Review - Stuart Fails To Save the Universe - HBO Max

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I guess there are so many fans of the now-defunct series that Chuck Lorre, the genius who created the series, decided a sequel would find a following too.

Thus, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe was born. I stumbled across it a week ago. Of course, I had to see what this American science fiction comedy TV series created by Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Pradyit was all about.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is the third spinoff of The Big Bang—first was Young Sheldon then Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage,  and now Stuart’s series.

This latest entry in The Big Bang franchise premiered on HBO Max on July 23, 2026.

 It’s premise? Stuart Bloom accidentally damaged a device created by Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter and Howard Wolowitz.

Therefore, Stuart must prevent a “multiverse Armageddon” and save the Universe by traveling through various alternate realities to change his own reality. In each new reality, he encounters friends and acquaintances from his own reality.

To be honest, this series seems like a love poem to The Big Bang, because it brings back the quirky characters from that series. It’s like having a family reunion with all the weird cousins showing up. Look at the Cast below, and you’ll see what I mean.

MAIN CHARACTERS

Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom and as Alternate Stuart Bloom.

Lauren Lapkus as Denise, Stuart’s true love.

Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler, the very large and boring geologist.

John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke, the hilarious egotistical physicist.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

• Ryan Cartwright as Kyle.
• Josh Brener as Trevor.
• Tommy Walker as Gary.
• Riki Lindhome as Alternate Ramona Nowitzki, another weird physicist.
• Brian Thomas Smith as Alternate Zack Johnson, just as dumb as the original.
• Matty Cardarople as Keith.
• Louis Mustillo as Alexa.
• Joshua Malina, Caltech President Siebert will show up, along with Jon Cryer.

SPECIAL GUEST STARS

Kunal Nayyar as Alternate Raj Koothrappali who is just as weird as original Raj.

Penn and Teller as themselves.

Kaley Cuoco as Alternate Penny, who embraces her power.

Christine Baranski as herself, rather than as Leonard’s mom.

Melissa Rauch as Alternate Bernadette Rostenkowski, a giant demon which means she embraces her power too.

Wil Wheaton as Alternate Wil Wheaton—love Will Wheaton!

WHY WATCH

If you’re a Big Bang fan, I don’t have to tell you why you watch. If you’re not a fan, watch because it’s weird, the episodes are short, and each episode gets better than the previous. Watch because the title creds alone are funny, creative, and different—they are an inside joke aimed at the entire audience that tries to skip over the credits.

The first 3 episodes I watched are: Episode 1, Spoiler: Gary Dies; Episode 2, Spoiler: Zack’s In This One; and Episode 3: Bert’s Magic. A new episode will drop every week.

MY THOUGHTS

If I weren’t a fan of the original series, I don’t know that I’d have watched the second episode. Once Barry Kripke, played by the talented John Ross Bowie, shows up, I was hooked. 

Every scene with Kripke in Episode 2 is a belly laugh, side-splitter. If you’ve been looking for something different, give this a try. Watch the first 3 episodes, and I think you’ll want to watch the rest.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Like most streaming series, the future of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe depends on the audience numbers. I don’t know if this series has enough promise to carry what seems like a one-joke premise into the future, but if anyone can do it, Chuck Lorre can.