Eric is based on a true story and in a world of Imaginary Friend films that have come out in theaters recently it’s the best of the lot so far. Even though this isn’t a film, Abi Morgan sets it like it is a film; it’s just a 6-hour mini-series instead. Netflix has had success with mini-series such as this before with Beef which won a lot of awards. I believe this one is another for the massively popular streaming service. 

Vincent (Benedict Cumberbatch) is married and is the father of a little boy named Edger (Ivan Howe) in New York City. The family dynamic is a bit fractured with his wife and mother of his child, Cassie Anderson (Gabby Hoffman) This causes their son to revert into his own world of drawings and he creates a monster he names Eric. One day after a family squabble Edger goes missing. In an effort to try to find him, his father created a puppet for the show he works on called Good Morning Sunshine, but the puppet becomes more than just an inanimate man in a suit it becomes real to Cumberbatch’s character as he sinks further and further into despair and alcoholism and drug abuse.

Morgan sets the series in the 80s which has a distinct feel. With this realistic setting, the are political undercurrents such as a garbage truck driver strike going on. Garbage hasn’t been picked up in weeks. This happened in real life. Also, there is a homeless crisis going on in New York City at this time, and the show deals with that very effectively as well. The production design is amazing. Whether the show is on a Soundstage for the television show or on the streets of New York City. Everywhere looks authentic to the times this series took place.

Benedict Cumberbatch is considered one of the best actors working today. He’s garnered Emmy Nominations for his work in the BBC series Sherlock and an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Alan Touring in The Imitation Game. He’s done it all thus far in his acting career including playing both roles opposite Jonny Lee Miller of Frankenstein and Dr. Frankenstein in a National Theater Live production of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.  The role of a grieving alcoholic father might be the best of his career. He dives deep into this man who is unhinged and losing everything he loves. Even though he’s played Dr. Steven Stange in the MCU he truly has to create a sense of imagination to see and talk to Eric who is sending him spiraling down a dark path. I hope he garners some awards buzz for this role. He’s doing great work here.

The supporting cast in this mini-series is exceptional.  Dan Foggler who played Francis Ford Coppola in The Offer plays another puppeteer and co-creator of the children’s show Cumberbatch’s character is involved with. He is good, but I’ve seen him better in The Offer specifically. Hoffman as the grieving mother is very tough. She brings a realistic portrayal of this mother and spouse who is dealing with a lot. I believed everything she said and did as this character. This is how a grieving mother truly would act.  Clarke Peters plays the building maintenance man, George Lovett, who lives downstairs. He is accused of the kidnapping because of some questionable things he has in his apartment and the cellar area of the building. Peters brings a gravitas to everything he’s in and there is no difference here. He is once again good as this old man who could be completely mad at being accused of this crime, but he plays it very calmly and creates a stoicism around his character. These are just a few of the cast in this fantastic series.

Besides the main plot of the show, there is a subplot that deals with the police Detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III) who is the police officer tasked with finding the lost boy. His investigation leads him down a rabbit hole of dirty behavior involving corrupt cops, and a shady nightclub and it ties into the political machinations revolving around gentrification. This subplot took me away from the main storyline, but I understood why it was necessary to the overall story in the end.

The technical aspects involving the costumes and hairstyling were both very good in this show. I felt like I was truly back in the 80s where I grew up. One thing though I thought was great was the visual effects involving Eric. This creature was completely CGI until someone wore a costume of it for the show or special events. Those occurrences were as good as the CGI creature interacting with Cumberbatch’s character periodically throughout the series. This character, also voiced by Cumberbatch,  was very realistic to me and had a genuine sense of imagination to him. He wasn’t just an Imaginary Friend he was a problem and the dialogue from him proved that. The back and forth between his and Cumberbatch’s characters was very raw and tragic at times. This was part of the drug abuse and mental issues his character was having. This dynamic worked extremely well for me. It may not work for others, but can only speak for myself.

Eric is a series that isn’t going to be for everybody. It deals with difficult subject matter like alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental disorders, and there are things I don’t want to spoil in this review. Morgan sets this mini-series based on a true story in a realistic New York City where the things you see sometimes are very real to the times. Such as the garbage driver strike, the homeless problem, and gentrification.  The production design is incredible and so are the costumes and hairstyling.  At the end of the day, there are two reasons anybody should see this show, those are the CGI creation of Eric and the performance of Cumberbatch. He gives one of the best performances of his career portraying both the grieving,  alcoholic drug-addicted father and this creature who he is interests with. In a bad way to some extent.  This is another winner for Netflix which has cornered the market on great mini-series lately. Morgan is a creator to watch for as well.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen