TL;DR – This is a wild premise for a show, and I think it just might work.

Disclosure – I paid for the HBO Max service used to view this series.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Review Introduction

Today we look at what might be one of the weirdest spin-offs from a TV Show that I have ever seen. The world of The Big Bang Theory has indeed had a long reach, but I am not sure that anyone was ready for the general pitch that was this series. However, it is so wild, it just might work.

So, to set the scene, we open on a broken and ruined Pasadena that has suffered a grand apocalypse. There are giant moths in the sky, zombies in the ground, and yet Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) is still running his comic shop, where consumers like Bert Kibbler (Brian Posehn) trade food for what comics are left. But when a Stuart from another timeline slides in and explains that the destruction is not meant to happen, but a failed quantum-entanglement-thing created by the core gang from The Big Bang Theory has destroyed everything. Stuart and Bert have a quest to save the universe, but will they survive the walk to the end of the street first? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

Oddly Nostalgic

We have had the first episode, and what I found most surprising was how oddly nostalgic it made me feel. Not for The Big Bang Theory, well, not really. I have an odd relationship with the original series. No, nostalgic for those weird Science Fiction TV shows from the 1990s that would take a big concept science fiction idea and pair it with the goofiness that can only come from network television. Now the obvious comparison here is Sliders, but inspirations are coming from everywhere, and I look forward to seeing where they go with all these different realities they will be jumping into. Much like what we had with WandaVision and wondering what era of TV they would go to next. Also, this opening episode was giving strong Love and Monsters vibes, which helped land the assignment.    

It’s a Framework

This first episode is all foundation for the series … well, foundation and a whole lot of killing people with homemade explosives, which was a choice I was not expecting when I sat down. I mean, a lot of people die in this episode, and spoilers, it is not just Gary. They do not bog you down in exposition too much, but then they also do take for granted that you have at least some understanding of The Big Bang Theory world they are working in. It was also a fun choice to have our leads be ‘other universe’ copies of the ones from the show; it gives you more flexibility. By setting the tone and foundation right from the start, it will hopefully let the other episodes have a bit more space to breathe. However, a surprise appearance from Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) certainly does not hurt.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Stuart Fails to Save the Universe? Well,I was not sure what to think about when I heard this frankly bonkers pitch, but now I have seen it and the wild turns it takes, I am intrigued to see where it goes. The cast is solid; they absolutely understand what sort of show they are working with, and they have given us a good foundation to move forward. If the series can maintain this mix of multiverse absurdity and character-driven comedy, it might become one of the year’s most surprising entries. Have you seen Stuart Fails to Save the Universe yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe
Directed by – Kyle Newacheck
Written by – Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, & Bill Prady
Created by – Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, & Bill Prady
Based On – The Big Bang Theory by Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady
Production/Distribution Companies – Warner Bros Television, Chuck Lorre Productions, & HBO Max
Starring – Kevin Sussman, Lauren Lapkus, Brian Posehn, & John Ross Bowie
With – Kunal Nayyar, Penn, Teller, Ryan Cartwright, Josh Brener, Rich Ting, Tommy Walker, Anthony Alabi, & Atticus Batacan