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It’s finally official: The Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has been green lit by HBO Max, following earlier reports from 2023 that it had been in development. We don’t know when it will begin to film or air, but fans can start to get excited.
Or can we? This isn’t the first spinoff we’ve seen for the franchise, with CBS and Paramount+ partnering up to bring us seven seasons of Young Sheldon and new kid on the block Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
Even though there was overlap between the hit comedy series and its initial prequel, The Big Bang Theory (TBBT) hasn’t been on our screens since 2019. But making a comeback with a spinoff like this has me worried, and not in a quirky Sheldon Cooper way.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe isn’t the part of The Big Bang Theory universe we want to see
If you could choose to follow-up with any element of The Big Bang Theory, it definitely wouldn’t be with comic book store owner Stuart (Kevin Sussman). When we last saw him, he’d finally moved in with the love of his life Denise (Lauren Lapkus), who he’d originally hired to help in the store after it became popular.
Here’s what HBO Max tells us to expect from Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: “Tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon. Stuart is aided in this quest by his girlfriend Denise, geologist friend Bert ( Brian Posehn), and quantum physicist/all-around pain in the ass Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie). Along the way, they meet alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love from The Big Bang Theory. As the title implies, things don’t go well.”
It’s a clever get-out-of-jail-free card for HBO Max. As the synopsis suggests, fan favourites from TBBT might return, but it isn’t guaranteed. The most obvious follow-up to the main series would have been to catch up with Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Penny (Kayley Cuoco), Leonard (Johnny Galecki) or Howard (Simon Helberg). Choosing to follow a minor character fans might not remember or care about is the very definition of the meme “go girl, give us nothing”.
Can we then assume that a left-field approach like Stuart Fails to Save the Universe could actually damage the legacy of TBBT? We talk a lot about existing IPs being left alone in favour of original storytelling, and this could be a great example. It’s currently unclear what value the new spinoff will add, other than choosing to appease fans with surprise cameos as and when it wants to.
There's proof in the spinoff pudding, too. While Young Sheldon became a surprise smash hit that ruled the Nielsen ratings, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has been much more mixed. Granted, it’s been renewed for a second season, but after the single-cam format of Young Sheldon, it returned to TBBT’s signature multi-cam approach. Combined with a laugh track, the audience reactions suggest the time for classic sitcom formats has been and gone.
If Stuart Fails to Save the Universe can lean into what came before in TBBT without making it a superficial cameo soup with its sights set on high ratings, then there’s potential for a job well done. If not, well… Stuart might fail to save his own show.
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