The glorious return of Benedict Cumberbatch: 5 reasons to watch new Netflix series Eric, from the Doctor Strange star’s return to type to the trailer’s riotous Abba cover … and his imaginary puppet friend
- Benedict Cumberbatch plays Vincent, a puppeteer whose nine-year-old goes missing; he becomes convinced that a blue-monster named Edgar drawn by his son holds the key to his disappearance
- Dropping on Netflix on May 30, Eric was created by Bafta and Emmy Award winner Abi Morgan, and directed by Lucy Forbes of This Is Going To Hurt and The End of the F***ing World
Rejoice! Benedict Cumberbatch is back on our screens with today’s big Netflix drop, Eric – and hopefully you’re as excited as we are.
The limited series’ slightly bonkers premise should help: the show introduces us to Vincent (Cumberbatch), New York’s most celebrated puppeteer and the creator of the city’s most popular kids’ TV show. When Vincent’s nine-year-old son Edgar disappears on the way to school one day, the distraught dad’s sanity begins to unravel as he becomes increasingly convinced that Eric – a big blue monster Edgar drew before his disappearance – holds the key to the mystery.
Unhinged Vincent does what any puppeteer would – he brings the seven-foot monster to life to help him in his search. The puppet master’s volatile behaviour drives him further over the edge, and further away from his family and the detectives investigating the disappearance. Here are some of the reasons we think Netflix has a hit on their hands:
1. Cumberbatch goes back to type
These roles are all very well, but they’re not the kind of parts that first brought Cumberbatch to the public consciousness. Many of his early stand-out performances have a distinct common theme: they feature the actor playing a socially awkward genius, driven by a singular and all-encompassing purpose.
