Eric (miniseries)

Eric is a 2024 British psychological thriller television miniseries created for the streaming service Netflix. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a distraught puppeteer whose young son goes missing in 1980s New York City. The script was written by Abi Morgan with Lucy Forbes directing and Holly Pullinger producing the series. The series was released on 30 May 2024.

Synopsis

In 1980s New York City, Vincent is a puppeteer in an unhappy marriage whose nine-year-old son, Edgar, goes missing. Vincent's increasingly volatile behavior alienates him from his friends, family, and coworkers. After issues with substance abuse, Vincent becomes convinced that he can reunite with Edgar with the help of his seven-foot-tall puppet, Eric.

Cast

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Vincent Anderson and the voice of Eric
• Ivan Morris Howe as Edgar Anderson
• Gaby Hoffmann as Cassie Anderson
• McKinley Belcher III as Michael Ledroit
• Roberta Colindrez as Ronnie
• Jeff Hephner as Richard Costello
• Wade Allain-Marcus as Alex Gator
• Mark Gillis as William Elliot
• Dan Fogler as Lennie Wilson
• Chloe Claudel as Ellis
• Clarke Peters as George Lovett
• Phoebe Nicholls as Anne Anderson
• David Denman as Cripp
• Erika Soto as Tina
• Bamar Kane as Yuusuf Egbe
• Adepero Oduye as Cecile Rochelle
• John Doman as Robert Anderson
• Alexis Molnar as Raya
• Donald Sage Mackay as Jerry
• Bence Orere as Marlon Rochelle
• Orlando Norman as Ricardo
• Stefan Race as TJ
• José Pimentão as Sebastian

Episodes

Production

Development

Netflix commissioned the six-part series in November 2021 to be made by production companies Little Chick and Sister.

The script was written by Abi Morgan, with Lucy Forbes directing and serving as executive producer. Holly Pullinger would produce the series, with Cumberbatch starring and acting as executive producer. Jane Featherstone and Lucy Dyke of Sister also executively produce, and Morgan is also an executive producer via Little Chick.

Casting

In February 2023, it was revealed that joining Cumberbatch in the cast would be Gaby Hoffmann, McKinley Belcher III, Dan Fogler, Clarke Peters, Ivan Morris Howe, Phoebe Nicholls, David Denman, Bamar Kane, Adepero Odyue, Alexis Molnar, and Roberta Colindrez. Cumberbatch had a dual role, providing the voice of the Eric puppet, including in scenes where Eric "exists" on his own. Later the same month, Jeff Hephner and Wade Allain-Marcus joined the cast.

Filming

Principal photography began by early 2023, with filming locations including Budapest and New York. Cumberbatch was photographed by the media in the street with glasses and a dark green trench coat.

Release

The series was released on Netflix on 30 May 2024.

A soundtrack album featuring original music from the series, composed by Keefus Ciancia, was released on streaming platforms on 31 May 2024. Additionally, the theme song to Good Day Sunshine, written by Tim Minchin, was released onto streaming the same day.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 70 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Startlingly disturbing despite its outwardly fuzzy appearance, Eric is a perverse genre-bender that may not fully articulate all of its ideas but offers a memorably demented binge." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

References

External links

• Eric on Netflix
• Eric at IMDb