Stuart Fails to Save the Universe premieres HBO Max July 23

A new science-fiction comedy set within the expansive Big Bang Theory universe premieres Thursday, July 23, 2026, on HBO Max. "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" shifts the focus to the franchise’s beloved underdog, comic book store owner Stuart Bloom, played once again by Kevin Sussman. The series marks a significant departure from its predecessors, with creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Zak Penn opting for a serialized, single-camera format that incorporates R-rated humor, violence, and swearing-elements previously absent from the broadcast network comedies that spawned it.

The show's premise hinges on a multiversal crisis. After Stuart accidentally breaks a device built by Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, he triggers a "multiverse Armageddon." Tasked with restoring reality, Stuart is joined by his girlfriend Denise, played by Lauren Lapkus, geologist friend Bert, played by Brian Posehn, and the antagonistic physicist Barry Kripke, played by John Ross Bowie. The creators have described Kripke's role as analogous to the classic sci-fi villain Dr. Smith from "Lost in Space," providing a source of conflict for the group.

Sussman and Lapkus, both surprised by the...