Warner Bros. Television and HBO Max just announced what looks to be a hilariously glorious spin-off of The Big Bang Theory franchise. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe marks the next highly anticipated expansion of the popular sitcom, featuring the return of Kevin Sussman as comic book store owner, Stuart Bloom. Stuart was a longtime fixture of the series, debuting in the second season of the show and appearing in a total of 71 episodes. Now, Stuart takes the starring role in his own series, bringing along some other recurring members of The Big Bang Theory cast along the way. What’s most exciting about the show is its premise, as Stuart is tasked with restoring reality after inadvertently triggering “a multiverse Armageddon!” That means we will likely see alumni of the original Big Bang Theory cast return in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe and see the beloved characters again!
‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ Features an MCU-Inspired Twist
In Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, the space-time continuum is threatened after Stuart breaks a device that was built by physicists Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), the original protagonists of the classic series. Stuart’s actions unwittingly trigger a cosmic catastrophe, so it’s now up to the mild-mannered comic book store owner and his friends to team up to restore reality, including his girlfriend Denise (Laura Lapkus), geologist Bert (Brian Posehn), and the frequent thorn in the side of Sheldon, Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie). The official materials for the series state that Stuart and his friends will “meet alternate-universe versions of characters” from the original series. Of course, high jinks will ensue.
The premise sounds ambitious, and it’s coming at the perfect time, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe amid its epic Multiverse Saga. The MCU’s Multiverse Saga depicts the characters crossing over into alternate timelines and realities with different versions of existing characters. We have seen the Marvel Multiverse at work in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Marvels, Deadpool & Wolverine, and the critically acclaimed series Loki. Even the now-defunct DCEU has played around with alternate parallel realities with its films, such as The Flash. Alternate realities have been rife for exploration across science fiction media for decades. With the MCU’s Multiverse Saga making multiversal storylines more prominent than ever, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe can now seize the perfect opportunity to parody and satirize similar storylines and concepts.
The spin-off’s premise suggests that the plot could work as The Big Bang Theory meets the famous Star Trek episode, “Mirror, Mirror,” meets the MCU Multiverse Saga, meets Sliders. Fans will recall that the classic “Mirror, Mirror” episode of Star Trek involved crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise who were stranded in a more dystopic parallel universe, displaced by their parallel variants. The Big Bang Theory frequently referenced and paid homage to Star Trek, and Stuart Fails to Save the Universe should follow suit, with maybe the franchise’s own parody-style version of the Mirror Universe. If the new spin-off mixes classic Star Trek tropes with well-written, properly-timed parodies of the MCU Multiverse, fans of The Big Bang Theory franchise might have another huge hit on their hands.
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‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ is in development now.
‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ Could Showcase the Classic Cast Members Like Never Before
The logline of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe all but guarantees that members of the show’s original cast will make their long-awaited returns in the upcoming spin-off. The device that triggers the cosmic disaster was created by Sheldon and Leonard, which offers an easy method for Parsons and Galecki to reprise their original roles in likely cameos. Although Parsons and Galecki were not named in the initial cast list, it’s a pretty safe bet they will be back in action in some form.
During Stuart’s quest, his group will encounter alternate variants of the original characters from The Big Bang Theory. That scenario is rife with possibilities of seeing new versions of the original cast like never before. What if the show provides an alternate reality where, say, Sheldon and Leonard never became roommates, or if Sheldon became an evil dictator? What if Leonard’s long-time love interest and eventual wife, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), became a scientist?! What if Sheldon’s longtime nemesis, Wil Wheaton, became a Tom Cruise-level superstar? What if things worked out between Stuart and Penny when they briefly dated? The possibilities for the parallel versions of the long-running characters are endless. Co-creators Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady should have free rein to go as wild as possible with the intriguing concept. Since the series explores the multiverse, the writers can go to incredible extremes with the variations of the veteran cast members.
Hopefully, all the original actors from the flagship series, and maybe even select cast members of later Big Bang spin-offs, Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, will appear in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. The actors should seize the opportunity to experiment and take their characters in bold, new directions that would not have made sense for the original show. The great thing about the multiverse premise is that there are no rules, and the more fantastic the variations, the more comedic the storylines will be.
‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ Should Utilize the Single-Camera Format
The press release for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe neglects to mention whether the show will utilize a traditional multi-camera sitcom setup, similar to the classic series and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, or if it will be a single-camera format, similar to Young Sheldon. Based on the show’s premise, the creators should film the series using the single-camera route. Although the series will be a comedy, the scope sounds much bigger and grander than The Big Bang Theory, which works better in the multi-cam format.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is being produced as an episodic series for HBO Max rather than for a traditional broadcast network, with the first season expected to run ten episodes. With a sci-fi storyline involving multiversal travel and alternate variants of famous characters, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe appears much better suited for the single-camera format. This will provide another interesting way to showcase the incredible cast, with higher budgets and production values, and a wider narrative scope, sans the usual laugh track and theatrical stage-play style that’s prevalent in multi-cam sitcoms. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe should take a more epic and cinematic approach.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will debut later on HBO Max. Meanwhile, all twelve seasons of the classic series are available to stream now on HBO Max in the U.S.