Benedict Cumberbatch Starring In Limited TV Series Melrose

He may be Doctor Strange and have been acclaimed for his various big screen roles, but Benedict Cumberbatch refuses to leave the television medium behind.

Showtime has announced that the Sherlock actor will be starring in a five-episode limited series called Melrose, based on the semi-autobiographical novels by Edward St. Aubyn. Spanning from 1960s New York to early 2000 Britain, the show — each episode of which will adapt a single novel — explores key moments in the life of character Patrick Melrose. These will range from the abuse he suffered as a child from his father and a mother who allowed that abuse to continue, his rise as an aristocratic playboy, his descent into drug abuse and gradually his attempts toward recovery.

Far From The Madding Crowd's David Nicholls has written all five episodes of the show, which is a coproduction between Showtime and Sky Atlantic. In a statement from Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland's SunnyMarch TV they noted, "We have been huge fans of these books for many years, and David Nicholls' adaptations are extraordinary."

In an interview with NPR, Aubyn commented on the novels, offering, "All of these books are about how to become free: how to become free of your conditioning; how to become free of resentment and hatred and the weight of the past. So Patrick is on the case. He may often by very unhappy or self-destructive or confused or say things that are sarcastic, but his whole direction is toward freedom, which he eventually achieves."

In addition to Melrose, Cumberbatch will be starring in the BBC One and Masterpiece TV movie The Child In Time, based on the novel by Ian McEwan. He will also be reprising the role of Doctor Stephen Strange in this November's Thor: Ragnarok and next year's Avengers: Infinity War. The expectation is that he will follow those with a sequel to his standalone film. No word at this point on whether or not there will be a fith series of Sherlock.

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