Love it or hate it, The Big Bang Theory was undeniably a hit sitcom. Running from 2007-2019, TBBT was successful enough to spin-off to Young Sheldon, eventually evolving into Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (which is still currently airing on CBS). Now the properties are venturing into sci-fi with the brand new series: Stuart Fails to Save The Universe.
Check out our visit to the Stuart Fails to Save The Universe activation at SDCC 2026.
Reprising their roles from the original series are Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom, Lauren Lapkus as Denise, Brian Posehn as geologist Bert, and John Ross Bowie as quantum physicist Barry Kripke. While the premise of the new series sounds solid — a comic book store owner “is tasked with restoring reality”… “after accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon” — unfortunately, the execution is severely lacking.
Throughout the first episode, it’s surprising that the reluctant hero is not just reluctant, but actually pretty antagonistic towards his quest. It’s quite surprising that the man running a comicbook shop, a man who is likely to have a deep understanding and appreciation of sci-fi, superheroes, and fantasy stories would be so indifferent to his new heroic role. Yet, until he finds his love interest Denise is still alive (and seeing someone), prompting him to try to win her back while restoring reality. Along for the ride is Stuart’s geologist friend Bert, who should truly be the lead of this show.
Once they encounter the evil overlord of their universe, it becomes incredibly uncomfortable to see him join their journey. Kripke — who was always a pain in the ass character — is now an wicked dictator… and rapist. His revelation of his harem is upsetting to say the least. The second episode has him claiming that the women were all there consensually… he admits they were trading sex for food… which is coercion and therefore not consent.
Unfortunately, the three male writers on this show — Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady — seem to be stuck in their traditional sitcom ways, forcing basic tropes and flat characters into what could be a fun science-fiction adventure, like Future Man or Rick & Morty.
So to sum up: Stuart Fails to Save The Universe stars a man who should have the knowledge but doesn’t seem to care, a love interest whose primary role is “girl”, an underutilized resource, and the rapist they’ve invited on their adventure.
Stuart Fails to Save The Universe is on HBO Max, but you can watch the trailer here.
— Yael Tygiel