'Stuart Fails To Save The Universe' Is a More Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Spin-Off Than We Expected | Review

Written down, the plot of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe sounds as though a die-hard The Big Bang Theory fan is recounting a fever dream they once had. When comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) accidentally damages a dimension-hopping device created by Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), he finds himself responsible for stopping the resulting “multiverse Armageddon.” Its bizarre premise is likely to intrigue even the mildly curious, especially following the success of the franchise’s previous expansions in Young Sheldon, which details the origins of the Cooper family and often gets praised more than the original, and its own spin-off, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, a studio sitcom with a third season premiering in October.

Given its wild plot, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is executed much more strongly than one would expect. It’s charming, mind-bending, and gives life to The Big Bang Theory’s most overshadowed characters, placing them at the center of their own adventure. Most importantly, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

‘The Big Bang Theory’s Most Overlooked Characters Finally Get Their Own Story

Since its original 12-year run, The Big Bang Theory has been mined for stories built around the core cast, yet this time around, creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn have turned their attention to the series’ secondary characters for inspiration. Despite being included in many of the original show's later storylines after his comic book store burned down, Stuart largely functioned as an even bigger punching bag than Raj (Kunal Nayyar). He moves in with Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) and Howard (Simon Helberg) in Season 9, Episode 12, "The Sales Call Sublimation," to look after Mrs. Wolowitz (Carol Ann Susi), and the pair become close companions, which satisfyingly creeps out Howard.

Stuart is hardly a traditional hero, but he’s perhaps the most fitting character to lead a story about infinite possibilities, as, throughout The Big Bang Theory, he was defined by feeling as if he had very few. He remained fairly one-dimensional, with his gradual character traits, including the introduction of his girlfriend, Denise (Lauren Lapkus), feeling as if they came from the sheer longevity of the show rather than a clear narrative plan. Sussman, however, understands exactly what makes Stuart work. He delivers all the quirks audiences hoped to see, and the character is no longer simply the butt of the joke.

Joining Stuart is Bert Keppler (Brian Posehn), who previously lured Sheldon into geology back in Season 11, Episode 7, “The Geology Methodology.” It is satisfying to see him finally experience some success too, and watching him produce a CGI shark out of nowhere is exactly the kind of bizarre action sequence that makes this series so fun. Sheldon’s arch-nemesis also joins the crew — Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie), who is still an all-round insufferable lech but has some of the funniest lines in the series — keeps an eye out for the penguin. Both actors slip so effortlessly back into their roles that you can’t help but be tickled by their return. The supporting cast is expanded further with Ryan Cartwright and Josh Brener, both of whom previously appeared in The Big Bang Theory but now return in new roles as comic book store customers. Their appearances continue throughout the different dimensions, with their characters changing alongside each new reality.

Frustratingly, though, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe falls into the same character-limiting trap as the original series. From a performance perspective, Lapkus delivers plenty of physical humor on par with the other three leads, but the spin-off's female characters are not given equal access to the nerd culture it famously celebrates. Denise works in Stuart’s comic book store, understands his interests, and naturally belongs within the group, yet the series still reduces her role to being the person that Stuart tries to win over and Barry wants to sleep with across different timelines.

‘Stuart Fails To Save The Universe’ Commits Harder To Sci-Fi Than Expected

The Big Bang Theory treated science fiction as the hobby its characters discussed, collected and dressed up as, but Stuart Fails to Save the Universe actually makes the genre a reality — and on a much more impressive scale than anticipated. As Stuart and Bert are immediately pursued by a giant moth while wandering through a post-apocalyptic Pasadena, for instance, the scene looks more akin to Prime Video’s Fallout than anything you would expect from a comedy series. Apart from the cast, the main draw of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is its changing dimensions, and they successfully hold your attention. Each new multiverse introduces its own carefully constructed worldbuilding layered with familiar sci-fi staples, from a psychiatric institution so nauseatingly rooted in the 1950s aesthetics that it becomes unsettling to a world with an AI-driven Big Brother-style overlord that zaps you for experiencing negative emotions.

As the story goes on, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe feels like one giant puzzle. The set design and art department deserve recognition, as every dimension is packed with Easter eggs and tiny details waiting to be discovered. Whether it's newspaper headlines, posters on the walls, or wacky comic books — “Doctor Strange Colorectal Surgeon” and “Richie Rich Effective Altruist #12,” to name a few — the show constantly rewards viewers with the same addictive dopamine hit as scrolling through social media. That momentum means there is little time to question whether every storyline fully works or whether certain plot holes exist, but does that really matter? Across the 10 episodes provided for review, the journey becomes less about whether Stuart actually saves the universe and more about wanting him to turn the dial on the interdimensional device and discover where he and his friends will end up next.

‘Stuart Fails To Save The Universe’ Escapes the Boundaries of 'The Big Bang Theory'

It's incredibly rare to single out a series’ title sequence, but with Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, it becomes clear what kind of show this is going to be. The opening credits are packed with hidden messages, directly communicating with the audience in the same way Stuart receives messages throughout the different dimensions that he needs to notice and understand to save everything. The entire show operates on this same level of self-awareness — it is deeply meta, almost to a trippy degree, and even references “jumping the shark” before we can get there ourselves.

The title sequence caveats seem to highlight where the creators believe it succeeds and where it risks becoming excessive, but it builds their concerns into the experience. The finale takes this idea even further, becoming a genuinely mind-bending meta experiment that returns to The Big Bang Theory’s sitcom roots. Stylistically, it is interesting for any TV fan to see Stuart Fails to Save the Universe transform into something it has spent the entire series distancing itself from, and then abandon it for the next dimension.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe's excesses occasionally overwhelm its emotional core, but its biggest success is giving the most overlooked characters of The Big Bang Theory their own journey. Whether we get another season or not, Stuart, Bert, Denise, and Kripke have finally become their own entities, detached from the original series that created them, and there's no telling where they'll end up next.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe premieres Thursday, July 23 on HBO Max.