10 TV Shows That Worked Despite Their Absurd Premise

3. Mr. Bean

Black Mirror
ITV

When you think of classic characters in the realms of British comedy, you think about the wit and charm of the likes of Basil Fawlty, Geraldine Granger, and of course Derek Trotter. One man however, captured the hearts of an entire nation without ever uttering a word.

Mr. Bean has been described as a child inside a man’s body, and in his initial run of just 15 episodes made audiences fall in love with him. This all came down to the physical comedy genius of Rowan Atkinson, who has the unparalleled ability to make you laugh without the need for words.

Following the misadventures of a man who didn’t speak, struggling with everyday tasks like doing the laundry or driving his car, isn’t exactly the kind of pitch that would excite a TV studio. And yet, Mr. Bean went on to become insanely popular throughout the world, has been reimagined as an animated series, and brought back numerous times in movies and of course for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

This show, and this character however, would have fallen flat on its face without Rowan Atkinson. While the lack of any real language made this show accessible to non-English speakers the world over, this wasn’t enough to garner its popularity alone. Atkinson’s comedic timing, and talent for pulling stupid yet unexplainably funny faces, have made this character a TV legend.

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