Warning: Stuart Fails to Save the Universe spoilers ahead!
NEED TO KNOW
Kevin Sussman’s centaur character in the spinoff is modeled after his real-life dog’s unique coloring
The spinoff explores a multiverse with Easter eggs, cameos, and reimagined versions of familiar The Big Bang Theory characters
Sussman and Lauren Lapkus describe the show as a quirky mix of sci-fi, comedy, and unexpected adventures
Kevin Sussman’s favorite Easter egg in the new Big Bang Theory spinoff, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, has four legs and a very personal connection.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the 55-year-old actor, who reprises his role as comic book store owner Stuart Bloom, revealed that one of his favorite details from the new series is actually a tribute to his dog.
At the end of Episode 7, “Spoiler: Dexys Midnight Runners Get a Royalty Payment,” Stuart and the gang become centaurs, and Sussman’s mythical alter ego is modeled after his real-life pup.
Kevin Sussman seated indoors holding a small dogCredit: Kevin Sussmann/Instagram
“So there’s one where we become centaurs,” Sussman tells PEOPLE. “My centaur is based on my dog. He’s black and he has two white socks, but one white sock is longer than the other. They made my centaur have the same coloring.”
Sussman owns two small dogs named Lucy and Ethel, a nod to the iconic best-friend duo Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz from the 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy. He frequently shares glimpses of his daily life with his pets on Instagram.
It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail, but exactly the kind of Easter egg that longtime TheBig Bang Theory fans might appreciate as the new series sends Stuart and his friends into some very unexpected places.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Season 1 – Episode 7Credit: HBO Max
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The spinoff, which reunites Sussman with Lauren Lapkus as Denise, takes the characters into a multiverse filled with everything from AI uprisings to fantasy worlds and apocalyptic landscapes. And while the show has plenty of connections to the original series, the actress, 40, says fans shouldn’t expect it to simply recreate the old formula.
“I think they’ll be really surprised at how different it is from the Big Bang Theory,” she says. “It’s a completely different vibe and type of show, but I do think that the humor that they appreciated in the first series will translate here and they’ll be able to enjoy it.”
She adds, “There’s also lots of Easter eggs, cameos, guest stars and things that they’ll be very excited about.”
That includes some familiar faces — though fans shouldn’t necessarily expect them to show up exactly as they remember them.
“One of the great things about this is that because every universe has its own history, when we encounter characters, they have a different past than they had in The Big Bang Theory universe,” The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady tells PEOPLE. “It’s really wonderful to see Penny and Raj and I’m kind of a fan of the minor characters who showed back up like Ramona Nowitzki and the former President Siebert, now Captain Siebert. Seeing those little Easter egg appearances are super fun. It’s really cool to see our main characters doing something completely different.”
The actors also drew inspiration from some familiar sci-fi and comedy touchstones while filming. Lapkus compared the characters to “four inept Doctor Whos,” while Sussman recalled Chuck Lorre describing the series as reminiscent of old Abbott and Costello horror and sci-fi movies, in which the least capable people find themselves caught up in extraordinary adventures.
Kevin Sussman and Lauren Lapkus in ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’Credit: HBO Max
And the multiverse gives the show plenty of room to get weird.
Of all the worlds the actors visited, Sussman says the episode 6, “Spoiler: Corn Is Delicious,” was one of his favorites. In that universe, the characters are essentially the same, except they have four stomachs like cows.
“I liked the cow-verse episode because it was so weird,” he explains. “I like that there’s something about the fact that everything is exactly the same except we have four stomachs like a cow and somehow that is such a radical, radically weird change.”
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe drops new episodes Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO Max. The Max Original comedy series has also been renewed for a second season.
Read the original article on People