If you’re looking for a brand new series that’s guaranteed to get you hooked from the get-go, we think we have you covered.
Benedict Cumberbatch takes the lead in Eric, a new Netflix miniseries, in which he plays a puppeteer called Vincent, who uses his imagination after his nine-year-old son Edgar goes missing.
Set in 1980s New York, it may sound like a standard thriller concept on the surface, but Eric isn’t your typical mystery drama.
Written by Abi Morgan (Shame, The Iron Lady), things take a massive turn when Benedict’s character becomes convinced that if he turns his son’s drawing of a blue monster called Eric into a life-size puppet, Edgar will return home.
It’s clearly proved popular with TV fans, and it might just be your new favourite, too. Here’s why...
It’s received glowing reviews
We know reviews aren’t everything, but it’s always encouraging when they’re good, isn’t it?
Eric has already gone down very well with critics, who have praised the Doctor Strange actor’s performance and the show’s original story concept.
Radio Times hailed it for being a “gut punch thriller”, while The Independent said that its star “excels as a weirdo” in the “dark, misanthropic missing-child drama”.
Eric also has a very unique premise
One thing critics have unanimously agreed on is that Eric is a truly distinct story idea.
According to The Telegraph, it’s “inventive, assured and far less weird than you expect”. Empire agreed that it is “one of the most original Netflix Originals in some time”, while The Guardian called it a “truly original Netflix Original”.
Without giving too much away, you need only check out the promo images of leading star Benedict with a seven foot, fluffy monster standing over his shoulder to get a sense that the show is a little unusual.
It’s the top show on Netflix right now
Whether it was Baby Reindeer, 3 Body Problem or Bridgerton season three, the Netflix rankings tend to speak for themselves when it comes to what’s worth watching on the streaming platform.
Eric only came out on Thursday (30 June), and it’s already sitting at the top spot in the UK.
Truly, the people have spoken.
Eric boasts a seriously impressive cast
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Benedict Cumberbatch take centre stage on the small screen, but after winning over legions of fans with his role in Sherlock from 2010 to 2017, it’s clear that TV is where he delivers his best performances.
The cast also includes Gaby Hoffmann (Girls, Transparent), Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, The Walking Dead), McKinley Belcher III (The Passage, Ozark) and more, who each nail exactly the right tone for the series.
Eric was a hard show for Benedict Cumberbatch to shake
Speaking to Sky News, Benedict said it took “weeks to shake off” his role in Eric.
He even told Yahoo that there was one “truly extraordinary” moment that left him in tears. The actor, who also voices monster Eric in the series, said: “People [ask] what moved you most about the job, but actually putting that [suit] on in one of the last days filming in New York and just I cried afterwards. I put my arm around [the puppeteer] afterwards saying I can’t believe this is how you’ve done what you’ve done, it’s truly extraordinary.”
Oh, and did we mention the music?
The score for Eric was put together by Keefus Ciancia, whose past credits have included The Fall, True Detective and Killing Eve.
It’s also worth shouting out the fictional show-within–a-show Good Day Sunshine, which has its own sugary sweet Sesame Street-esque theme song penned by none other than musical comic (and Matilda: The Musical songwriter) Tim Minchin.
Eric is available to stream now on Netflix.