LONDON: I don’t want to jinx it, but “Eric” could be part of the return to form Netflix has been crying out for when it comes to original series. It’s been a few years since the streaming giant has reliably pumped out a steady stream of bona fide hits with that ‘unique’ feel that used to be the Netflix hallmark — the recent “Baby Reindeer” was a similarly timely reminder that edgy and uncomfortable shows can still be entertaining and engrossing — but this Benedict Cumberbatch-starring thriller is one that will stick with viewers long after the credits roll.
That’s not to say it’s perfect — it’s far from it — but “Eric” is certainly distinctive. Vincent (Cumberbatch) is a puppeteer on a popular kids show, and lives in 1980s New York with his wife and nine-year-old son Edgar. When Edgar goes missing, Vincent’s destructive tendencies come to the fore, and his previously repressed demons begin to take root — not least in the manifestation of a seven-foot-tall puppet, Eric, who follows him around, giving voice to his numerous insecurities.
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That outlandish premise is the show’s hook, not to mention the source of its name, but “Eric” is about far more than just a missing kid, or one man’s battles against his vices. Set against the backdrop of corruption at City Hall, systemic racism in the NYPD, the AIDS epidemic, and persecution of the homeless, the show is a heady assault on the senses. At the center of most of the converging storylines is detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III, threatening to steal the limelight from Cumberbatch), a quiet and (mostly) calm presence whose hunt for Edgar puts him in the crosshairs of some of New York’s most unseemly figures.
“Eric” has so much going on that it struggles to keep all its plates spinning. Cumberbatch, Belcher and the ensemble cast are all great, and writer/creator Abi Morgan shows a deft touch in crafting a world both fascinating and grotesque. It feels an odd criticism of a show that there’s too much good stuff on display to realize any of them fully, but though “Eric” does feel a little overstuffed, it’s certainly the kind of original Netflix content we’ve come to know and love.
