- Directed by Kyle Newacheck
- Written by Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn and Bill Prady
- July 23, 2026
- HBO Max
- Based on The Big Bang Theory created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
Episode Cast
- Stuart Bloom-Kevin Sussman
- Denise-Lauren Lapkus
- Bert Kibbler-Brian Posehn
- Barry Kripke-John Ross Bowie
- Rajesh ‘Raj’ Koothrappali-Kunal Nayyar
- Penn-Penn Jillette as Penn
- Teller-Teller
- Kyle-Ryan Cartwright
- Trevor-Josh Brener
- Soldier #1-Rich Ting
- Gary-Tommy Walker
- Soldier #2-Anthony Alabi
- Floss Vendor-Atticus Batacan
- Steve-Kevin Foster
Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom must save the universe from imminent destruction.
I went into Stuart Fails to Save the Universe with moderately low expectations. I liked The Big Bang Theory well enough, but a distinctly science-fiction spinoff of a sitcom sounded like a big stretch. After watching I realized I should have passed on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and indulged in this instead. Though I am just at the pilot titled Spoiler Alert: Gary Dies, what this presented was a funny mesh of the sensibilities of The Big Bang Theory with tropes of and loving pokes at the science-fiction genre.
Being what it is we see a handful of Big Bang characters make appearances with formerly secondary players moved up into central roles. Giving minor/supporting characters their own show does not always work out. Too often what made the character(s) popular enough to be in a show does not survive the transition. Here very little if anything is different. Personalities remain intact. They are just given more to do.
The episode opens in a post-apocalyptic world with giant moths and a dimensional rift in the comic book store. Events are set in motion when a version of Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) tells, well, Stuart about a device at Caltech that can put the world right. The episode comes in around 30 minutes or so and introduces us to the overarching problem of the series.
If anything the show is a bit of a riff on the cult classic series Sliders from a few years prior where the characters go from reality to reality as they (the ones here) try to get back to/fix their own. It introduces the core cast and all concepts rather easily. And it’s funny. No sidesplitting jokes but plenty of laughs are in this episode. We see familiar characters in silly apocalyptic scenarios like floss vendors or Raj (Kunal Nayyar) channeling Robin Williams in Jumanji. Kripke’s (John Ross Bowie) introduction as a warlord decked out in ridiculous military was very funny.
Two things helped this to succeed-the humor and the episode is character driven. It takes itself just seriously enough to be good, but not so seriously that it becomes pretentious or weighed down. The aim is to tell a good story without much of a message. It packs in action and thrills and humor.
Jokes can also be a bit dark here. Like the former soldier who dies rather comedically and abruptly. He is the douche bag type of character that you might encounter in any sitcom and his death is satisfying and amusing.
I like how no one stepped outside of their character despite now functioning in a rather extraordinary situation. These aren’t geeks in a sitcom close to everyday life. In this episode they are characters in a post-apocalyptic world and dodge explosions and giant creatures, and the occasional apparent undead coming up from the ground though we only ever see hands there.
There’s an awareness that the current situation is all of the sudden, but nobody really questions it. They just accept it and go about in a variation of that their everyday lives which is funny. There are still after comic books but rather than spending money they’re trading corn and other canned goods. A murder in the beginning is treated rather casually like an infraction of store rules.
My issue is the episode feels like it just comes to a stop. I don’t expect them to fix everything but the ending felt abrupt to me. We never get a really good understanding of why people have just accepted that the world is like this now all the sudden. Not really a tease of more to come but more of an ironic ending.
Despite that Spoiler Alert: Gary Dies is a solid enough beginning to a new show. It was a good enough taste that I want to see more.
