{"id":547292,"date":"2026-07-13T11:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T11:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/547292\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T11:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T11:22:12","slug":"how-stuart-fails-to-save-the-universe-was-born-out-of-big-bang-theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/547292\/","title":{"rendered":"How ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ was born out of ‘Big Bang Theory’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Television characters sitting around having conversations on sofas has served prolific producer Chuck Lorre<\/a> very well. Starting early in his career, sitcoms such as \u201cRoseanne,\u201d \u201cDharma and Greg,\u201d \u201cTwo and a Half Men\u201d and \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d had much of the action happening in the living room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had spent almost 40 years writing about people talking on a couch,\u201d Lorre says. With his new series, \u201cStuart Fails to Save the Universe<\/a>,\u201d created with Zak Penn and Bill Prady and the latest spinoff in \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d franchise, he thought it was time to try something wildly different.<\/p>\n

\u201cStuart,\u201d premiering July 23 on HBO Max, is the biggest and most unique swing from the world that began with the hugely popular CBS multi-cam sitcom set in Pasadena, which aired 279 episodes from 2007 to 2019. \u201cThe Big Bang Theory<\/a>\u201d followed nerdy roommates Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki), both physicists at Caltech; their neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco), who later marries Leonard; and friends Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon Helberg).<\/p>\n

The series got off to a slow start \u2014 critics gave it mixed reviews and viewership numbers were low \u2014 but by Season 3, it was a bona fide hit, typically ranking in the top 10 and hitting No. 1 in its 11th season. The show won 10 Emmy Awards during its run, including four for Parsons for playing prickly Sheldon.<\/p>\n

Its success led to two spinoff prequel series that took the traditional sitcom route starting with \u201cYoung Sheldon<\/a>,\u201d a single-cam comedy that aired from 2017 to 2024 and traveled back to the late 1980s to focus on genius Sheldon\u2019s (Iain Armitage) childhood in East Texas. From that series came the multi-cam \u201cGeorgie & Mandy\u2019s First Marriage,\u201d centered on Sheldon\u2019s wayward older brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) and his wife Mandy (Emily Osment)<\/a> in the \u201890s, which begins its third season this fall on CBS.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Kripke (John Ross Bowie), Denise (Lauren Lapkus), Stuart (Kevin Sussman) and Bert (Brian Posehn) in a scene from \u201cStuart Fails to Save the Universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Colin Remas Brown \/ HBO Max)<\/p>\n

But \u201cStuart Fails to Save the Universe\u201d is worlds apart from the prequels and the original series \u2014 that\u2019s no metaphor. While it\u2019s still a sitcom, the show embraces sci-fi and elevates a quartet of supporting characters from \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d for a crazy multiverse ride with callbacks to the original series. \u201cI definitely wanted to paint with a few different other colors than what you generally can do in a four-camera audience show, which has the restrictions of a play, and I wanted to push the envelope a little bit,\u201d Lorre says.<\/p>\n

The big swing<\/p>\n

The envelope pushing is evident in the first moments, when we find socially awkward Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) at Comic Central, the comic book store he runs, but with one major alteration: He\u2019s now in post-apocalyptic Pasadena, where he trades comic books for canned food to stay alive and survive the many threats around him like giant bugs, wormholes and zombies. Soon, he finds himself face to face with \u2026 himself. Actually, it\u2019s Stuart from an alternative universe enlisting him to restore things with the help of a malfunctioned quantum interference device created by Sheldon, Leonard and Howard. (While you\u2019ll hear familiar character names, that doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll see them.)<\/p>\n

Reluctantly, Stuart accepts the challenge and ventures off with the help of crusty geologist Bert Kibbler (Brian Posehn), Stuart\u2019s ex-girlfriend Denise (Lauren Lapkus) and, eventually, smarmy quantum physicist Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie), all of whom step into the spotlight as the main cast. \u201cElevating the supporting cast to the leads just felt like the right thing to do,\u201d Lorre says.<\/p>\n

\"A \"A \"A \"A <\/p>\n

(Ethan Benavidez\/For The Times) <\/p>\n

While trying to save the world, and facing new problems and threats along the way with pop culture nods aplenty, the quartet wind up in a hybrid genre. \u201cEssentially it\u2019s a sci-fi comedy, which is a show that the guys on \u2018The Big Bang Theory\u2019 would be watching and arguing about,\u201d Sussman says.<\/p>\n

The actor, who first played Stuart in a 2009 episode of \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d says \u201cit\u2019s super exciting and humbling\u201d to be the titular character and No. 1 on the call sheet. But, he quickly clarifies, \u201cat the same time, it\u2019s very much an ensemble show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Stuart\u2019s\u2019 origin story<\/p>\n

The beginnings of \u201cStuart\u201d trace back to when \u201cBig Bang Theory\u201d was wrapping up its run and Lorre casually asked Sussman to keep him posted on what he was doing next, but didn\u2019t elaborate. \u201cAt the time, I thought that he was being polite. He didn\u2019t say that he had anything in mind,\u201d says the actor, who went on to appear in series such as AMC\u2019s \u201cBetter Call Saul\u201d and Apple TV\u2019s \u201cLessons in Chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lorre says that back then, he had a semblance of an idea for a show, but it wasn\u2019t fully formed. \u201cDuring the last season of \u2018The Big Bang Theory,\u2019 I pitched a multiverse comedy adventure thing to Peter Roth at Warner Brothers, starring Kevin Sussman. I think he yawned. No interest,\u201d recalls Lorre, shrugging.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Kevin Sussman plays the titular character in the series and is No. 1 on the call sheet, but he says \u201cit\u2019s very much an ensemble show.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Ethan Benavidez\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

But the idea never left his mind, and Lorre eventually partnered with Penn, a co-writer of sci-films such as \u201cReady Player One\u201d and \u201cX-Men: The Last Stand\u201d and the TV series \u201cAlphas,\u201d to flesh out the concept before bringing onboard Prady, who co-created \u201cBig Bang Theory\u201d with Lorre.<\/p>\n

Even without a solid pitch, Lorre, Penn and Prady still met with eager HBO Max executives. \u201cI thought we were making something and then I realized, \u2018Oh, wait, we don\u2019t really know what we\u2019re making,\u2019\u201d says Penn. Lorre adds, \u201ctruthfully, there were moments we were pitching to the HBO executives where I was absolutely full of s\u2014. I had no idea what I was talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

What helped? The network really wanted a \u201cBig Bang\u201d spinoff. Sussman recalls the conversation with Lorre: \u201cChuck said, \u2018I have an idea for a \u2018Big Bang\u2019 thing and [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO and President David] Zaslav said yes without knowing anything.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the multiverse conceit and cast aligned and \u201cStuart Fails to Save the Universe\u201d was born.<\/p>\n

Easter eggs galore<\/p>\n

Die-hard \u201cBig Bang Theory\u201d viewers will revel in the nods to the original show \u2014 it is replete with them. \u201cLiteral characters that you know and love appear, so it\u2019s really fun and, for people who are fans of the show, they\u2019ll be excited to see them,\u201d Lapkus says.<\/p>\n

Trailers for the series show glimpses of actors featured in \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d over the years such as Christine Baranski<\/a>, who played Leonard\u2019s mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter; Riki Lindhome, who was Dr. Ramona Nowitzki; and Wil Wheaton as a version of himself. But who these actors are playing now is a mystery given the wide-open landscape in which the show exists.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou imagine each of these worlds and in each of these worlds, there\u2019s a version of you and me, there\u2019s a version of everybody,\u201d Prady explains. \u201cThey just had a different backstory and a different life because the world was different but you can encounter anyone.\u201d For example, Josh Malina is known as Caltech president Siebert on \u201cBig Bang Theory,\u201d but given the various universes, \u201cwe come across him in an episode where he\u2019s had a different life and a different career.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A \"A <\/p>\n

Comic Central, the comic book store that Stuart runs, is in every episode of the show. \u201cThe comic book store is our home base for each universe, so every time we were there, you had to feel the old show,\u201d Brian Posehn says. (Colin Remas Brown\/HBO Max) <\/p>\n

The idea of varied versions of characters (or new personas altogether) existing in the multiverses ended up being a positive. \u201cWithout naming any actors, the prospect that you\u2019re going to get to come back to this show but not play the character that you\u2019re so used to playing was definitely an appeal of doing the show,\u201d Penn says.<\/p>\n

Aside from the familiar faces, one major location featured in every episode is Comic Central, where Sheldon and Leonard often spent time arguing about the merits of comic books and characters. \u201cThe comic book store is our home base for each universe, so every time we were there, you had to feel the old show,\u201d says Posehn.<\/p>\n

However, even the comic book store isn\u2019t exactly as fans may remember it and eagle-eyed viewers will find rewards. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be really cool to have the comic book store be more dimensional since in the different universes, the comic book store is different,\u201d says Sussman.<\/p>\n

That said, viewers with limited or zero knowledge of \u201cBig Bang Theory\u201d won\u2019t feel lost watching \u201cStuart.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t think we punish anybody who hasn\u2019t watched the old show,\u201d says Bowie. \u201cThere\u2019s plenty to enjoy just with \u2018Oh, who are these four dorks in these extreme circumstances? Oh, they\u2019re saving the universe!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Why Kripke?<\/p>\n

Like any good story, for every group of good guys, there needs to be an antagonist, and the constant nemesis on \u201cBig Bang Theory\u201d was Barry Kripke, the arrogant quantum physicist with a speech impediment who got his kicks undermining Sheldon, Leonard and their group of friends whenever possible. Bowie first appeared as Kripke in Season 2 of the series, returning every season thereafter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was an advocate for adding Kripke to this to add an irritant we were all in love with,\u201d says Prady, who likened him to a villain from the 1960s sci-fi series \u201cLost in Space.\u201d \u201cI went back and I watched some episodes and Dr. Smith [played by Jonathan Harris] is this broad, weird guy who\u2019s off on the side and is constantly causing complications that keep [the Robinson family] lost in space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

In the series, John Ross Bowie is Barry Kripke, a physicist who was Sheldon\u2019s foil. \u201cI was an advocate for adding Kripke to this to add an irritant we were all in love with,\u201d says Bill Prady.<\/p>\n

(Ethan Benavidez \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

Even though he\u2019s now in the main cast, viewers should keep their expectations low on Kripke suddenly becoming a true ally or friend to Stuart, Denise and Bert. Bowie adds with a grin, \u201cKripke gonna Kripke!\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t skip the opening titles<\/p>\n

The producers delighted in bending and breaking rules of the sci-fi genre throughout the series, but they also shook up one of the most conventional elements of any TV show: the opening title sequence. \u201cChuck kept saying, \u2018Let\u2019s do something that people don\u2019t dare skip, so the first thing is [the opening titles] change because if it\u2019s the same, it\u2019s skippable,\u2019\u201d says Prady.<\/p>\n

The self-aware opening titles, which are altered with every episode, blatantly urge viewers to not hit the \u201cskip intro\u201d button and offers self-referential messages about the show and the experience of watching it. They also deliver something that has been deemed very, very bad in 21st century television \u2014 spoilers. Not here since, as Prady reveals, \u201cthe title of each episode is a meaningless spoiler for that episode.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show\u2019s theme song, which comes from Emmy and Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman, who created iconic theme songs for \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d and \u201cWednesday,\u201d was given free rein.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you watch the series, he kept changing it! It\u2019s not the same song in every episode and he messed with it on purpose,\u201d explains Lorre.<\/p>\n

There is also an array of music genres heard throughout the show, with artists ranging from the Talking Heads to Willie Nelson.<\/p>\n

\u201cDanny also recommended the amazing composer who scored the episodes, Joe Laduca,\u201d says Prady. \u201cHe adds an amazing color and texture and he\u2019s writing in different genres because the worlds are different. Our music and post production people also suggested some wonderful needle drop music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Stuart\u2019s\u2019 singular vision<\/p>\n

With the show\u2019s upcoming launch, the goal of \u201cStuart\u201d is not only to entertain audiences, but given its differing terrain from \u201cBig Bang Theory\u201d and its spinoffs, it will also surprise and feel unpredictable.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of us had really any idea what to expect, but it\u2019s so weird and so fun with such a singular vision,\u201d says Bowie.<\/p>\n

Adds Lorre, \u201cI think we all hope it stands on its own. People watched \u2018Young Sheldon\u2019 who never watched \u2018The Big Bang Theory,\u2019 so I don\u2019t think the idea of a sequel show has got to be self-sufficient. It can\u2019t lean on its antecedents forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

And sometimes it\u2019s OK to get TV characters off the couch and into new worlds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Television characters sitting around having conversations on sofas has served prolific producer Chuck Lorre very well. Starting early…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":547293,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[145685,40266,183607,201796,93,44279,231942,61,60,70062,72436,231941,25499,8166,231940,282,18741,386,231943],"class_list":["post-547292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-barry-kripke","tag-big-bang-theory","tag-bill-prady","tag-comic-book-store","tag-entertainment","tag-episode","tag-genius-sheldon","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-kevin-sussman","tag-leonard","tag-lorre","tag-series","tag-show","tag-stuart","tag-tv","tag-universe","tag-world","tag-zak-penn"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/547293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}