On July 9, 2025, HBO Max announced in an official press release that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will see Kevin Sussman's Stuart return as the unlucky comic book store owner as he embarks on a new adventure with familiar characters. Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Zak Penn, original writers of The Big Bang Theory, will be writing the series.
Since its premiere almost two decades ago, The Big Bang Theory has become one of the beloved sitcoms. Over the years, two prequel shows, Young Sheldon and Georgie and Mandy's First Wedding, have also been released. A spinoff show has been in development for years, and HBO Max has finally revealed the details about it.
Unlike The Big Bang Theory and its prequels, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is less rooted in reality as Stuart ends up becoming an unlikely hero. Set in the future, the spin-off will see Stuart unintentionally bring about a multiverse Armageddon after he accidentally breaks a device Sheldon and Leonard were working on in the finale of the original series.
Stuart will try to restore reality with the help of his girlfriend Denise, his geologist friend Bert, and his frustrating quantum physicist rival Barry Kripke. Things obviously do not go well, and they meet versions of familiar characters from The Big Bang Theory in the alternate universe.
A Variety article published on June 9, 2025, stated that writer Chuck Lorre opened up about the show during his appearance at the Banff World Media Festival. He revealed that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will be visually different from The Big Bang Theory.
"There’s a lot of CGI. 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," Lorre stated.
He also claimed that he had to get out of his comfort zone for this show, and that is exactly what he wanted to do, hoping to learn while working on it.
So far, the casting of only four actors is known in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Kevin Sussman is reprising his role as Stuart Bloom. Sussman was a series regular in The Big Bang Theory from season 6, and most recently appeared in Brie Larson's hit Apple TV+ series, Lessons in Chemistry.
Lauren Lapkus will play Stuart's girlfriend, Denise. Lapkus is best known for her role as Susan Fischer in Netflix's Orange is the New Black. She has also appeared in films such as Jurassic World and The Wrong Missy.
Emmy Award nominee Brian Posehn will reprise his role as Stuart's best friend Bert Kibbler in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Posehn's first big role was in HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David. He has since appeared in several sitcoms, including Mission Hill and The Sarah Silverman Program.
John Ross Bowie will also be reprising his role from The Big Bang Theory as Barry Kripke, Stuart's biggest rival. Bowie is also widely known for his role in the sitcom Speechless, and he has also made guest appearances in shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and Glee.
TOPICS: The Big Bang Theory