Patrick Melrose type TV Show

Get ready to meet Patrick Melrose in May!

Benedict Cumberbatch’s new limited series Patrick Melrose will premiere Saturday, May 12 at 9 p.m. ET, the network revealed Friday morning.

Based on Edward St. Aubyn’s semi-autobiographical novels, this five-part limited series stars Cumberbatch, who also executive produces, as the titular character, “who struggles to overcome the damage inflicted by a horribly abusive father and the mother who tacitly condoned his behavior.” The story covers the South of France in 1960s, New York in the 1980s, and Britain in the early 2000s, and each episode will cover one of the five novels.

Check out the first clip from the series premiere above, which sees Cumberbatch’s acerbic protagonist dealing with the voices in his head as he eats at a restaurant, causing much confusion for his server in the process.

If Showtime has its way, Patrick Melrose will be the first of several shows that will find a home on Saturdays. The network is using the limited series to launch Saturday as a new night for original programming. “As the size of our programming slate continues to grow, it makes sense for Showtime to offer another night of premieres – allowing us the opportunity to eventize series like Patrick Melrose,” said President and CEO David Nevins in a release. “Offering original content on Saturdays not only enables us to fully service our subscribers with diverse offerings, it gives viewers enough time to enjoy them all. And a series with the ambition and quality of Patrick Melrose is the perfect place to start.”

The series also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hugo Weaving, Blythe Danner, Anna Madeley, Allison Williams, Pip Torrens, Jessica Raine, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Holliday Grainger, Indira Varma, and Celia Imrie.