t's The Start Of An Era For The Big Bang Theory

Although The Big Bang Theory franchise has never struggled on streaming services, the season 2 renewal of its first streaming-only release, HBOMax’s Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, still represents a massive step forward for the sitcom franchise. Even the most successful sitcoms of all time can sometimes struggle to turn their original shows into franchises. For every success story like Cheers spawning Frasier, there are failures like The Office’s spinoff The Paper, a perfectly solid series that still couldn’t parlay its predecessor’s gargantuan success into its own popularity.

While The Office’s spinoff couldn’t replicate the impact of the original show, it wasn’t alone in failing to keep an iconic ‘00s sitcom franchise alive. Although How I Met Your Mother went from a cult success to a mainstream hit during its original run, its spinoff, How I Met Your Father, was quietly canceled after only two seasons despite bringing back numerous major stars. Within this context, the success of The Big Bang Theory franchise deserves to be studied.

By the time The Big Bang Theory’s finale aired, its first spinoff, Young Sheldon, was already a hit for CBS. By the time Young Sheldon’s ending aired in 2024, the show had already announced a spinoff of its own, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’s ratings success saw the show renewed for a third season in 2026, while HBO Max announced a potentially risky first for the franchise with July’s streaming spinoff, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’s Season 2 Renewal Proves The Big Bang Theory Franchise Has Successfully Moved To Streaming

A sci-fi comedy with a sky-high concept, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe follows Kevin Sussman’s eponymous hapless comic book store owner and his friends, The Big Bang Theory’s supporting stars Denise, Kripke, and Bert, on an adventure through the multiverse. The show’s premise sees Stuart accidentally end the original show’s entire universe by mishandling an invention created by Sheldon and Leonard.

As a result, Stuart must travel across the multiverse, encountering various versions of his friends and various new versions of The Big Bang Theory’s original heroes, to try and to right this wrong. While this entire setup sounds more like a Rick and Morty episode than an outing of the original show, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’s solid season 1 reviews largely credit the show with succesfully marrying its sci-fi concept and its sitcom origins.

Admittedly, a handful of critics say that the CGI-heavy, big-budget blockbuster theatrics of the new show’s many multiverses jars with the low-key, largely verbal humor of The Big Bang Theory’s characters. However, while the sitcom franchise’s shows have always done well on streaming and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is even currently trending, the real success of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe comes in its HBO Max performance. After only four episodes, the franchise’s first original streaming show has done well enough to secure a season 2 renewal.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Has Already Highlighted The Big Bang Theory Franchise’s Streaming Potential

Within its first few episodes, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe swiftly started doling out cameos for some of the original show’s biggest stars, including Kaley Cuoco’s Penny, Melissa Rauch’s Bernadette, and Kunal Nayyar’s Raj, as well as supporting characters like Will Wheaton and Riki Lindhome’s Ramona Nowitzki. However, the show has not yet brought back the franchise’s biggest star, Jim Parsons’ iconic Big Bang Theory antihero Sheldon Cooper, and Johnny Galecki’s Leonard also hasn’t made an appearance.

Thus, the show’s season 2 renewal, while impressive, shouldn’t come as a major shock. Within its first few episodes, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe balanced enough cameos from the original show to firmly ground itself in a shared universe while also dropping The Big Bang Theory’s multi-camera setup, its comparatively realistic tone, and its hang-out show genre. Thus, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe proved The Big Bang Theory universe has massive streaming potential with its ambitious sci-fi adventure story.