Ever wondered what would happen if Sesame Street went all Hollyoaks Later? This is kind of the premise behind one of 2024’s more esoteric TV offerings, Eric, a dark, Eighties-set drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Vincent, a Jim Henson-type TV puppeteer whose young son, Edgar (Ivan Howe), goes missing.
So far, so police procedural, right? Well, that’s until a blue furry best called Eric turns up, jumping out from the scribbled drawings in Edgar’s sketch book, and who seems to have been modelled on Vincent himself, who, in all honesty, is a complete arsehole to everyone around him.
As this Line of Duty-esque content about child abduction, drugs and possibly murder – played through a CBeebies lens – picks up its pace throughout the first episode, we eventually land a few ideas as to who might be behind the boy’s vanishing. Here’s the most likely suspects, and theories behind them:
Netflix
Lennie
Vincent’s partner in puppeteering could be a contender, but then again maybe it’s just his moustache and general Eighties get-up that makes him look dodgy. Plus, unlike his dad, he actually seems to like Edgar and has a semi-decent relationship with the poor kid.
George
The janitor of the family’s apartment block, this elderly man might just fit the profile – but surely this is too obvious? Especially with that long, poignant shot of him watching walk to school alone… though maybe this is a double bluff?
Gator
The sleazy-looking club owner of The Lux that Detective Ledroit is laser-focused on. He got six years for dealing drugs, we learn, but then Ledroit reveals “the age of some of the kids he was running out of that place… doesn’t that punch you in the gut?”. He also “Hey kid”’s Edgar on his way home, so that kind of suggests they might already have had interactions before.
Netflix
Vincent
He looks (sort of) distraught at losing his nine-year-old child, but why did he say “I’m sorry” to Edgar in the police press conference? Has he done something that he’s then covered up? This is all before he needs to explain why exactly he’s bleeding from his forehead. One thing’s for sure: even if he’s not guilty, there’s no way he’s winning dad of the year any time soon.
Sebastian
Cassie’s lover, who runs a soup kitchen for the homeless, can also be seen watching Edgar before he went missing. Is he in cahoots with Cassie to get Edgar out of the abusive family home so that they all run away and start a new life together? Unlikely, but if we were Ledroit, it’s definitely an avenue we’d like to explore…
Yuusuf
The petty thief – who runs out of the liquor store with a five-finger discount – clocks eyes with Edgar (bleakly waiting for his own dad to re-up on his night’s booze supply) and says “What’s up, little man?”. Just a friendly aside? Or is it a reach to suggest he might have a part to play in Edgar’s disappearance?
Eric
“Wake up, you pathetic fuck”: the potty-mouthed puppet monster Eric makes his sizeable presence known within seconds of appearing on screen at the end of episode one, but what exactly is his role in the series? Is he really Vincent’s alter-ego? Is he real or is he just a figment of his imagination? Did he do something to Edgar, or has Vincent committed some unspeakable act to him that he’s then going to blame on Eric? We’ve come a long way from Elmo and Big Bird, so who knows where this strange drama will go next…
Eric is streaming on Netflix now.
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Laura Martin is a freelance journalist specializing in pop culture.
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