Stuart Fails To Save The Universe cast and creators tease alternate worlds and wild stakes during recent press conference.
The beloved universe of The Big Bang Theory is expanding into uncharted cosmic territory with its highly anticipated spin-off, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, premiering July 23 on HBO Max. Shifting from the traditional multi-cam format to a single-camera setup, the new series centers on Stuart Bloom, the comic book store owner who finds a portal in his back room leading to an infinite number of alternate dimensions.
Mama’s Geeky recently attended a virtual press conference hosted by moderator Kate Hahn of TV Guide Magazine and TV Insider to get an exclusive inside look at the series.
The panel featured executive producers Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Zak Penn, alongside returning stars Kevin Sussman (Stuart), Lauren Lapkus (Denise), John Ross Bowie (Kripke), and Brian Posehn (Bert). During the lively discussion, the team teased what fans can expect from this genre-bending sitcom, including a completely unique, changing theme song by Danny Elfman, surprising multiversal iterations of original Big Bang Theory characters, and whether a background knowledge of the original flagship show is required to enjoy Stuart’s new, chaotic adventures.
Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Press Conference Highlights
What motivated the decision to expand the story into the multiverse, and what is the secret to blending sci-fi with sitcom humor?
CHUCK LORRE: It began about, I’d say around 12 years ago—10, 12 years ago. I remember it as the last season of Big Bang… I had this idea that Stuart, in the comic bookstore, there was a portal in the back room to other universes. And I’ve always wanted to work in a bigger genre than what we were doing in front of an audience… As far as the melding of it with comedy is concerned; something’s funny or it’s not. And all the special effects and computer graphics cannot make something that’s not funny, funny.
Did your real-life experience working in a comic bookstore help prepare you for this role?
KEVIN SUSSMAN: Nothing could help prepare for this role… in The Big Bang Theory it was very helpful because in that, unlike this, in a lot of it I was in the background. And so that’s the hardest thing to do when you have, you know, little to do in a scene but you’re there on stage, so I always just did what I did at the comic bookstore: took inventory.
The legendary Danny Elfman did the theme song. What prompted that idea?
CHUCK LORRE: It was a phone call. I called his manager and I said, “I know the answer is no, but would Danny consider…” you know, once we explain to him what we’re doing, “would he consider conjuring up a theme song?” And he killed it.
Is Stuart a failure just because he fails to save the universe, or can we cut him some slack?
KEVIN SUSSMAN: Yeah, cut the guy some slack. That’s not the only reason he’s a failure. I mean he owns a comic bookstore for crying out loud. He’s a multi-level failure.
How did it feel playing the different storylines and exploring different dimensions of Stuart and Denise’s relationship?
LAUREN LAPKUS: I loved it because I felt like we were able to get to another level that, you know, you wouldn’t get to on a multi-cam sitcom, like it was, there was some depth to the relationship and they of course are going through such extreme situations that their relationship grows through that.
LAUREN LAPKUS: Yeah, yeah, which was also very cool because then we’re talking about, like, in the first episode you find me in the post-apocalyptic world. But then in the second episode I’ve been living in the sort of happy… fake happy. And so, then I’m like breaking out of that.
Which universe was the most exciting for you to enter?
BILL PRADY: I like the ones, I liked The Asylum and I liked the last episode because they’re puzzles. Because what’s being presented is dishonest and you sort of have to figure out what’s going on.
Does the high-stakes comedy place these characters on a razor’s edge?
BILL PRADY: Get Smart is a cool pull, because Get Smart works because the characters are comedic characters, but the peril is real. I mean, he was facing death for you.
JOHN ROSS BOWIE: What was the phrase you used? Was it ‘the mundane and the miraculous?’ There’s a contrast that runs through a lot of the episodes where crazy things are going on, but we still have our weird little petty grievances… No, but that kind of like, giving these incredible life and death stakes to your very first question, giving these life and death stakes to these comedic characters is really fun to play.
What would Sheldon and Leonard like best about the show if they were watching it?
BILL PRADY: They would argue about it. We talked about this. This is the kind of show that they would watch and argue about. I think they would like the science fiction puzzle aspect of it.
CHUCK LORRE: But they’d pick it apart. Absolutely, pick it apart, yeah.
What expectations do you have that viewers need prior knowledge of The Big Bang Theory?
BILL PRADY: We realized when we started into this that you didn’t have to have knowledge of Big Bang Theory, that the characters introduce themselves, you understand, and because the situation, there’s no part of the situation that carries forward.
Do you still have surprising encounters with global fans?
BRIAN POSEHN: I was on a mountain in Tokyo looking at monkeys two months ago, and a family from India could not be more happy to see me, Bert, on the monkey mountain… And monkeys are running around. There’s like a monkey right there hanging from a tree, and they wanted a picture of me.
JOHN ROSS BOWIE: Similar monkey story in Costa Rica. I’m right by a bunch of monkeys. Somebody wants a picture of me, and I said, ‘there are monkeys in that tree. We’re in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.’ But they want a picture with Kripke. Yeah, the global phenomenon of the show never fails to amaze me.
What makes the Big Bang universe so fertile for different kinds of comedy?
CHUCK LORRE: For me, the Big Bang universe is about outliers. Despite enormous, sophisticated scientific minds, they were incompetent in the real world. They were helpless around a woman… Aside from Sheldon, they wanted to participate but didn’t know how. And to me, that’s universal.
How did you balance nostalgia with creating a completely new universe for the audience?
CHUCK LORRE: No, we wanted this show to stand on its own… Yes, it would be wonderful if the fans from the Big Bang Theory tune in and check it out. Great. But it shouldn’t exclude anyone.
Why was the word “Fails” so important to the title?
CHUCK LORRE: Yeah, it’s kind of wonderful to title the show with the spoiler.
About Stuart Fails To Save The Universe
Comic book store 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 ten-episode season debuts THURSDAY, JULY 23 at 9:00 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes will debut subsequent Thursdays.
