What to know about Benedict Cumberbatch’s Netflix show Eric
TV's Sherlock must rely on a giant puppet to find his missing son
Benedict Cumberbatch is back solving mysteries on the small screen — not as Sherlock Holmes but instead as a wild-eyed puppeteer searching for his missing son in the new Netflix limited series Eric.
Written by Abi Morgan, the same screenwriter behind hit projects like Shame, Suffragette and The Iron Lady, Eric mixes thrilling drama with disillusions and mental health themes as one man battles his inner demons in public while trying to reunite with his lost child.
Continue reading to find all the key details you’ll need ahead of Eric’s arrival, including its release date, trailer status, plot and cast details.
When will Eric be released on Netflix?
Eric will land on Netflix on Thursday, 30 May. The limited series will consist of six episodes, each of which will become available all in one go, helping you crack Eric’s mystery sooner rather than later.
Is there a trailer for Eric?
The first trailer for Eric takes us into the rapidly unravelling mind of Vincent, a man wracked with guilt after the sudden disappearance of his young son.
With his mental health deteriorating and his substance abuse rising, the famed puppeteer takes it upon himself to build a new monster that he hopes will bring his son home.
Watch the full trailer below:
What happens in Eric?
Set in 1980s New York, Eric sees Cumberbatch play Vincent, a seemingly successful man who is one of the world’s finest puppeteers and the creator of a hit kids’ show called Good Morning Sunshine.
Unfortunately, things start to fall apart when his nine-year-old son Edgar suddenly disappears while making his way to school, leaving Vincent struggling to comprehend the mystery.
As a coping mechanism, Vincent pours himself into his son’s sketches of a big blue puppet called Eric, eventually convincing himself that if he can transform the character into a TV hit, his son will magically return. Meanwhile, his substance abuse, self-destructive behaviour and self-loathing threaten to spiral out of hand.
“As Vincent’s progressively destructive behaviour alienates his family, his work colleagues, and the detectives trying to help him, it’s Eric, a delusion of necessity, who becomes his only ally in the pursuit to bring his son home,” says Netflix.
Meanwhile, Morgan told the streamer that the show is “a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980s New York — and the good, bad, and ugly world of Vincent.”
Who is in the Eric cast?
Eric has a condensed cast, with only a few stars confirmed to join Cumberbatch on his latest Netflix visit.
Gabby Hoffman will star as a character named Cassie, with Ozark’s McKinley Belcher III playing Ledroit, the lead detective in the case of Vincent’s missing son.
Speaking of which, newcomer Ivan Howe will play Vincent's MIA child Edgar and also provide the voice of the seven-foot-tall puppet monster Eric.
Roberta Colindrez, Jeff Hephner, Dan Fogler, Clarke Peters, Phoebe Nicholls, David Denman and Adepero Oduye will also star throughout the show’s six-episode arc.
Eric is released on Netflix on Thursday, 30 May
