The Big Bang Theory Breaks Its 19-Year Winning Character Formula For Its Sequel Show

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The Big Bang Theory franchise continues its prominence on network TV. After Young Sheldon‘s seven-year run, Lorre and his team didn’t waste time following it up with another spinoff — Montana Jordan and Emily Osment’s Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, which also takes place in the ’90s. Because of how removed these period shows are from the shenanigans of the original friend group, however, there remains clamor for a modern The Big Bang Theory offshoot. No one from the Pasadena-based crew has returned on the small screen since the flagship wrapped, except Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik for the Young Sheldon finale’s flashforward scene.

This is all about to change when Lorre premieres the very first The Big Bang Theory sequel story via Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Marking Kevin Sussman’s first leading role as the awkward but beloved comic book shop owner in the mothership, Stuart Bloom, the follow-up comedy is an exciting way to expand the franchise. The success of Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, not to mention the flagship, puts pressure on this new endeavor to also make a mark. But instead of playing it safe, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is taking major risks, including breaking away from a 19-year winning formula for Lorre.

Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Is The First TBBT Franchise Show To Have A “Normal” Lead

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Bringing back Sussman as Stuart to lead his own show fits with Lorre’s well-established loyalty when it comes to actors. Throughout his history of creating shows, he has had a habit of recruiting the same actors, giving them bigger roles after initially playing supporting ones. That was the case for Lance Barber, who first debuted on The Big Bang Theory as Leonard’s bully, Jimmy Speckerman, and then went on to play the beloved George Cooper on Young Sheldon.

Sussman spearheading the first The Big Bang Theory sequel story may be a head-scratcher for some. After all, he wasn’t part of the flagship’s main cast. But being a familiar but not fully explored character makes him the perfect lead for this new era for the franchise.

This is especially vital when one considers that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe veers from Lorre’s main character approach for his The Big Bang Theory franchise shows. Stuart is its first plain protagonist in nearly two decades. The Big Bang Theory had the socially-awkward scientists of Pasadena, Young Sheldon had boy genius Sheldon, and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage had the tire whisperer and gifted entrepreneur, Georgie. Stuart is just Stuart. There is nothing extraordinary about him — at least based on how he was portrayed on the original comedy.

To be clear, this isn’t a knock on Sussman or Stuart; if anything, this is a good combination for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. As Lorre plays outside the established tropes of The Big Bang Theory franchise, the fact that long-time fans of the original series are familiar with Stuart will make it easier to convince them to at least check out the new show. Of course, there will always be hopes to see the main Pasadena gang back on the screen, but as the unofficial eighth member of the group and its most prominent recurring star, he is the best character to spearhead a sequel show.

Why Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Is TBBT’s Most Exciting Spinoff Thus Far

Nearly two decades since the world of The Big Bang Theory was born, the franchise has gone through a lot of changes since then. That said, its backbone remains the same — its characters. While Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is bucking its lead trend by having a plain titular player, it sets up a unique storytelling message for the series.

Per the sequel’s synopsis, Stuart is tasked to restore reality after accidentally breaking a device that Sheldon and Leonard created to preserve it. Sussman’s character was one of the very few non-science players on The Big Bang Theory, which means that he’s unqualified for such an enormous task. Unfortunately for him, he has no choice but to make sure to fix what’s broken, especially since the universe’s fate depends on it. This sets up a compelling hero’s story, as the comedy showcases his best traits, and maybe even some concepts he learned from comics over the years, to rectify the situation.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will expand The Big Bang Theory franchise’s representation of unlikely heroes. All three previous shows in the universe have focused on socially-inept but gifted characters. This time, Lorre shines a light on people who don’t feel particularly special in any way and proves that their stories are still worth telling.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is expected to stream on HBO Max in 2026.