The Big Bang Theory has proved a huge success away from the main series, with spin-off Young Sheldon and its own offshoot Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage becoming big hits.
As such, anticipation is sky-high about the next offshoot Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, and fans will definitely want to get excited for this “really funny” spin-off, according to HBO and HBO Max Content’s CEO and Chairman Casey Bloys (via Deadline).
The new show focuses on Stuart Bloom, who fans may remember as the comic book store owner character from the main show, with Kevin Sussman set to return to the role.
The upcoming HBO Max show was first mooted in 2023, and will take a new direction for the franchise as Stuart is tasked with “restoring reality” after breaking a device, with “alternate-universe versions” of well-known characters expected to appear.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe comes from The Big Bang Theory creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady alongside Zak Penn, who has written screenplays for Ready Player One and Free Guy, with the trio credited as writers and executive producers.
Teasing the show recently, Lorre explained that he “wanted to do something radical” that would move him out of his “comfort zone”, producing “something the characters on The Big Bang Theory, would have loved, hated, and argued about”.
A month before, Lorre promised “a lot of CGI”, elaborating: “There’s a lot of special technical stuff that – you know, for me in my career, a big production number was two people sitting on a couch, drinking coffee!
“This is different. This is trying to incorporate some of that world of science fiction/fantasy into a comedy. And I’m completely out of my element, which is what I wanted. Which is what I was hoping to do, something that I had no experience with. And maybe I can learn as we go.”
“We set out to make this insane show, which lives in a universe created by Chuck and Bill,” Penn said. “I couldn’t be more honored to be working with these amazing people.”
Prady added that writing the series had been “damn fun” and is “certain that joy will come through the screen”.
“Putting characters we loved from The Big Bang Theory into a complex science fiction story with the kind of mythology that those characters love while maintaining the comedic elements is incredibly satisfying,” he said.
What will happen in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe?
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will follow the comic store owner as he is “tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon”.
“Stuart is aided in this quest by his girlfriend Denise, geologist friend Bert, and quantum physicist/all-around pain in the ass Barry Kripke,” the synopsis adds.
“Along the way, they meet alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love from The Big Bang Theory. As the title implies, things don’t go well.”
Who is returning for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe?
Alongside Sussman as Stuart Bloom, other confirmed returning and new cast members are:
• Lauren Lapkus as Denise
• Brian Posehn as Bert
• John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke
• Josh Brener (previously Dale in The Big Bang Theory) as Trevor
• Ryan Cartwright (previously Cole in The Big Bang Theory) as Kyle
• Tommy Walker (The Kominsky Method) as Gary
When will Stuart Fails to Save the Universe be released?
While an exact release date is yet to be confirmed, Bloys has revealed that the show will premiere sometime next year, saying in September: “I don’t know that we’ve given you time period, but how about I say in 2026.”
