Published Jul 24, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History.
Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews.
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Stuart Fails to Save the Universe may be a spin-off of The Big Bang Theory, but the show takes place in several different realities, some of which are more familiar than others. The Big Bang Theory became one of the most popular sitcom shows on TV when it began airing in 2007, but the show ended in 2019, leaving the fate of several characters open-ended.
However, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe gives voice to one of the more minor characters from the show who had a consistent presence in TBBT, but never really stood out as the focus. That is, of course, Stuart Bloom, as played by Kevin Sussman, who appeared in 84 of the total 279 episodes of the original series.
Stuart is an unassuming comic book shop owner, and in the spin-off, the character is thrown into a wild adventure that will see him explore different realities to save his own world from an apocalyptic disaster. But, before getting stuck into the new series, it’s worth considering whether the world that this Stuart is from is the same one as the original TBBT gang, and if their fate is to eventually witness the collapse of civilization as we know it.
The answer to this question comes from an interview with Sussman himself, who spoke to Radio Times about his approach to starring in this series and returning to the role of Stuart Bloom. When discussing the challenges of playing the character, Sussman had this to say:
“Technically, it’s not the same Stuart. It’s Stuart, so it really is a technicality because it’s Stuart, but it’s sort of Stuart has shifted a little, in a way, his character. Technically, there’s all these different multiverses, but the one Stuart we discover throughout all of them is the one in the apocalypse world. So technically, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is about not the Stuart from Big Bang Theory, but Stuart from a parallel universe.”
Evidently, this is not the Stuart, or indeed the universe that fans of The Big Bang Theory will be familiar with, but the characters are largely parallel, with similar behaviors, ideas, and roles. For instance, it appears that the Stuart in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe still owns a comic book shop despite the world falling into a widespread apocalypse.
That being said, there is also room for this story to evolve and intertwine with the original characters, due to the fact that Stuart ends up traveling through different realities in an effort to save his home. Though if the show’s title is anything to go by, it seems like this may not go according to plan.
In the same interview, Sussman shared an exciting detail about what we can expect to see in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe when he continued the previous quote by saying, “Although he gets visited by the Stuart from The Big Bang Theory.”
This means that Sussman got the chance to reprise his original character, but it could also point to either the original universe being in trouble, or it could suggest that the unassuming Stuart who is a recurring character in The Big Bang Theory is actually a hero who saved the universe and is now sharing that knowledge with another version of himself who could have the same fate.
It’s not entirely clear which of these two outcomes is true, or if neither are true, but at the very least, it is worth noting that the Stuart starring in this show is different, and the original character will show up in the series. Which also paves the way for some other interesting crossovers to happen throughout the show’s run.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe being a show about the multiverse, and seeing characters jump from one reality to the next opens the door for this show to be as creative, quirky, and experimental as they wish. Not only can they make massive swings that dismantle the world and the story around them, but they can travel to other realities, which could hint at a major crossover down the line.
It seems highly likely that in addition to DC crossovers in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which have been confirmed, there will be plenty of other cameos from the original cast. And with that, it’s very possible that this show could collide and crossover with the world of the original show, and see the entire core gang return to their beloved roles.
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