Posted in: HBO, Max, TV | Tagged: stuart fails to save the universe, The Big Bang Theory

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Creators on Why Show Goes Sci-Fi

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe creators Bill Prady and Zak Penn break down the multiple inspirations behind The Big Bang Theory spinoff.

If the premise of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe seems a bit far-fetched compared to the mothership series The Big Bang Theory, you're not alone, since the original Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady-created series is set in contemporary time, and there are no signs of any pending apocalypse. The two, along with co-creator Zak Penn, clarified the show's context. The series stars fan favorite Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom, an ever-humble comic book shop owner who's been a TBBT mainstay recurring character since season two, is the reluctant hero tasked, as the title suggests, to save the universe after an encounter with his alternate self who sets him on his journey, thanks to a transdimensional device from Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki), and Howard (Simon Helberg). He isn't alone as he's joined by the love of his life, Denise (Lauren Lapkus), Caltech geologist Bert (Brian Posehn), and plasma physicist/string theorist Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie) as they help him on his journey. Prady and Penn spoke with TV Line to clarify where the series fits within the TBBT paradigm.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Creators Bill Prady and Zak Penn on Series Inspirations & More

As far as the setting of the TBBT spinoff, "We start in an alternate universe, but it would be contemporaneous with a continuous timeline, so it picks up years after [the events of 'The Big Bang Theory']," Prady said. "We start in the wrong world with instructions on how to set things right. That is the mission. [They're] coming from another parallel universe, although this scene exists in two different episodes. One is from these guys' point of view, and then one's from the point of view of them later in the timeline. So this is the first version of it, and then there's a second version where a later version of them pops in and sees this version of them."

When it comes to devising the formula and structure, "We're just trying to keep it simple, you know?" Penn said. Adds Prady, "There's an Alfred Hitchcock quality to this. Hitchcock loved putting ordinary people as the protagonists — somebody who is completely unfit for the task. Think about 'North by Northwest.' He's an ad man who winds up in this action situation. It's taking people who are absolutely the wrong people, and absolutely unprepared," explaining the series is a cobbled mix of "Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Big Bang Theory, and Hitchcock mashup." For more on the creators insisting that Stuart isn't season 13 of TBBT, why they chose to go in that direction, why it's a show that Sheldon would watch, getting a chance to explore the former supporting characters in the spotlight, and more, you can check out the entire interview. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe premieres on HBO Max on July 23rd.

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