HBO Max Is Quietly Releasing The Most Bizarrely Good Sci-Fi Spinoff Of The Year
If you’re considering characters for potential The Big Bang Theory spinoffs, you’d probably have perpetual sad-sack Stuart (Kevin Sussman) pretty low on your list. The comic book store owner was friends with the main gang, and though fans warmed to him, he never seemed to get much love from the writers, who had him failing over and over again to find the romance he was desperate for. Stuart was often moving backwards, but he did get a happy ending as he was paired off with the assistant manager of his shop, Denise (Lauren Lapkus) But it’s time for Stuart to have the spotlight, in a 10-episode sci-fi adventure series on HBO Max. Given his aptitude for fumbling, it makes sense that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe would be the title of his show.
This isn’t the first spinoff to come from The Big Bang Theory universe. The wildly successful Young Sheldon aired for seven seasons, and it garnered its own spinoff, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, which premieres its third season later this year. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is, however, the most exciting.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe thrusts Stuart and fellow former side characters Denise, friend Bert (Brian Posehn), and friendly rival Barry (John Ross Bowie) into the forefront. Again, it’s a bold choice, given that if you Google “is Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” the first keyword that follows is “real.” Yet the show is not only real, but a genuine delight. These performers clearly relish the opportunity to inhabit these characters again. Sussman and Lapkus have an effortless chemistry that makes their love story a joy to watch, while Posehn and Bowie deliver exceptionally reliable comic relief.
As you can likely glean from the title, the universe is in trouble. Stuart still owns his comic book shop, but the apocalypse is in full swing. Food is hard to come by, crime is everywhere, and giant, man-eating moths are ready to strike at any moment. Another version of Stuart travels to Stuart’s universe to tell him that the end of times can be reversed, and that he’s the only one that can do it. From then, Stuart and friends go on a multiverse-hopping adventure in a quest to save the world. For sticklers of accuracy regarding time-space continuums, you’ll have to put that aside to enjoy this. As the show says on numerous occasions, none of it makes any sense. That’s very much part of the show’s charm.
It must be said, as the show is releasing weekly: the first episode is a tough sit. It’s sluggishly paced, the characters feel undercooked, and nary a joke lands. It sets a bad precedent, but it’s worth sticking with the show: every episode that follows is a joy as the universe Stuart is destined to save becomes clearer. There’s a clever format where each episode takes them to a different world giving the cast and writers a lot to play with. In one episode, Stuart and co will be taken to a primitive village where the concept of monogamy is a foreign one. In another, their ancestors are cows. It’s a show that’s unafraid to take a big swing, and thankfully, almost all of them land.
The gang finds themselves in a dystopian universe.
HBO Max
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe could have played it safe, relying on the countless fans of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon to flock to it. Despite building a comfortable empire, Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady aren’t resting on their laurels. Along with co-creator Zack Penn, they’ve created something that’s anything but safe. This is an outlandish, genre-bending experience that builds upon its own outrageousness in inventive and exciting ways. There are also a constant stream of gags, including an opening credits scene that gets increasingly silly with each episode, and some delightful cameos I’m not yet at liberty to discuss, but they’re all purposeful and never feel like empty fan service. It’s a relief to see a show this adventurous, complete with satisfying character dynamics and cheesy visual effects that fit the quirky atmosphere perfectly.
Television has gotten increasingly bloated, which has led to shows that feel too long, weighed down by unsatisfying plotlines. That’s not the case with Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which has 10 episodes, some as short as 15 minutes long. That might seem like laziness, but it actually ensures a bloat-free experience (except for an overlong first episode). If a story can be told in 18 minutes, why take 30? That seems to be the ethos the writers have taken here, and it’s a novel decision that allows all of the show’s wacky ideas a chance to shine without wearing out their welcome.
This is a show that marches entirely to the beat of its own larger-than-life drum. It’s sometimes hyperviolent, sometimes giddily absurd, and always totally itself. It takes its time to get going, but if you keep with it, you’ll get a delightful surprise that’s worlds removed from The Big Bang Theory, an endeavor that boldly goes where few have gone before.
