Netflix made an unexpected splash this spring with its drama series Eric, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Vincent, a troubled puppeteer searching for his lost son. The entire series was released on Netflix on May 30, 2024 and quickly became a streaming hit.
With each of the six episodes written by Abi Morgan and directed by Lucy Forbes, the 1985-set show is part drama, part thriller and part dark comedy; The main character is actually a puppet, designed by Edgar, Vincent’s son. Vincent spends a lot of time talking to an imaginary version of Eric, seeking his help as he battles his addiction problems and struggles to discover what happened to Edgar.
Criticisms were mixed about the program’s virtues. While some admired it for its originality and Cumberbatch’s magnetic, multifaceted performance (he also provides the voice of Eric), it was also criticized for its wandering focus and repetitive writing. Variety call it “outstanding,” while IGN described His treatment of various issues is “superficial.”
But with its gritty New York City period details and clear inspiration from real life Sesame Streetit would be fair to ask if Eric In some ways it is based on a true story, despite its stranger elements. Here you’ll find all the background you need to know about the Netflix drama series.
Is Eric Based on a true story?
The writer Abi Morgan has already been directly inspired by real life. After starting out as a playwright, Morgan wrote for both television and film. Several of her scripts are based on real people and events; she wrote Iron Womana Margaret Thatcher biopic for which Meryl Streep won an Oscar as British Prime Minister, and Suffragistalso with Streep, about the fight for women’s suffrage in the United Kingdom.
Eric It seems like it might have similar ties to the real world. Good morning darling!the children’s show that Vincent has co-created obviously follows the model Sesame Streetthe educational public television program that has been a New York institution since 1969. The story also touches on social and racial issues that were (and are) a big part of New York City life.
But although there are certainly elements of Eric Based on reality, the story and the characters themselves are created entirely for television. There is no real Vincent; In fact, the figure he most superficially resembles (in terms of making and working on a beloved puppet-centric television show) is Jim Henson, and a recent documentary about Henson shows that while he may have led a complicated life, He wasn’t nearly as tortured or prickly as Cumberbatch’s character. (Even Frank Oz, generally considered one of the fussiest Muppeteers in real life, seems significantly friendlier than Vincent.) The missing persons cases the show details are also not taken directly from real stories.
So if the show feels surprisingly real for a story about a grown man talking to an imaginary puppet, just chalk that up to Morgan’s eye for historical detail, or perhaps to Cumberbatch’s convincingly bitter performance.
All episodes of Eric They are currently streaming on Netflix.
Jesse Hassenger@rockmarooned) is a writer who lives in Brooklyn. He is a regular contributor to The AV Club, Polygon, and The Week, among others. He podcasts on www.sportsalcohol.comalso.
