Stuart Saves the Universe: Producers on Pulling Off the Unconventional Big Bang Theory Spinoff

As his megahit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory prepared to end its run, Chuck Lorre came up with a wild pitch for a spinoff. Not the prequel Young Sheldon, which was already on the air and doing well. No, Lorre had something even more fantastical in mind: a spinoff that would take place in the comic book store in Pasadena, California, where the main characters of the show hang out. The catch: the spinoff would not feature any of the main characters from The Big Bang Theory, but rather Stuart, the manager of the comic book store, played by Kevin Sussman.

According to Lorre, the idea for the spinoff was met with skepticism by network executives and producers. No one really liked the idea, Lorre admits. Despite this, Lorre was determined to make the spinoff happen. He brought in Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady and sci-fi-comic expert Zak Penn to help develop the concept and write the script. The two writers were tasked with creating a spinoff that would be unlike any other spinoff seen on TV. Lorre wanted it to be a comedy-science fiction mashup, with plenty of action and adventure.

Years later, Lorre, Penn, and Prady finally came up with a spinoff pitch that secured a greenlight from Warner Bros. TV and HBO Max. The result is the 10-episode HBO Max series Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which premieres July 23 on the platform. The show takes place in a multiverse, where Stuart and his friends bounce through different dimensions after a quantum interference device malfunctions. In this new alt-reality, Stuart and his comic book pals contend with alternate, uniquely dangerous versions of the shop and its Pasadena environs.

The show features plenty of Easter eggs for Big Bang Theory fans, including cameos from beloved characters like Wil Wheaton as himself. However, the show is not just for fans of the show; it is a standalone series with its own unique style and tone. For one thing, it features plenty of gunshots, explosions, and a high, gruesome body count. At one point during production, Sussman and fellow actor Lauren Lapkus were latched onto cables and hoisted to the ceiling of a Warner Bros. soundstage. And then they were dropped. Beneath them, huge industrial fans were blowing to make it look like they were plummeting through a void.

With its special effects, travel through space and time, and bloody deaths along the way, Stuart is living up to Lorre's desire to make it one of the most unusual TV spinoffs of all time. For one thing, the VFX costs on Stuart were unlike anything Lorre had previously spent on any of his other shows. However, the producers figured out a way to make the series work, and they even brought the show in under budget. The show was filmed in Los Angeles, thanks to the state of California tax credit, which allowed the production to hire a top-tier crew who could pull off the show's stunts and effects on a dime.

The show's writers and producers are quick to point out that the science behind the show is legit. According to Prady, that moment happened in the prime universe, but there is no episode that takes place of these 10 in the prime universe. So is it canon? It's multiverse canon, he says. Lorre retorts with a joke: Don't poke at it too much!

The series features plenty of cameos from Big Bang Theory players, including Lauren Lapkus, Brian Posehn, and John Ross Bowie. However, the series is not just for Big Bang fans. According to Sussman, the show has something for everyone. It's a huge risk in terms of doing something completely different, but on the other side, it is still Chuck Lorre, and it is based on beloved IP. I love that he took such a big swing, because I don't want to have to be compared to the original multi-cam, he says.

One element familiar to Lorre sitcom fans is back: his famed vanity cards. At the end of each episode, Lorre takes the opportunity to converse with his viewers. As he makes clear at the end of Episode 2: Throughout the making of SFTSTY, my mantra was Go crazy or go home. As you can see, I didn't go home.

Despite the show's unconventional premise and format, the producers are confident that it will be a hit. According to Penn, we're creating something that's both a spinoff and a standalone series. We're not just appealing to Big Bang Theory fans, but also people who love sci-fi and comedy. The show is a true test of whether audiences are ready for something new and different.