‘Man vs. Baby’ on Netflix: Should You Stream It or Skip It?

Rowan Atkinson has made a career out of distilling catastrophe into a single raised eyebrow. Whether he’s tormenting a Christmas turkey as Mr. Bean or chasing down international villains in the Johnny English films, the British comedian excels at transforming unassuming men into magnets for chaos. His newest Netflix comedy, Man vs. Baby, continues that tradition — and gives him the tiniest, most defenseless scene partner of his career.

The four-episode holiday special, now streaming, revisits Trevor Bingley, the hapless house-sitter whose war with a rogue bee became an unlikely global hit in 2022. This time, Trevor’s opponent isn’t an insect but an infant — one who accidentally becomes his responsibility on the same day he’s handed a too-good-to-be-true Christmas housesitting offer in London. What follows is equal parts slapstick, sentiment, and seasonal anxiety.

A Familiar Disaster, Repackaged for the Holidays

If Man vs. Bee felt like an experiment in how much havoc a single man could wreak in a luxury home, Man vs. Babyexpands the premise into a more story-driven romp. Having abandoned housesitting after his earlier misadventures, Trevor is working as a school caretaker, newly divorced and painfully eager to spend the holidays with his daughter.

Naturally, nothing goes as planned. A last-minute change in family travel plans leaves Trevor alone for Christmas — and vulnerable to the lure of one more high-paying gig. When a nativity play ends with a missing Baby Jesus and a very real baby unclaimed, Trevor finds himself racing to a penthouse interview with a child he’s not entirely sure he’s allowed to be holding.

Even before he reaches the front door, the universe begins throwing banana peels in his path.

Atkinson, Untethered Once More

Though the supporting cast includes respected British actors like Nina Sosanya and Robert Bathurst, the show is unmistakably Atkinson’s playground. For viewers who relish his brand of meticulous physical comedy — the tiny hesitations, the exaggerated panic, the Rube Goldberg chain reactions of misfortune — Man vs. Baby is a nostalgic trip back to the style that made him an international icon.

Here, the comedy is dialed toward warmth rather than destruction. Atkinson plays Trevor less as a buffoon and more as a man barely hanging onto dignity, a choice that grounds the chaos in something resembling vulnerability. It doesn’t hurt that the infant co-star, silent but expressive, gives him an unexpectedly charming straight man.

A Holiday Treat — or a Holiday Trifle?

The series operates best as a light seasonal diversion. It’s briskly paced, visually inventive, and rarely mean-spirited. But viewers looking for more than a gentle farce may find the show’s minimal plot and low emotional stakes too slight to linger in the memory.

Still, there’s an argument to be made that Man vs. Baby is precisely the kind of comedy December calls for: something you can watch with extended family while passing bowls of snack mix, something that doesn’t require emotional homework or marathon attention.

The Verdict: Stream or Skip?

Stream it if you’re a fan of Rowan Atkinson’s classic physical comedy, if you’re seeking a cozy holiday distraction, or if you’re nostalgic for a simpler era of slapstick.

Skip it if you want the density and sharpness of prestige comedy or if you found Man vs. Bee more exhausting than amusing.

For everyone else, Man vs. Baby fits comfortably into Netflix’s growing tradition of low-stakes holiday comfort food — sweet, slight, and just chaotic enough to feel festive.