“The Big Bang Theory‘s” Stuart Bloom may not have saved the universe, but he certainly saved San Diego Comic-Con.
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HBO Max’s upcoming spinoff “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” gave fans a sneak peak of the first episode ahead of its release Thursday night. Felicia Day hosted a panel with Kevin Sussman, who reprises his “Big Bang Theory” role as Stuart; Lauren Lapkus, who plays Denise; John Ross Bowie, who plays Kripke; and Brian Posehn, who plays Bert. Also at the panel were Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn and Bill Prady, the show’s co-creators, executive producers and writers.
The first episode featured several surprise appearances from members of “The Big Bang Theory” cast, and Prady teased fans can expect more throughout the season, including smaller characters returning for the spinoff. “The Big Bang Theory” hosted several panels throughout the years at San Diego Comic-Con, making it a fan-favorite among attendees. “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” marked the franchise’s return after the main series concluded in 2019.
This is the first show of the “Big Bang Theory” franchise to use a single camera format instead of the four-camera sitcom model. “The four-camera audience show is putting on a play every week, and beyond sitting on a couch and talking to one another, there’s not a lot you can do. As you just saw, I wanted to do a lot. The simple solution to that was to shoot it like a movie,” Lorre said at the panel. Jim Lee from DC Comics also made a guest appearance at the panel to talk about his cover art for the exclusive comic book for “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.”
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Per the show’s logline, “comic bookstore owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon. Stuart is aided in this quest by his girlfriend Denise, geologist friend Bert, and quantum physicist/all-around pain in the ass Barry Kripke. Along the way, they meet alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love from ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ As the title implies, things don’t go well.”
The series is produced by Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, and Kyle Newacheck executive produces and directed multiple episodes. New episodes will release weekly on Thursdays at 6 p.m. PT.
“Stuart Saves the Universe” is the fourth series to join the “Big Bang Theory” universe. The namesake show ran for 12 seasons on CBS and was followed by its prequel, “Young Sheldon,” which ran for seven seasons. A spinoff of that show, “George & Mandy’s First Marriage,” was just renewed for its third season.
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