Netflix Sets May Premiere for Benedict Cumberbatch Drama 'Eric'

“The real monsters aren’t under the bed,” reads the tagline on the poster for the upcoming Netflix series Eric, hinting that its story, which follows a troubled puppeteer struggling to cope after his young son goes missing, is likely much darker than many of us initially believed.

The six-part drama is set to premiere in May and is reportedly inspired by a true story. (Which parts of it are true is likely anyone's guess.) It stars Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) as Vincent Sullivan, the talented creator of and puppeteer behind the successful children's program, Good Day Sunshine. But when his young son, Edgar, goes missing while on his way to school, Vincent spirals rapidly, becoming increasingly convinced the only way to find Edgar is through his drawings of Eric, a seven-foot tall, blue puppet. As his obsession with Eric grows, Vincent must battle demons both real and imagined as he struggles to find his missing son. 

“Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980s New York — and the good, bad, and ugly world of Vincent,” creator and writer Abi Morgan (The Hour) told Netflix's Tudum. 

The series was initially greenlit alongside a half dozen other new Netflix U.K. productions that are all slated to arrive on the streamer this year, including superhero thriller Supacell, the slightly bizarre mythological comedy Kaos, and the already-released romance One Day.  Details about Eric and the other aforementioned series were released at the recent "Next on Netflix UK" event meant to celebrate the streamer's stable of British talent and content. 

Here's the synopsis. 

Set in 1980s New York, Eric is a new emotional thriller from Abi Morgan following the desperate search of a father when his nine year old son disappears one morning on the way to school. Vincent, one of New York’s leading puppeteers and creator of the hugely popular children’s television show, ‘Good Day Sunshine,’ struggles to cope with the loss of his son, Edgar, becoming increasingly distressed and volatile. Full of self-loathing and guilt around Edgar’s disappearance, he clings to his son’s drawings of a blue monster puppet, ERIC, convinced that if he can get ERIC on TV then Edgar will come home. 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.

Alongside Cumberbatch, the limited series also stars Gaby Hoffmann (Transparent) as Cassie, McKinley Belcher III (One Piece) as lead detective Michael Ledroit, and newcomer Ivan Howe as Edgar. Other featured cast members are Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), Clarke Peters (The Man Who Fell to Earth), Phoebe Nicholls (A Very British Scandal), David Denman (The Serpent Queen), Bamar Kane (Io Capitano), Adepero Odyue (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Alexis Molnar (Rise), and Roberta Colindrez (A League of Their Own).

Lucy Forbes (The End of the F***ing World) directs all six episodes and serves as an executive producer alongside Morgan, Cumberbatch, Jane Featherstone (This Is Going to Hurt) and Lucy Dyke (Black Mirror). Holly Pullinger (Don't Forget the Driver) is a series producer.

Eric will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, May 30, 2024.