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. The series is the second direct spin-off of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, the overall fourth television series in the franchise, and stars Kevin Sussman, Lauren Lapkus, Brian Posehn, and John Ross Bowie. After accidentally damaging a device that Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter and Howard Wolowitz created, Stuart Bloom is tasked with averting a resulting "multiverse armageddon" while encountering versions of himself and his friends (Denise, Bert Kibbler, and Barry Kripke) in different universes. The series is directed by Kyle Newacheck, Jonathan Frakes, and Robert Duncan McNeill.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe premiered on HBO Max on July 23, 2026. In August 2026, the series was renewed for a second season.
Contents
Cast and characters
Main
Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom (and alternate versions, and himself)
Lauren Lapkus as Denise (and alternate versions, and herself)
Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler (and alternate versions, and himself)
John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke (and alternate versions, and himself)
Recurring
Ryan Cartwright as Kyle (and alternate versions)
Josh Brener as Trevor (and alternate versions)
Tommy Walker as Gary Jeffries (and alternate versions)
Riki Lindhome as Ramona Nowitzki (alternate versions)
André Sogliuzzo as the Adversary (voice)
Guest
Brian Thomas Smith as Zack Johnson (alternate version)
Matty Cardarople as Keith
Louis Mustillo as Alexa
Charlie Barnett as Simpa
Zoe Cipres as Chana
Joshua Malina as President Siebert (alternate version)
Dean Norris as Colonel Richard Williams (alternate version)
Jonathan Adams as General Adams
Eric Allan Kramer as Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze
Andy Ridings as Jay Garrick / The Flash
Special guest stars
Kunal Nayyar as Raj Koothrappali (alternate versions)
Penn and Teller as themselves; Teller previously portrayed Amy's father, Larry Fowler, in The Big Bang Theory.
Kaley Cuoco as Penny (alternate versions)
Christine Baranski as herself; Baranski previously portrayed Leonard's mother, Beverly Hofstadter, in The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon.
Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski (alternate versions)
Wil Wheaton as a fictionalized version of himself (alternate version)
Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler (alternate versions)
Jon Cryer as Sherpa
"Weird Al" Yankovic as himself
Neil deGrasse Tyson as himself
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.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 78%, 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.