‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ Season 1 Review
Throughout The Big Bang Theory, Stuart (Kevin Sussman) struggled to save his comic book store, his bank account, his relationships, or simply whatever remained of his dignity after spending another evening with people who were considerably more successful than him. He existed somewhere between a recurring character and an unofficial member of the group, always close enough to the main characters but rarely important enough to become the center of the story. Now we have Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, but it isn’t just a sequel to the popular series. Instead, we see this universe being turned from a sitcom into a genuine science fiction story.
In season one of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Stuart accidentally damages a quantum-interference device originally built by our lovable geeks, destabilizing reality and creating a multiversal disaster that he must somehow help fix. Along for the ride are Denise (Lauren Lapkus), Bert (Brian Posehn), and Kripke (John Ross Bowie). These three characters, who would have once been standing somewhere around the edges of a Big Bang Theory episode, are now dealing with problems that change everything that happened in the last 12 seasons.
[Warning: Spoilers from Stuart Fails to Save the Universe are below!]
Stuart Fails to Save The Universe is a multiversal spinoff
The most important thing to understand about Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is that this isn’t a “canonical” continuation of The Big Bang Theory. Even with some of its crazier events, the original series was really down-to-earth and never explored “impossible” sci-fi scenarios. The original series spent years talking about superheroes, alternate dimensions, time travel, artificial intelligence, fantasy worlds, and practically every corner of geek culture imaginable, but those things almost always remained exactly that… fiction.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is purely that—a fictional spin-off that acts as its own separate universe. The results of that decision are really chaotic, and not all of it works in the end. Yet, surprisingly, the showrunners find a way around this problem by understanding that alternate realities are not interesting simply because they allow characters and actors to appear again. They are interesting when they tell us something about the characters and their decisions.
The decision to not bring two main characters from The Big Bang Theory and replace them with additional cast members works because you put Stuart at the center of this chaos. But it also feels a little sloppy and lazy at times. Stuart reacts more like an ordinary person who accidentally wandered into somebody else’s science fiction movie would. He doesn’t look like someone destined to save reality. He just wants to go home and pray that all of it was just a bad “trip.”
Stuart is someone who was supposed to close the comic book store fifteen minutes ago and somehow ended up fighting for the survival of existence. The absurdity of this show is getting bigger with each episode, but ultimately the one thing that’s hurt by it so far, is the story itself.
Comparing the characters with The Big Bang Theory
That brings us to what ultimately matters more than monsters, portals, or alternate dimensions, and those are the characters themselves. On The Big Bang Theory, Stuart was miserable, and all of it worked for the character because it wasn’t a big part of the show but more like an episode of his entire story arc. He would casually mention sleeping in the comic book store, struggling financially, or experiencing some deeply uncomfortable problems, and then the episode would move on.
Stuart’s defining characteristic was failure. His store struggled, his romantic life struggled, and his confidence barely existed. Even when something good happened to him, there was usually a joke or a tragedy waiting around the corner to remind him that happiness was temporary. But when you place that same person inside a story about the end of reality, something changes.
Denise is an essential part of Stuart’s life. All because she actually understands Stuart’s world. She is definitely one of the characters in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe who cares for Stuart, wants to do everything to keep him happy, and doesn’t want to gain anything from being kind to him.
Bert is another character who I never thought would become the center of the story. The famous geologist was always one of those recurring characters who could make an episode funnier because we knew they would always make fun of him one way or another. But he rarely received enough space to become anything beyond the joke of a physically intimidating man with an unexpectedly gentle personality.
Barry Kripke might be the character that evolved the most through the series. He was always the most irritating guy. Turning an antagonist into one of your main characters is a hard job to do. But you know, Kripke can still be Kripke. He can be annoying, selfish, and difficult, but now we get to see what happens when those qualities exist within a group that actually needs him and cares for him.
Final thoughts on Stuart Fails to Save The Universe season 1
There are countless reasons why Stuart Fails to Save the Universe shouldn’t work, and very often it doesn’t. It is a spin-off built around supporting characters from a sitcom that ended seven years ago. When you think about it, it would be better to create a comic book instead of this show.
But the one thing that this show makes really work is Kevin Sussman‘s Stuart. It shows us a different side of his character and proves that the greatest moments in his life were never actually failures.
The comic book store nearly destroyed him financially, but he kept opening it and earned money. His relationships went terribly wrong, but he kept trying and ended up with Denise, and they’re happy. His friends occasionally treated him as a comic relief, but he kept showing up and gained their respect and friendship. Life repeatedly gave Stuart reasons to disappear into the background, and somehow he was still standing there when The Big Bang Theory reached its final season.
For twelve seasons, The Big Bang Theory told us that Stuart was the guy who couldn’t catch a break. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe finally asks whether surviving all those failures might have been preparing him for something bigger.
Even though it’s an alternate universe story, it still has a lot to offer. Especially when we visit other worlds that are directly connected to comic books from DC, Marvel, and other iconic worlds. You can see that their knowledge and comic books help everyone, but not much else. Ultimately, it’s the type of show that is okay, but it doesn’t necessarily work in the way it was intended to.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe season 1 is now streaming on HBO Max. Season 2 has already been greenlit and is set for release on the streaming series on September 3, 2027.
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