Mr. Bean and Blackadder icon Rowan Atkinson’s latest project wasn’t greeted with the same kind of adoration his most famous creation is used to getting. Netflix has canceled his new series Man vs. Bee, The Sun reported back on May 9. The news is not a complete surprise as the show did not attract a wide audience. Atkinson also said in interviews he had no idea for a second season.
Atkinson created Man vs. Bee with writer William Davies. The comedian starred as Trevor Binley, a house sitter who finds himself in an elaborate battle with a bee while lodging in a wealthy couple’s mansion. Jing Lusi and Julian Rhind-Tutt starred as the homeowners. Greg McHugh, India Fowler, Claudie Blakley, and Tom Badsen also starred in the nine-episode series. The show earned 18.2 million hours viewed during its first weekend, debuting in the 10th spot among the Top 10 shows watched globally on Netflix during the week ending on June 26, 2022. Man vs. Bee holds a 73% fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Man vs. Bee was never labeled as a limited series, so this does count as a cancellation. However, Atkinson told British Comedy Guide he had no plans for a second season. “Normally at this stage, I suppose someone might be suggesting, if there’s a judgment that this may be a successful series, of commissioning another; but I wouldn’t be interested in that at the moment,” Atkinson said. “But then I tend to need a lot of sort of ‘decompression’ time after a show and after a project. I can’t entertain the idea of doing something, anything, for a long time. But with the passage of time, maybe I’ll become more sympathetic to the idea.”
In that same interview, Atkinson said he always thinks he “can do better,” no matter what the project is. “That’s a stressful thing when you’re on a film set just feeling, ‘Mmm, well that was okay, but surely there’s something better out there,’” he said, later adding that filming is the worst part of the creative process for him. “The meat in the sandwich is the horrible bit,” he said. “The bits of bread on either side are fine – pre-production and post-production – but the production is no fun at all. But it’s something you have to get through.”
Atkinson is best known for creating the character Mr. Bean, who debuted in the comedy series of the same name. Mr. Bean ran from 1990 to 1995, but the character became an international phenomenon who inspired theatrical films in 1997 and 2007. Atkinson even played the character for a live performance in the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in London. There was also an animated series, which was produced between 2002 and 2015. Atkinson also starred in the police sitcom The Thin Blue Line (1995-1996), created by Ben Elton, and three Johnny English movies.
