Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady. The series is the fourth television series in The Big Bang Theory franchise, and the second direct spin-off of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory. It premiered on HBO Max on July 23, 2026.

Premise

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

After accidentally damaging a device that Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter and Howard Wolowitz had created, Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) is tasked with averting a resulting "multiverse Armageddon" whilst encountering versions of himself and his friends in different universes.

Cast and characters

Main

• Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom / Alternate Stuart Bloom • Lauren Lapkus as Denise Jeffries • Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler • John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke

Supporting

• Ryan Cartwright as Kyle • Josh Brener as Trevor • Tommy Walker as Gary • Riki Lindhome as Alternate Ramona Nowitzki • Brian Thomas Smith as Alternate Zack Johnson • Matty Cardarople as Keith • Louis Mustillo as Alexa • Jon Cryer as Sherpa

Joshua Malina, who portrayed Caltech President Siebert in the original series, will also appear in an undisclosed role.

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 • "Weird Al" Yankovic as himself

Episodes

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Original release date</th><th>Prod. code</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th rowspan="1">1</th><td rowspan="1">"Spoiler: Gary Dies"</td><td>Kyle Newacheck</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>July 23, 2026 (2026-07-23)</td><td rowspan="1">T12.19151</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">In an alternative apocalyptic universe, Stuart is visited by his original self, who entrusts him with retrieving a device from Caltech created by Sheldon, Leonard, and Howard that can avert the catastrophe. Stuart is joined by Bert, his ex-girlfriend Denise, and her new boyfriend Gary, who is killed when they try to enter the university, now a warlord's fortress. They discover that Raj has been held captive for years and that the warlord is Barry Kripke, who wants to keep the universe this way for his own power. They manage to reach the device, but Barry kills Raj before he can repair it, and Stuart damages it while attempting to repair it himself. While Denise stays behind, Stuart, Bert, and Kripke are transported to a new, seemingly normal universe.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">2</th><td rowspan="1">"Spoiler: Zack's in This One"</td><td>Kyle Newacheck</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>July 30, 2026 (2026-07-30)</td><td rowspan="1">T12.19152</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">The universe where Stuart, Bert and Kripke have arrived is ruled by an AI that forces everyone to be calm and peaceful, or else a neural chip will give them electric shocks. Stuart finds the Denise from that universe and tells her about the quantum device, while Bert and Kripke try to track down Leonard and Sheldon, but their constant activation of the chip causes them to be arrested and subjected to a 30-month "re-education." Once released, they are captured by the resistance, led by Penny and Zack and alerted by Denise, who has also recovered the device. Attacked by AI drones, Barry activates the device to escape: all three, plus Denise, are transported to a universe where magic is real and science is a crime for which Bert is condemned to the stake.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">3</th><td rowspan="1">"Spoiler: Bert Is Magic"</td><td>Kyle Newacheck</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>August 6, 2026 (2026-08-06)</td><td rowspan="1">T12.19153</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">Bert discovers that in this universe, he's a powerful magician and becomes the idol of the same crowd that intended to burn him. Denise flees after Stuart tells her the whole story and asks her to get back together. Kripke returns to the shop to use the device to escape, leaving the others behind, but he and Stuart discover it requires magic to work and turn to Bernadette, here a witch on commission, to help, who agrees if they provide the ingredients to restore her powers. Stuart, Kripke, Bert and Denise meet back at the shop, where they are attacked by Wil Wheaton, who claims Bernadette is a demon. Bert defeats Wheaton and Denise agrees to give Stuart a try, but Wheaton was telling the truth: Bernadette in her demonic true form is destroying the city and wants the device to conquer other worlds. Bert uses his powers to activate it, and all four escape. In the new universe, Stuart is hospitalized in a mental institution.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">4</th><td rowspan="1">"Spoiler: Stuart Makes a Wallet"</td><td>Kyle Newacheck</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>August 13, 2026 (2026-08-13)</td><td rowspan="1">T12.19154</td></tr><tr><td colspan="6">Stuart is hospitalized in the mental institution and interviewed by Amy and stating he wants to travel to a better universe. Amy dismisses his claims as mental illness and prescribes medication. Stuart attempts to escape the institution but experiences effects from the drugs. Denise meets him as a visitor and tells Stuart he has kids waiting at home for his return. After Stuart's rehabilitation process, Amy releases him home and Stuart is surprised to find a gallery of his art during the experiences after traveling through the universes. Stuart returns home to his family and later finds a comic in his store titled "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe". Stuart reads the book and finds notes stating that the reality is fake and he needs to wake up. He finds an advertisement for the quantum-interference device and orders it, which after activation causes Stuart, Denise, Bert, and Barry to wake up in a new reality inspired off The Matrix. Stuart finds what appears to be a ripple in the universe and enters it, leading to a new universe where they wake up in a forest and are confronted by a new group of people.</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">5</th><td rowspan="1">TBA</td><td>TBA</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>August 20, 2026 (2026-08-20)</td><td>TBA</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">6</th><td rowspan="1">TBA</td><td>TBA</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>August 27, 2026 (2026-08-27)</td><td>TBA</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">7</th><td rowspan="1">TBA</td><td>TBA</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>September 3, 2026 (2026-09-03)</td><td>TBA</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">8</th><td rowspan="1">TBA</td><td>TBA</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>September 10, 2026 (2026-09-10)</td><td>TBA</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">9</th><td rowspan="1">TBA</td><td>TBA</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>September 17, 2026 (2026-09-17)</td><td>TBA</td></tr><tr><th rowspan="1">10</th><td rowspan="1">TBA</td><td>TBA</td><td>Chuck Lorre & Zak Penn & Bill Prady</td><td>September 24, 2026 (2026-09-24)</td><td>TBA</td></tr></tbody></table>

Production

Development

On April 12, 2023, HBO Max revealed 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."

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, and concluded in February 2026.

Release

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

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 76%, based on 41 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

The visuals of the title sequence to Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. The audio has been removed as it is protected under copyright.

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 shows creators have not said whether the title sequence is AI or not.