Is Benedict Cumberbatch’s new Netflix drama Eric based on a true story?-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro

Benedict Cumberbatch’s new Netflix series Eric is about to show us every parent’s worst nightmare as it brings to life a harrowing story.

Ahead of its release, the six-part miniseries already has an impressive 81% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and follows hard-hitting themes including racial discrimination, homophobia, homelessness and substance abuse.

‘This is a story about people finding their home,’ Sherlock star Benedict previously told Netflix.

‘Whether it’s a child, a homeless person, a gay Black cop, a wife in an unhappy marriage, or even Eric on the show, it’s all about finding a place.’

But as it explores dark themes across a thrilling six episodes, is it based on a true story? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is new Netflix series Eric about?

The drama follows Benedict’s character Vincent’s nine-year-old son Edgar (played by Ivan Morris Howe) going missing while on his way to school in the 1980s in New York.

The gripping thriller stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Picture: Ludovic Robert/Netflix)

It follows the harrowing story of the hunt for a missing child (Picture: Ludovic Robert/Netflix)

Children’s TV creator Vincent becomes convinced that if he could create a puppet for his Sesame Street-style TV show that Edgar designed called Eric, then his son will return home.

As Vincent’s obsession to find his son through the blue monster puppet grows, and it follows him around on his desperate hunt, he becomes more alienated from his family, work colleagues and the police.

The series also stars Gaby Hoffman as Vincent’s wife Cassie, McKinley Belcher III as Detective Michael Ledroit, and Dan Fogler as Vincent’s friend and colleague Lennie.

Is Eric based on a true story?

While the Netflix series doesn’t directly follow a true story, Benedict – who has three children with wife, theatre director Sophie Hunter, who he’s been married to since 2015 – has spoken about how it’s every parent’s worst nightmare, and how many of the themes could be based on real life, including the horror of missing children.

The story tells every parent’s worst nightmare (Picture: Ludovic Robert/Netflix)

It isn’t tied to one specific case (Picture: Ludovic Robert/Netflix)

‘It’s a show that’s about what happens when all institutions fail and children get lost as the victims within that, whether it’s a family institution, whether it’s societal institution, policing, City Hall, and the culture at large,’ he previously told Metro.co.uk.

It had been claimed when reports of the show first emerged that it may be compared to the story of Etan Patz, a six-year-old who went missing on his way to school in Manhattan in 1979, only to be never seen again.

However, director Abi Morgan has since confirmed Eric is not based on any one real event, but rather cases she heard about growing up in the UK.

‘I remember that being haunting, as a child who really enjoyed her freedom,’ she told Esquire.

Eric is available to stream on Netflix from Thursday, May 30.

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