Sumith Prasad
In Netflix’s crime drama series ‘Eric,’ Vincent Anderson is the co-creator of ‘Good Day Sunshine,’ a children’s series that airs on PLN. The puppeteer’s son Edgar disappears on his way to school when the former deals with a crisis at PLN. The gradually decreasing ratings of his show create a headache for Vincent, whose notions of creative freedom are not entertained by his bosses. As the series progresses, PLN heads decide to put an end to the puppeteer’s time at the network, leading the latter to more misery. Even though the operation of PLN may seem familiar, when it comes to its existence, don’t look further than Abi Morgan’s crime drama!
PLN: An Archetypal TV Network
PLN is a fictional TV channel Abi Morgan created for ‘Eric.’ Since ‘Good Day Sunshine’ reminds us of the iconic children’s series ‘Sesame Street,’ PLN may make us think about PBS, the network that has been airing the latter show since 1970. However, the characteristics of PLN and its executives are not limited to PBS. The conflicts Vincent deals with while working at the channel are not drastically different from the challenges an artist faces in any mainstream television network in the country.
‘Eric’ is primarily a drama in which Vincent, a father, defies the odds to find his missing son, Edgar, with the help of a monster puppet named Eric. Any drama works out well when there are several stakes for the main characters to deal with. The more the stakes are, the more intriguing the narrative. Morgan stacked up stakes for Vincent at PLN, his workplace for years. Even though the network may not seem antagonistic at first, it is nothing short of the same. When Eric sets out to find Edgar by launching Eric in his show, PLN executives stand in his way, making him do a presentation to approve of the new monster puppet.
Even when Eric gets approved by the PLN executives, they make it clear that the puppet will appear on the show only if Vincent gets fired. Despite the artist’s commitment to the network and its show for years, the executives plan to part ways with him brutally. When Vincent learns about his firing, he asks his colleague how he should depart from the place he built, displaying him hitting rock bottom. In real life, television channels have been ruthless when it comes to the fate of their programs. There are examples of TV shows getting canceled without even airing for a full season.
Morgan used this inherent mercilessness of networks to increase the drama in Vincent’s storyline, justifying the creation of the fictional PLN.
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