Stuart Fails To Save The Universe: Everything We Know About The Big Bang Theory Spin-Off

It's time for "The Big Bang Theory" fans to face the music — and welcome a whole new, entirely unique type of series to the ever-expanding Sheldonverse roster. "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" is slated to combine science fiction with horror elements, dramatic themes, time-hopping shenanigans, and comedy. That will make it quite distinct from the two other "Big Bang" sitcom spin-offs, the much more straightforward "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" and "Young Sheldon." In short, it's going to be anything but your average trip to the comic book store. 

Are you interested in learning more about Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) before diving into his latest travails? What about his cohorts at the Comic Center of Pasadena? And will you get to see any of your other favorite physicists and scientists as the show rolls out? This primer runs down everything the show's main characters got up to before the fickle finger of fate pointed Stuart's way and made him the universe's latest patsy. Here's everything you need to know about "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" before it makes its HBO Max debut this July.

Comic book shop owner Stuart Bloom was introduced as a possible foil for the romance between Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) during Season 2 of "The Big Bang Theory." While he initially seems more confident than characters like Raj (Kunal Nayyar) or Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), he's soon revealed to be incredibly lonely and lacking a social life. As a matter of fact, his life is so depressing that his psychiatrist takes his own life and actually blames Stuart for the act in his note.

By the time the Comic Center of Pasadena burns down during Season 7, the gang is close enough with Stuart to care about his well-being. Howard ends up getting Stuart a job taking care of his mom so he'll have a place to stay. Stuart becomes a close friend to Debbie Wolowitz (voice of Carol Ann Susi) and the two of them bond while the Comic Center is being rebuilt. Stuart ends up living long-term in Howard's childhood home, which soon becomes the home base of Howard, his wife Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) and their two kids. The gang pools their money together and ends up buying a stake in the shop; it reopens, but Stuart continues to live in Debbie's house even after she passes away. 

During Season 11, Denise (Lauren Lapkus) enters his life after taking a job at the Comic Center. Stuart becomes enamored of her and, at the tail end of Season 11, they become an item and move in together. They're still happily united when the show concludes during Season 12.

In case you were wondering, Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and the rest of the gang will still be tangentially involved in the totally wild plot of "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe." The time machine that Stuart stumbles upon was apparently invented by Sheldon and Leonard. Unfortunately for Stuart, he doesn't know how to operate it and accidentally causes a multiversal Armageddon. It's now his job to restore reality — but poor Stuart isn't used to being the hero of his own story and has to improvise his way toward success, resulting in disaster.

Though they don't appear in the flesh, the rest of the "Big Bang Theory" gang do pop up briefly in the "Stuart Fails to Save The Universe" trailer. Howard, Leonard, and Sheldon are seen as illustrations in a comic book that Stuart picks up, which happens to have him on the cover — and deals with the creation of the time machine in book form.

Unfortunately for "The Big Bang Theory" fans hoping to see more of their heroes in action, it looks like a quick glimpse of a comic book panel is all you're going to get — at least for now. But Chuck Lorre has hinted that at least some of the main cast will pop up in the show sometime in the future, though he won't specify who will appear.

"That is a closely guarded piece of information that, you know... I've taken a blood oath regarding," Lorre told TVLine. When the interviewer said that they hope that they'll get to see one of the show's main characters in the program, Lorre retorted, "You're going to love this show."

Naturally, nothing's guaranteed as of this writing. While "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" promises that viewers will meet alternate versions of various "The Big Bang Theory" characters, only Stuart, Denise, Bert Kibbler (Brian Posehn), and Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie) will be appearing as regulars, playing various versions of themselves throughout the show. But if you see someone like Penny or Raj, you probably won't see them again — unless the series gets a second season.

Sweet-natured Bert Kibbler really loves rocks. That was his main characteristic during his time on "The Big Bang Theory," marking him as a nerd among nerds. Well — that and the fact that he had an enormous crush on Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik), Sheldon's future wife. His constant birddogging of Amy during Season 7 definitely lit a fire under Sheldon, though Amy was always 100% honest about the fact that she only had eyes for Mr. Cooper.

Yet, through sheer persistence and kindness, Bert ends up becoming a part of Amy's friend circle. He evolves into a familiar face at the friends' gatherings, and continues to date around with surprising success. The universe throws him a break and he ultimately ends up winning a MacArthur Fellowship Grant, much to Sheldon's jealousy. 

When last we see Bert, he is dog-sitting for Raj, so Raj can watch Sheldon and Amy's Nobel Prize acceptance speech. But otherwise we've had no word as to what's happened to Bert after "The Big Bang Theory" until now. It looks like he'll be Stuart's sidekick in "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe," and he often appears in the trailer to accompany him on his reality-bending adventures.

Denise enters Stuart's life late in the game after interviewing for the position of assistant manager at the Comic Center of Pasadena during Season 11 of "The Big Bang Theory." She naturally gets the job, putting her in close contact with an enamored Stuart. While she initially tries to keep her professional distance, she's impressed by how quickly he can rattle off facts related to the Star Wars franchise when they attend Amy and Sheldon's wedding together. He's even more knowledgeable than Mark Hamill (appearing as himself), which greatly increases her interest in Stuart.

The couple gradually become more and more serious over the next season, much to the horror of Bernadette and Howard, who play unwilling witnesses to their increasing intimacy as time goes on. it doesn't help that Denise's roommate, Mitch (Todd Giebenhain), makes everything weirder and more difficult for them both. But Denise and Stuart ultimately move in together and declare their love for each other. Though their romance ended on solid ground in "The Big Bang Theory," Stuart's universe-hopping mission in "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" might complicate things. But the first-look trailer for the show suggests that Denise will be right by his side as they leap from world to world. 

The wild card in Stuart's social circle is bound to be Barry Kripke, Caltech plasma physicist and string theorist, who becomes an enormous thorn in Sheldon and Leonard's side throughout the run of "The Big Bang Theory." The trailer for "Stuart Saves the Universe" seems to position Barry as a villain once again, and he's seen as a commander of an army who demands Denise's obedience —and then her death. He's later seen in a more friendly capacity with Stuart and his other friends.

Throughout "The Big Bang Theory," Barry shows off a talent for pranks, which often drives the super-serious Sheldon to distraction. They're frequent rivals at Caltech and wrestle for both social and intellectual superiority. Barry isn't afraid to mock Sheldon to his face for his perceived shortcomings, leaving Sheldon to commit outrageous acts — like claim he and Amy had slept together before they actually did the deed. The pair alternate between being friends and enemies, and Barry is just as likely to help Sheldon beat back plagiarism accusations as he is to do something cruel. Presumably he'll fulfill the same function in Stuart's life in the new show.

Only the second single-camera show in the franchise after "Young Sheldon," "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" seems determined to differentiate itself from any other part of the "The Big Bang Theory" timeline by taking a serious and more scientific approach to its episodic stories. While there will clearly be plenty of comedy afoot and lots of jokes to be shared, it looks like Stuart's adventures will have extremely high stakes, and death and danger will be real possibilities for some of his alternate timestream variants.

It's clear from the trailer that some of the Stuarts meet with horrifying, sad, or negative ends. One of the Stuarts is being held in a gooey stasis tube; he's completely bald and seems to have breathing apparatus stuffed down his throat. Another one is in a padded room in what appears to be an asylum. Still another lives in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. While there's definitely potential for laughs here, there's an even greater possibility for enormous tragedy. And that might be a good thing, since plenty of "The Big Bang Theory" fans feel like the show failed Stuart.

Chuck Lorre himself has admitted he's looking to do something completely new with "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe." "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," he told People magazine. 

Lorre added that he has no idea whether the general public will love or loathe Stuart's adventures. "I think it will be revered or reviled," he added. "I'm not sure which." Whether audiences like the show or not, Lorre has another reason for wanting to make a big science fiction epic: he hopes to avoid the problem every single Chuck Lorre sitcom has.

It will be up to "Big Bang Theory" fans everywhere to determine the show's success. Since the series' other spin-offs, "Young Sheldon" and "Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage," have both been enormous hits, "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" has a whole lot to live up to, and if it flunks that'll definitely mark it as an aberration within the show's extended family tree.

"Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" is already littered with geek-pleasing references to various science fiction properties. The trailer shows off a zombie plague and the possibility of an alien invasion. Several apocalyptic scenarios arise. And then there's that shot of Stuart reading a comic book laden with his own adventures. Time is set to become a mere suggestion, just like it is in all of the media that's lightened our main character's emotional burdens. Whatever happens to Stuart after the end of "The Big Bang Theory," it's bound to be outrageous and colorful.

On top of that, several references to other science fiction properties — including "Brazil" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" — can be spied in the trailer. And there will be some geek royalty present behind the scenes as well: Jonathan Frakes — who has become a well-known film and television director on top of playing William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise — will have a hand in the production of the show. That's definitely something worth getting excited about, even if you're not completely sold on Stuart's adventures yet.