First Look
First look: Eric, a new Netflix series starring Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch is taking on his most complex role yet, in the upcoming Netflix show Eric. In the lead role of Vincent, he plays a devastated (and unstable) father whose 9-year-old son has gone missing.
The six-episode drama was created by BAFTA- and Emmy Award-winner Abi Morgan (The Hour, The Split) and directed by Lucy Forbes (This Is Going to Hurt). Morgan, Forbes and Cumberbatch are executive producers on the show.
Below is everything we know so far about the new Netflix series, Eric.
The plot of Eric: What’s it about?
The six-episode drama, set in 1980s New York, sees workaholic father Vincent (played by Cumberbatch) battling his inner demons as he tries to find his missing 9-year-old son, who disappeared on his way to school. Vincent is one of the city’s leading puppeteers and the creator of a popular kids’ show. When his son goes missing, he starts to lose his grip on reality.
Vincent clings to his son’s drawings of a potential puppet for his show, called Eric, and becomes convinced that if he can get Eric on the show, his son will return home. As Vincent’s delusional and destructive behaviour alienates his wife, colleagues and the detectives on the case, the line between fact and fiction gets blurry…
It looks to be a gripping detective drama that also explores the wide-reaching human impact of crime. We reckon it will be perfect for fans of The Missing and Baptiste.
Eric cast: Who is in the Netflix show?
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the lead role of Vincent, an unstable character who, at the start of the series, is charismatic but narcissistic, successful at work but neglectful of his family. He goes on a “huge odyssey” over the course of the show, according to Cumberbatch.
Director Lucy Forbes said it was important that Cumberbatch look different to any of his previous roles (i.e. in Sherlock, The Imitation Game, the Marvel film franchise). “That’s why his hair is grown out, he’s got a beard, and we put glasses on him,” Forbes told Tudum. “Not only for the time period, but also to make him feel like Vincent as much as possible.”
McKinley Belcher III (Ozark, Mercy Street, The Passage) plays the role of Detective Michael Ledroit – the lead detective in the Missing Persons unit, with 20 years of police service under his belt. It is his job to find Vincent’s son Edgar and bring him home.
Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent, Girls) plays Cassie, Edgar’s mother, who has been unhappily married to Vincent for years yet stayed for the sake of their son. Meanwhile, Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts, The Walking Dead) plays Lennie, Vincent’s best friend and colleague. Clarke Peters (The Wire, Treme, John Wick) plays George Lovett, the building superintendent who looked out for Edgar. Ivan Hower plays Edgar, the withdrawn and artistic missing son, in his first acting role.
How can I watch Eric in the UK?
The six-part drama will be available to watch on Netflix from 30th May 2024. For a taster of what’s to come, watch the trailer below:
Will you be tuning in? Let us know in the comments below…
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