Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Imaginative, witty Big Bang spin-off has violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe
What's the Story?
Something happened at CalTech: The Big Bang Theory's Leonard, Howard, and Sheldon built "some kind of quantum entanglement thingy" that malfunctioned, sending the universe into a dark apocalypse. But all is not lost: Stuart (Kevin Sussman), Bert (Brian Posehn), Denise (Lauran Lapkus) and Barry (John Ross Bowie) are able to find the machine and use it to move into parallel universes; alas, STUART FAILS TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE in each episode.
Is It Any Good?
High-concept, imaginative and littered with guest stars from The Big Bang Theory universe, this wild spin-off is good weird fun. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe's setup lends itself nicely to an episodic show: in each outing, Stuart, Bert, Denise and Barry are rocketed to at least one new universe, providing opportunities aplenty for both hijinks and mayhem. In one universe, magic is real and Bert is some kind of Ur-wizard; in another, an AI obelisk floating in space has implanted devices in every human's neck that gives painful electrical shocks if they express anger. And so on. The worlds are entertainingly wacky, Rick-and-Morty-style, and our main foursome is enjoyable to hang out with, by turns sardonic and supportive.
Abundant surprise guest stars add fan service-y pleasures as well, playing in-universe versions of the characters they played on The Big Bang Theory that are often ironic good fun: Penny (Kaley Cuoco) turns up as an ass-kicking rebel force leader; Dr. Beverly Hofstadter (Christine Baranski) stars in an intro video for a 1984-ish government reeducation center. What's not as wonderful: Stuart is as bro-down as The Big Bang Theory ever was, and though Lapkus is a delight as Denise, it's hard to shake the feeling that she's cast as "the girl" in a narrative that mostly revolves around guys, particularly since her overarching series dilemma is whether or not to get with Stuart. But if such quibbles don't bother viewers, they're apt to be carried along with the fun and meta-commentary on a dearly departed sitcom reanimated for an ironic new parallel-universe existence.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is different from and alike The Big Bang Theory. Is the humor similar? What about the characters? Did the showrunners take advantage of appearing on a cable network to add more sex, language, and violence?
Spin-offs are shows that contain characters and/or situations from other shows, in a new dramatic/comedic production. What spinoffs can you name? Can you think of any successful ones? What about unsuccessful? Are there any spin-offs more popular than the original show?
Episodic TV shows have self-contained stories: You can watch one episode and enjoy it without needing to follow an overarching storyline. Is Stuart Fails to Save the Universe an episodic show? What elements make it episodic? Are there any season-long arcs in this show?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 23, 2026
- Cast : Kevin Sussman , Brian Posehn , Lauren Lapkus
- Network : Max
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Dystopia
- TV rating :
- Last updated : July 22, 2026
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