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Season 1 – Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

Play trailer 1:39 Poster for Season 1 – Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Jul 2026 Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
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.
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Stuart Fails to Save the Universe — Season 1

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe manages to brighten up its franchise through a genre-bending all-things-go sitcom that has the comedic chops to satisfy.

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Critics Reviews

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David Bianculli NPR Aug 12, 2026
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe has no laugh track, and plays like an action-adventure series. But it's relentlessly, inventively funny. Go to Full Review
J. Kelly Nestruck Globe and Mail Jul 30, 2026
It’s hard to get invested in infinite and therefore consequence-free worlds -- and, in terms of the comedy, I only really chuckled at Posehn’s deadpan reactions to each strange new one. Go to Full Review
Ben Dowell The Times (UK) Jul 25, 2026
3/5
Nerds trying to be funny can be wearisome and mildly tragic but there is something engaging in seeing them immerse themselves in the kind of weirdo adventures they enjoy obsessing about. Go to Full Review
Tilly Pearce Radio Times 6 days ago
In the age of the rehash, where prequels, sequels and reboots do little more than tweak what has come before, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe feels genuinely unique Go to Full Review
Madison Scott Mamamia Sep 8, 2026
It's confusing and weird and funny, like your sitcom got the Marvel multiverse treatment. And somehow, it's the most fun viewing experience of my week: every episode flies by. Go to Full Review
Tom Beasley Voice Magazine Aug 13, 2026
3/5
The result is a deeply weird show that is both thrillingly original and disappointingly wedded to the past. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Faris K @RT68823400 1 day ago It's a must watch, i was worried they gonna mess up the cannon tbbt storyline but this is a perfect creative way to stay out of canon still give us back the characters which we once enjoyed so much. I would highly recommend 5/5 stars. See more Aron K @RT67558762 1 day ago I watched the first three episodes of this with my wife and could never get into it. We both like TBBT so we were familiar with the characters and looking forward to some fun stories and a good laugh. The stories are weird and neither of us found this show funny at all. The concept of the side characters becoming the hero is interesting. See more linda F @finnmom 6 days ago I know Big Bang is a hard act to follow. I didn't expect it to be the same. I think they tried something completely unique but it falls short, waaaaay short. It isn't funny or interesting. The only interesting parts were the cameos. I wanted to like this but just couldn't. I watched the whole season hoping it would find its groove but it never did. I will not be watching the next season, if there is one. See more Kelli J @TheSharpPetal 6 days ago Just not funny, unless you like juvenile/toilet humor. Husband says the concepts are interesting but agrees it isn't that funny. For him, it isn't required to be funny and as a boy, he likes the sophomoric humor. See more Firuza Q @RT26541493 Oct 9, 2026 People calling this show a cash grab missed the whole point. The Big Bang Theory was about geniuses; this show is about the guy who always stood next to them. Stuart was the background character, the lonely comic book store owner with no big career and no grand purpose, the one everyone forgot about. And that's exactly why his story matters. Because in the end, it's the brilliant minds who build the quantum interference device that puts the entire multiverse at risk, and it's the "ordinary loser" who steps up to save it. That's the whole message of the show: you can't judge a person by their cover, or a life by how small it looks from the outside. For anyone who's ever felt like a side character in their own life, this one is for you. See more Diletta R @Diletta122 Oct 8, 2026 Being a sci-fi comedy spin-off starring four (not particularly interesting) supporting characters from a hugely successful sitcom can't be easy. In fact, the concept behind this new series is so absurd that, right up until the release of the first episode, I kept thinking that all the news about its production was just a hoax. What I appreciated most is precisely its originality: the attempt to capitalize on our nostalgia for TBBT while offering something fresh and innovative. It's not funny, and perhaps that's a problem for a show that aspires to be a comedy. I like the intro and that is definitely a quirk of mine. See more Read all reviews
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jul 23, 2026 Spoiler: Gary Dies After breaking a quantum-interference device, comic book store owner Stuart Bloom must save the universe from imminent destruction. Details Episode 2 Aired Jul 30, 2026 Spoiler: Zack's in This One The universe where Stuart, Bert and Kripke have arrived is ruled by an AI that forces everyone to be calm and peaceful, or else a neural chip will give them electric shocks. Details Episode 3 Aired Aug 6, 2026 Spoiler: Bert is Magic Stuart, Bert, Denise and Barry Kripke find themselves in what appears to be an ideal and peaceful Earth - that happens to be controlled by a repressive and vicious AI. Details Episode 4 Aired Aug 13, 2026 Spoiler: Stuart Makes a Wallet 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 collapse. Details Episode 5 Aired Aug 20, 2026 Spoiler: Bert Gets Married The group reaches paradise, where everyone resides in harmony with nature and one another. Bert discovers true love, but the machine breaks down. Details Episode 6 Aired Aug 27, 2026 Spoiler: Corn Is Delicious Bert and Kripke team up; Stuart and Denise reach a major milestone in a universe that seems normal, save for one detail. Details Episode 7 Aired Sep 3, 2026 Spoiler: Dexys Midnight Runners Get a Royalty Payment Stuart, Denise, Bert and Kripke attempt to break into the Caltech lab to steal a new piece of technology, all while shielding their duplicitous thoughts from the inhabitants of a telepathic world; the gang comes face-to-face with some very familiar visitors. Details Episode 8 Aired Sep 10, 2026 Spoiler: We're as Confused as You Are Stuart is thrust into a world in perpetual war and must complete his mission before he and the rest of the gang can flee to safety. Details Episode 9 Aired Sep 17, 2026 Spoiler: We Couldn't Get Green Lantern After finding themselves trapped in a comic book, Stuart, Denise, Bert and Kripke must enlist the help of a superhero. Details Episode 10 Aired Sep 24, 2026 Spoiler: Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience The final push to locate the quantum-interference device and fix reality to prevent the multiverse from collapsing. Details

Season Info

Director
Robert Duncan McNeill, Jonathan Frakes
Executive Producer
Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, Bill Prady
Screenwriter
Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, Bill Prady
Network
HBO Max
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jul 23, 2026
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