Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (2026)

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is an American science fiction comedy television series created and written by Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady, and directed by Kyle Newacheck and Jonathan Frakes. The series is the second direct spin-off of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, and the overall fourth television series in the franchise. It premiered on HBO Max on July 23, 2026. In August 2026, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

After accidentally damaging a device that Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter and Howard Wolowitz created, Stuart Bloom is tasked with averting a resulting "multiverse Armageddon" whilst encountering versions of himself and his friends in different universes. Accompanying him on his journeys are Denise, Bert Kibbler, and Barry Kripke.

Cast and characters

Main

Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom / alternate Stuart Bloom

Lauren Lapkus as Denise / alternate Denise

Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler / alternate Bert Kibbler

John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke / alternate Barry Kripke

Supporting

Ryan Cartwright as Kyle / alternate Kyle

Josh Brener as Trevor / alternate Trevor

Tommy Walker as Gary Jeffries / alternate Gary Jeffries

Riki Lindhome as alternate Ramona Nowitzki

Brian Thomas Smith as alternate Zack Johnson

Matty Cardarople as Keith

Louis Mustillo as Alexa

Charlie Barnett as Simpa

Zoe Cipres as Chana

Joshua Malina as alternate Siebert

Dean Norris as alternate Colonel Richard Williams

Jonathan Adams as General Adams

André Sogliuzzo as the voice of the Adversary

Eric Allan Kramer as Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze

Andy Ridings as Jay Garrick/The Flash

Special guest stars

Kunal Nayyar as alternate Raj Koothrappali

Penn and Teller as themselves

Kaley Cuoco as alternate Penny

Christine Baranski as herself

Melissa Rauch as alternate Bernadette Rostenkowski

Wil Wheaton as alternate "Wil Wheaton"

Mayim Bialik as alternate Amy Farrah Fowler

Jon Cryer as Sherpa

"Weird Al" Yankovic as himself

Neil deGrasse Tyson as himself

Episodes

Production

Development

On April 12, 2023, it was announced that an untitled The Big Bang Theory spin-off was in early development at Max, created by The Big Bang Theory co-creator and executive producer, Chuck Lorre. The spin-off series was formally announced at the 2023 Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation by HBO and Max CEO and chairman, Casey Bloys. Bloys did not mention any plot details or who the series would focus on from The Big Bang Theory series, but it was reported that the series would have a new cast, with former The Big Bang Theory cast members to appear in guest roles. Actor and director Jonathan Frakes is involved in the show. Robert Duncan McNeill

directs episodes.

In October 2024, it was reported that the spin-off would focus on Stuart Bloom, the owner of the comic book store, Comic Center, who appeared as a recurring supporting character in The Big Bang Theory. In March 2025, it was announced that the spin-off would be titled Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. In July 2025, HBO Max officially gave Stuart Fails to Save the Universe a series order.

In February 2026, Lorre described the series as a "science fiction action-adventure comedy", and said of its creation, "I just wanted to do something that challenged me, that I was uncomfortable and in unfamiliar territory and the special effects stuff, the computer graphics, all those things. [...] Most of my career has been two people sit on a couch and talk."

In August 2026, the series was renewed for a second season.

Casting

In October 2024, it was reported that Kevin Sussman, Brian Posehn, and Lauren Lapkus, who played Stuart Bloom, Bert Kibbler, and Denise, respectively, on The Big Bang Theory would be reprising their roles from the series, and had also signed talent holding deals with Warner Bros. Television for the spin-off. In February 2025, it was announced that John Ross Bowie would be reprising his role as Barry Kripke, with Bowie also signing a talent holding deal with Warner Bros. Television. In August 2025, Ryan Cartwright, Josh Brener, and Tommy Walker joined the cast as recurring guest stars.

Filming

The series began filming in September 2025. Filming on the first season concluded in February 2026.

Release

The series premiered on HBO Max on July 23, 2026, with a new episode debuting on a weekly basis. Episodes 1 and 2 made their linear debut August 31 on TBS a network that is co owned with HBO Max and Warner Bros Television and airs The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon in syndication.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 77%, based on 43 reviews, with an average of rated reviews of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe manages to brighten up its franchise through a genre-bending all-things-go sitcom that has the comedic chops to satisfy." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 62 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Title sequence

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe received attention for its title sequence, which begins by breaking the fourth wall and asking the viewer to not use the "Skip Titles" function. The visuals of the title sequence change with each episode, and each episode features a new arrangement of the theme song by composer Danny Elfman. Series creator Chuck Lorre stated that the title sequence was created this way to encourage viewers to watch it before every episode, due to his distaste for modern streaming services allowing viewers to skip intro sequences.

Writing for Kotaku, Kenneth Shepard notes that the title sequence's visuals appeared to be possibly AI-generated. The show's creators have not said whether the title sequence is AI or not.

References

Notes

External links

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe on HBO Max

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe at IMDb