Netflix’s Eric is a slow-burn psychological thriller about a man who loses everything and finds nothing to hold onto. Created by Abi Morgan, the series follows Vincent Anderson, a puppeteer in 1980s New York, as he searches for his missing nine-year-old son, Edgar. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Vincent, and he also voices the seven-foot-tall puppet Eric, which Vincent believes can help him find Edgar. The show premiered on 30 May 2024, with six episodes spanning a single season.
The premise is simple and grim. Vincent’s wife, Cassie, played by Gaby Hoffmann, is a recovering addict who struggles to keep her sobriety. His best friend, Michael Ledroit, played by McKinley Belcher III, is a loyal but troubled figure who watches Vincent spiral. The police, led by Lennie Wilson, played by Dan Fogler, treat Vincent as a suspect as much as a concerned parent. The city around him is a pressure cooker of decay, drugs, and neglect, and Vincent is running out of time.
Trailer, via BAFTA.
Vincent’s Descent
Cumberbatch is the engine of the series, and he drives it into the ground. Vincent is a man who has lost control of his life, his marriage, and his identity. The puppet Eric is both a crutch and a curse. In some scenes, Eric “exists” on his own, a towering presence that Vincent can talk to and through. This device is meant to be unsettling, but it often feels like a trick the show keeps pulling.
Vincent’s behavior grows increasingly volatile as the series progresses. He drinks, he fights, he makes enemies. The show is at its best when it lets Vincent’s desperation breathe, showing a man who is losing himself in front of his son’s eyes. The puppet is a symbol of that loss, a way for Vincent to feel powerful when he feels powerless.
Cassie’s Burden
Hoffmann is the anchor of the ensemble. Cassie is a recovering addict, and her scenes with Vincent are the emotional core of the show. She wants to help, but she is also trapped in her own history. The tension between them is the heart of the story, even when the plot gets bogged down in procedural details.
The supporting cast is solid. Belcher III plays Michael Ledroit as a friend who tries to help but can’t stop Vincent from falling. Fogler’s Lennie Wilson is a patient detective who understands that Vincent is hurting, but he doesn’t let that get in the way of his job. Clarke Peters as George Lovett adds menace to the story, playing a figure who seems to know more than he lets on.
The Puppet Problem
The puppet itself is the show’s biggest gamble. Eric is a seven-foot-tall creation that Vincent uses as a stand-in for his son. The show spends a lot of time on the puppet’s construction and its role in Vincent’s daily life. Some viewers will find this fascinating. Others will find it distracting.
The problem is that Eric is a prop that demands attention, but it doesn’t always earn it. There are scenes where the puppet is just a presence in the room, and the show leans on it for effect rather than meaning. It’s a clever idea, but it’s not always a good one.
The 1980s Setting
The show is set in 1980s New York, and it uses that world to create a sense of dread. The city is dirty, the streets are dangerous, and the people are broken. The show does a good job of making the environment feel lived-in, with details about the neighborhood, the shops, and the daily grind of life in that era.
The setting is not a costume. It’s a character. The 1980s are a world of fear, and the show uses that fear to amplify Vincent’s own. The streets are not safe, and neither is the home. The show knows this, and it uses it to full effect.
The Missing Boy
Edgar is the center of the story, and he is also the most absent character. We see him only in flashbacks and memories, and the show rarely lets us see him as a present figure. This is a deliberate choice, and it works for a while. But after a few episodes, the absence starts to feel like a trick. The audience wants to see Edgar, and the show refuses to give him a face.
The show’s refusal to show Edgar is a risk. It could pay off if the mystery builds to a satisfying conclusion. As it stands, the payoff feels thin. The show sets up a question about what happened to Edgar, and it never fully answers it. That’s a structural failure, not a stylistic one.
The Cast and Crew
The show was created by Abi Morgan, and it was directed by Lucy Forbes. The production was overseen by Holly Pullinger. The cast is large, and it includes names like Adepero Oduye, Chloe Claudel, and Donald Sage Mackay. The show also features a number of actors in smaller roles, including Roberta Colindrez and Alexis Molnar.
The casting was announced in February 2023, with Cumberbatch attached early. The show added Jeff Hephner and Wade Allain-Marcus later that month. The cast is a mix of familiar faces and new talent, and it gives the show a sense of depth.
| Role | Actor |
|---|---|
| Vincent Anderson | Benedict Cumberbatch |
| Cassie Anderson | Gaby Hoffmann |
| Michael Ledroit | McKinley Belcher III |
| Lennie Wilson | Dan Fogler |
| George Lovett | Clarke Peters |
| Cecile | Adepero Oduye |
The Final Verdict
Eric is a show that is trying to do something ambitious. It’s a period piece, a psychological thriller, and a family drama all at once. It has a strong lead performance, a committed director, and a talented cast. But it falls short of greatness.
The pacing is slow, and the middle episodes drag. The puppet gimmick is overused, and the mystery about Edgar feels underdeveloped. The show is at its best when it focuses on Vincent’s inner struggle, but it keeps pulling back to the outer world of the investigation. That balance is hard to strike, and the show doesn’t quite manage it.
The show is not a failure, but it is not a success either. It’s a show that is worth watching for its ambition, even when that ambition doesn’t fully pay off.
The show is available on Netflix. It’s worth a watch for fans of Cumberbatch and the genre, but it’s not essential viewing. The ending is a bit of a letdown, and the middle chapters are a slog. But the first episode is strong, and the final scene is effective. If you can get past the slow patches, there is a good show hiding underneath the gimmicks.
The show is a mixed bag, and it’s a bag that mostly holds disappointment. It’s a show that is better than its reputation, but it’s a reputation it deserves. The show is not a masterpiece, but it’s not a waste of time either. It’s a show that asks a lot of questions and answers very few of them. That’s frustrating, but it’s also honest.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
