CNN —Weird, dark but compulsively watchable, “Eric” stars Benedict Cumberbatch and a hulking foul-mouthed puppet, not necessarily in that order. When Edgar abruptly goes missing, both parents blame Vincent, who becomes convinced his child’s drawings of an ogre-like puppet named Eric are somehow the key to finding him. As Vincent turns to self-medication to ease his anxiety and guilt, Eric appears to him, and him alone, ostensibly to help him locate the boy. Ivan Howe plays the missing child in Netflix's "Eric." Eric might need somebody to pull his strings, but give credit to “Eric” – especially considering the challenging nature of the concept – for so effectively tying those threads together.

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Persons: “ Eric ”, Benedict Cumberbatch, Edgar, Ivan Howe, Vincent, Cumberbatch, ”, Cassie, Gaby Hoffmann, isn’t, Eric, Lennie, Dan Fogler, Abi Morgan, McKinley Belcher III, –, hasn’t, Henry Sugar, Morgan, Eric ”, “ Eric ” – Organizations: CNN, Netflix, “ Locations: New York, Netflix's, Welsh, York