Eric, a six-part series written by Eric Abi, offers an intriguing plot device. When the nine-year-old son of a “genius” TV puppeteer, creator of a much loved kids’ show, disappears in AIDS-era New York city, the asshole puppeteer, his sanity cracking, begins imagining a blue monster puppet walking beside him. The plot, expertly guided by a strong script over the episodes, involves the public, desperate hunt for the boy, a black gay policeman’s search amidst personal traumas, the plight of the New York homeless, and the puppeteer’s search for redemption. The cast is strong enough but is dominated by a mesmerizing lead role performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. Benedict Spence’s cinematography in the streets, and under the streets, of that fabled metropolis is captivating. As the viewer approaches the climactic episode, one wonders if the disparate subplots can be knitted together, but the final half hour is a triumph of plotting, eschewing over-dramatism or sentimentality for a satisfying, fascinating ending. Without Cumberbatch, Eric would have been a capable series; with him, it is a 2024 viewing highlight.
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