THE BIG BANG THEORY Sequel STUART FAILS TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE Drops Its First Trailer and It Looks Fun!
Fans of The Big Bang Theory are about to get a much weirder trip back into that world than anyone probably expected.
HBO Max has released the first teaser trailer for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, and instead of another grounded sitcom about awkward geniuses and relationship drama, this new series is diving headfirst into full-on sci-fi chaos.
The franchise has already proven it can survive beyond the original show. After The Big Bang Theory wrapped up in 2019, audiences stuck around for Young Sheldon, which then launched Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
But Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is doing something completely different. This is the franchise’s first true sequel series, and it looks like it’s going all-in on multiverse insanity.
The show centers on comic shop owner Stuart Bloom, played once again by Kevin Sussman, who somehow ends up triggering a reality-shattering disaster after breaking a device created by Sheldon and Leonard Hofstadter. Naturally, the fate of existence lands in the hands of the absolute least qualified people imaginable.
Joining Stuart are returning fan-favorites Bert Kibbler, played by Brian Posehn, Denise, played by Lauren Lapkus, and Barry Kripke, played by John Ross Bowie.
Based on the trailer, the team seems barely capable of functioning under normal circumstances, so watching them attempt to stop a multiversal apocalypse should be a glorious mess.
One of the coolest things about the series is how dramatically it changes the formula of the franchise. The Big Bang Theory always loved sci-fi, comic books, and genre fandom culture, but this time the story is actually embracing those elements instead of just referencing them.
Alternate realities, universe-hopping madness, and bizarre sci-fi concepts appear to be fully baked into the premise.
The creative team also makes this feel like a natural extension of the original series while still trying something fresh. Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady return as creators alongside Zak Penn, whose history with sci-fi projects makes him an especially interesting addition to this world.
There are several major firsts happening here, too. This marks the first Big Bang Theory project set after the original series timeline, the first one not centered around the Cooper family in some way, and the first installment made for HBO Max instead of CBS.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe looks like it’s trying to carve out its own identity while still keeping the spirit of The Big Bang Theory intact. The trailer balances familiar character energy with some genuinely absurd sci-fi concepts, and surprisingly, it works.
Whether Stuart actually saves reality is another story entirely, but the show itself looks like it could end up being a really fun evolution of The Big Bang Theory universe.