Eric
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00 (all episodes)
Genre: Drama, Period Drama, Thriller
A desperate father, alongside a tenacious cop, battles his own demons on the streets of 1980s New York as he searches for his missing nine-year-old son.
Set in 1980s New York, Eric is an emotional thriller from Abi Morgan following the desperate search of a father when his son disappears one morning on the way to school.
Vincent, one of New York's leading puppeteers and creator of the hugely popular children's television show, Good Day Sunshine, struggles to cope with the loss of his son, Edgar, becoming increasingly distressed and volatile.
Full of self-loathing and guilt around Edgar's disappearance, he clings to his son's drawings of a blue monster puppet, Eric, convinced that if he can get Eric on TV then Edgar will come home.
As Vincent's progressively destructive behaviour alienates his family, his work colleagues and the detectives trying to help him, it's Eric, a delusion of necessity, who becomes his only ally in the pursuit to bring his son home.
Characters
Vincent Anderson (Benedict Cumberbatch)
One of New York's leading puppet makers and puppeteers, Vincent is the creator of wildly popular children's television show, Good Day Sunshine.
Highly intelligent, charismatic yet narcissistic, Vincent is professionally volatile and privately neglectful of his wife Cassie and young son, Edgar.
Cassie Anderson (Gaby Hoffmann)
Born and raised in privilege on a farm in upstate New York, Cassie fell in love with Vincent at art college before the reality of life kicked in.
A warm and loving mother to Edgar, Cassie struggles with Vincent, tired of his womanising and volatile behaviour.
Detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III)
Twenty years in the police service, primarily spent in VICE, Ledroit is a leading detective in Missing Persons ever since he felt compelled to help the swamped division in finding missing people.
Ledroit works daily to hide his sexuality and life with long-term lover William but when his secret becomes an obstacle at work, Ledroit must choose between protecting his identity and solving a case.
Lennie Wilson (Dan Fogler)
Lennie Wilson, Vincent's best friend and colleague and a brilliant puppeteer and maker in his own right.
A committed bachelor, Lennie shares a strong bond with Edgar, who often comes to the workshop of Good Day Sunshine.
George Lovett (Clarke Peters)
George Lovett, the super of the apartment building where Edgar lives, is a friendly neighbour with minimal belongings.
Those he has, he treasures.
His children no longer speaking to him, George befriended Edgar, letting him play in his apartment whenever his parents argued.
Edgar Anderson (Ivan Howe)
Artistic yet deeply withdrawn from the world, nine-year-old Edgar is inspired by the puppets on his father's show Good Day Sunshine, a hit children's puppet show, wanting to make a puppet of his own.
Anne Anderson (Phoebe Nicholls)
Anne is an elegant yet brittle housewife to real estate mogul Robert Anderson and mother to Vincent, who struggles to connect to her and has carved out a life in direct opposition to everything Anne and Robert aspire to be.
Matteo Cripp (David Denman)
Captain Cripp, Ledroit's eagle-eyed boss and captain of the station, has a good relationship with Ledroit and cares for him like a mentor.
Edgar's case brings media attention and pressure from above and when Ledroit believes it may be connected to missing boy Marlon Rochelle, a 14-year-old from nearly a year ago, Cripp is quick to discourage this, keen for Ledroit to close the case quickly.
Yuusuf Egbe (Bamar Kane)
Yuusuf Egbe lives amongst the mole people underneath New York City, along disused subways.
A graffiti artist, Yuusuf leaves his tag all over New York but never expected them to be noticed – especially not by a nine-year-old boy.
Cecile Rochelle (Adepero Oduye)
Cecilie is an African American mother whose son Marlon disappeared 11 months ago.
Marlon was older than Edgar and even though the police have done very little to help find Marlon, Cecile never lets up.
She has resigned herself to the idea that he is dead but still wants him found.
Raya (Alexis Molnar)
Raya is a friend of Yuusuf's, also living underneath New York City, along disused subways amongst the Mole People.
Streetwise and addicted to crack cocaine, Raya knows how to use her smarts to get her next fix, but sometimes it's at great risk to her and those around her.
Ronnie (Roberta Colindrez)
Ronnie is a legendary puppeteer working on Good Day Sunshine with Vincent and Lennie, her long standing colleagues.
Ronnie is immune to Vincent's charms which gives her a unique position to call him out with her quick, sarcastic wit.
Geek Girl
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00 (all episodes)
Genre: Comedy
Awkward teen Harriet has always wanted to fit in - until she gets scouted by a top London model agent and learns that some people are meant to stand out.
Harriet Manners' life is turned upside down when she's thrust into the world of fashion.
Tightly wound agents, off-beat designers, impossibly high heels, a cute supermodel with a great smile, Harriet has no idea what she's in for.
Young Sex for Sale in Japan
Channel: S3
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Documentary
Stacey Dooley explores Japan's problem with the sexualisation of children.
From bars where men pay to meet schoolgirls to suggestive pictures of very young children and comic books featuring child rape, the country has faced global criticism for its attitudes.
It was only a few years ago that possessing genuine child pornography was finally made illegal.
Stacey travels to Tokyo to look into what effect the law banning child porn has had and to see if the attitude towards the sexualisation of children has changed.
Stacey discovers a culture where sexual images of young girls are widespread and used for commercial gain.
Her first stop is a legal Tokyo 'JK' cafe in which school-aged girls are paid to provide company to older men - who tell her that it is perfectly normal to talk about sex and hold hands with girls as young as 15 dressed in school uniform.
Stacey uncovers an even more disturbing legal grey area exists in Japan called Chako Ero, where children as young as six are filmed or photographed in erotic clothing.
She speaks to a producer of these films as well as a self-confessed paedophile to try and discover just why some Japanese culture seems to encourage inappropriate exploitation and sexualisation of children.
Following the law change, the documentary examines what else Japan is doing to stop normalising the sexualisation of children.
Stacey meets volunteers from a charity trying to help vulnerable girls, as well as the Head of the Juvenile Section at the National Police to find what they are doing to protect young girls.