I've watched all of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe and it's a smarter spinoff than we've given it credit for ride through the rough first episode to reach sitcom glory

Date:
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Description:
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is the underdog of 2020s TV spinoffs, and I mean that in the best possible way. In fact, I've basically forgotten The Big Bang Theory existed.

FULL STORY ======================================================================I'll level with you: I was never the biggest fan of The Big Bang Theory . I held a torch for Young Sheldon like my life depended on it and was even happy to
give Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage , but something has always felt off
with TBBT in my eyes.

Maybe it was the bright lights and constant laugh track, or maybe it was the fact that I always felt too dumb to understand the nerdy science at its core. But there's good news new HBO Max spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has made me feel like a born-again sitcom fan. Logically, a TBBT spinoff should have followed Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki) or
Howard (Simon Helberg) in their days after Caltech. That was what the fans wanted, right? Some even outright lobbied for Young Leonard , which would
have been worthwhile for Christine Baranski screentime alone. Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

What we weren't expecting was a reality where awkward coming book owner
Stuart (Kevin Sussman) accidentally triggered a multiverse Armageddon after breaking a device supposedly built by Sheldon and Leonard.

Together with on-off girlfriend Denise (Lauren Lapkus), as well as friends Kripke (John Ross Bowie) and Bert (Brian Posehn), they land in a different universe in each episode. It's something that should seem like a wildly complicated framework that runs away from us, but it's actually a solid foundation for some really silly fun.

Creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn have thrown everything and everyone's kitchen sinks into Stuart Fails to Save the Universe , and objectively, it's whip smart. Does it always fall on its feet? No. But you've got to have a huge amount of respect for something that swings so big and boldly. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is a breath of fresh air amongst TV that takes itself too seriously Stuart Fails to Save the Universe | Official Trailer | HBO Max - YouTube Watch On The problem with something that's so dependent on its relatively complex premise is that you have to wade through
a bit of metaphorical treacle in order for the TV show to feel effortless. Annoyingly, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe suffers from this, but I think the payoff is more than worth it. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Like a baby being taught to walk for the first time, we're handheld through explanations of Sheldon's device, how universe transportation works, how we ended up here in the first place, and what this means for what we might see across the season's remaining nine episodes (no spoilers here, don't worry).

I've never studied at Caltech and never plan to, but this is essentially a 25-minute crash course in things beyond most of our understanding. But once that's all out of the way, we relax into the laughs, stupidity and
self-poking fun... and boy is the creative team coming in hot with self-awareness.

If the core storyline isn't doing it for you, there's an abundance of other intricately shrewd details to keep you occupied. Each of the episodes 10
title sequences are subtly different from each other, ensuring that we're engaged rather than committing the mortal sin of skipping through the
credits.

On top of that, there's an extra layer of fun wrapped up in guessing what's going to be wrong with the next universe. Will its population have
caterpillar bodies? Will they eat food with lizard tongues like that
Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons ? The guessing never ends!

Ultimately, it's this sense of endlessness that is Stuart Fails to Save the Universe's biggest strength. The comedy could hypothetically run for 30 seasons and never lose its sense of freshness and wonder. What is continuity when you're constantly leaping through different universes?

This is an incredibly rare chance to be bold in the landscape of TV storytelling, and not only do I think HBO Max will continue to take it, but fan demand will be high investing in something feels more worthwhile when there's (literal) infinite potential. It's both a blessing and a curse for
Big Bang Theory fans (Image credit: HBO Max) For existing TBBT fans, however, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe signifies a different kind of importance. There's existing lore hanging over the concept of the spinoff itself, with fans theorizing that ideas like The Council of Sheldons, seen in TBBT season 11 episode 3, could return here.

The beauty of this spinoff is that you don't really need to know the first thing about TBBT to understand it, but Easter eggs are still effectively
woven into its fabric. Aside from the mechanics of Sheldon and Leonard's device, the overall lore isn't too dense or meta. However, as the original synopsis suggested, TBBT cameos will appear at different points throughout
the season.

Who? I will not say. But it's important to note that not everyone has
returned this isn't a reunion special. This is bound to cause some friction among the existing fanbase, but packaging Stuart Fails to Save the Universe
as a flat-out TBBT 2.0 would almost have been belittling.

The threads that have been taken forward are smart choices, and we certainly get bang for our buck when it comes to screentime and plot inclusion. Plus, this is a 'never say never' situation... in infinite universes, anything can happen, and anyone can appear.

Has 'King of Sitcoms' Chuck Lorre done it again? You bet. Stuart Fails to
Save the Universe is a TV triumph that I never expected, and with episodes ranging from 18-25 minutes in length, you'll be left longing for more.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe drops on HBO Max weekly from July 23. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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