Cumberbatch and his cast mates go behind the scenes of the new Showtime miniseries

Patrick Melrose type TV Show

There was only one role on Benedict Cumberbatch’s bucket list that he’d yet to play: Patrick Melrose.

Now the actor can check that off of his list too. The Emmy-winning Sherlock star is returning to TV in Showtime’s wild five-part series Patrick Melrose, based on the novels of Edward St. Aubyn. The series follows Patrick’s rollercoaster life, tracking his search for identity, struggles with addiction, and trauma from his father’s abuse when he was a small child.

“It’s a man on the brink of collapsing into himself in an episode of drug-fueled paranoid schizophrenia,” Cumberbatch says in a new behind-the-scenes video for the show, which EW can exclusively debut. “[The show explores] epic, epic themes on family, class, the brutality of both, and the tender possibilities of love in both, as well as damage.”

Cumberbatch leans into St. Aubyn’s funny streak, giving the series a jubilantly comic edge, while not shying away from the darker side of things either. “There’s a lot of cruel wit” in the series, Cumberbatch’s costar Jennifer Jason Leigh teases.

For more on what to expect from Patrick Melrose, watch the video above, which also features more of the show’s cast and crew. Patrick Melrose premieres Saturday, May 12, at 9 p.m. ET.