.

"Am I going to tell you exactly what it is? I am not. But it's been a long time. There was a lot of evidence that wasn't tested.”

Avery and his nephew Brendan hit the headlines last December thanks to the Netflix series that documented the murder trials and convictions for the 2005 murder of Teresa Hallbach.

Since then millions have watched the series and debated online over whether their trials and convictions were fair.

Brendan Dassey's lawyer Laura N. Nirider previously admitted that the success of the show had given a life line to her client.





"What gives him hope is the letters he receives from people all around the world," Nirider said. "Those letters and his family are the reasons he gets up nowadays. He is hopeful and grateful."





Nirider added: "The whole world saw what happened to him over the course of season one. People are rightfully up in arms about what happened to him, and we are grateful a spotlight will continue to be shown on his case."

The new episodes will also feature the pair's families and those close to the legal cases.

In June, Avery's appeal case was delayed by 90 days after his lawyer asked for an extension in the case.

A fresh appeal, citing violations of due process rights, was filed at the Wisconsin Supreme Court in January.

The defendant-appellant's brief had meant to be completed by May 31, but four days before Zellneer submitted a request for an extension until August 29.

"Additional time is necessary for undersigned counsel to complete their review of the record and draft the brief," it stated.

"As noted by the Manitowoc County Clerk, the record in this court is 'considerable'."

"Although counsel has worked diligently on this case, additional responsibilities, as set forth below, require additional time to complete the brief in this case," it claimed.

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What does this mean for Steven? It means once again his case will be delayed, but from the document it appears the sheer amount of evidence it what is delaying the defence, which can only be a positive for the currently incarcerated star.

The document was signed by Avery's lawyer and Tricia J. Bushnell of the Midwest Innocent Project, who is now working to get Steven and his nephew Brendan Dassey out of jail.

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Steven was previously jailed for 18 years for the 1985 rape of Penny Beernsten but was exonerated after DNA evidence proved it was not him.

It was later revealed the real rapist was Gregory Allen and that there was evidence the Manitowoc County Sherff department were aware he could be the perpetrator during the initial investigation, but instead were determined to convict Avery of the crime.

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Two years after being released from prison in 2003 he was arrested for the murder of Teresa Hallbach, whose charred remains were found in a burn-pit outside his home.

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Since joining his team in January, Zellner has been poking holes in the state's case against Avery as well as evidence he had been framed on Twitter.

Steven along with his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted of the murder in 2007. Both have maintained their innocence of the crime, with Dassey insisting a confession he initially gave police was coerced.

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Netflix has confirmed it's return with Making a Murderer season 2 coming soon. And if you want to re-live Making a Murder season 1 - here's how to catch up.