The First Look at Benedict Cumberbatch In Netflix's 'Eric' Is Surprisingly Normal

Netflix has released the first image of Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) in its upcoming limited series Eric, and the only thing remarkable about it is how utterly normal it looks. You see, while this first photo may look like nothing so much as a standard crime procedural, the project itself is anything but.

In the six-part drama, which is reportedly inspired by a true story, Cumberbatch plays Vincent Sullivan, the troubled puppeteer behind the characters on America's most popular children's program, Good Day Sunshine. His life is turned upside down when his young son goes missing on his way to school, and Vincent becomes increasingly convinced that the only chance at bringing Edgar home can be found in his drawings of a seven-foot tall, blue puppet named Eric. What follows is the story of a desperate father as he battles demons both real and imagined on the streets of 1980s New York in an attempt to find his missing son.

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).