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

"Stuart" Team on Why Barry Kripke Addition Has "Lost in Space" Vibes

The team behind HBO Max's Stuart Fails to Save the Universe explains why Barry Kripke is like the show's Dr. Smith from Lost in Space.

When The Big Bang Theory creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady conceived of the sequel series spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe alongside Zak Penn, it was originally supposed to be a trio of comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman), the love of his life, Denise (Lauren Lapkus), and Caltech geologist Bert Kibbler (Brian Posehn). Four months later, they tapped John Ross Bowie to reprise his role as plasma physicist and string theorist Barry Kripke, serving as a smarmy foil to the group, similar to his role on TBBT as a foil to Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki). Lorre, Penn, Bowie, and Posehn spoke to Deadline about why Kripke was brought in and how it was inspired in part by the 1965 Irwin Allen-created sci-fi series Lost in Space

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Creators Chuck Lorre and Zak Penn and Star John Ross Bowie on Why Barry Kripke is the Series Version of Lost in Space's Dr. Zachary Smith

"Bill said, we need a Dr. Zachary Smith from Lost in Space, we need an antagonistic character, and Kripke is perfect for it," Penn said. "He didn't have to convince us; we were like, oh yeah, good point." Dr. Smith, played by Jonathan Harris in all three seasons of the CBS series, was a stowaway on the Robinson family spaceship Jupiter 2 who sabotaged the ship and is always on edge with Lt. Col John Robinson (Guy Williams) and Major Don West (Mark Goddard), but manages to stay with the crew because of his bond with John's son, Will (Bill Mumy).

"John is a brilliant comic actor, and we had a rock-solid cast of great comic actors, adding John as well," Lorre said. Added Bowie when he read about the initial news, "I saw the announcement — I think in your esteemed publication — that they were doing the show with the three of them, I allowed myself 36-48 hours of self-pity, and then figured, you know, they'll find something for me to do. I know all those guys; Kripke will come back in some form or another. So I was beyond thrilled when they called me up and said, no, we've actually kind of reconceived the show so that you're sort of the Dr. Smith from 'Lost in Space.' And I was like, oh, I totally get that reference, I'm all in, sign me up. I was really, really excited to get to work with these guys, all of whom I've known for years, long before the show even started. I met Brian right after I moved to L.A. in 2002, and I was already a fan of his work. So it's been really exciting to be part of this."

Upon hearing the news that Bowie was on board, "I was so stoked for him when I found out that they added him, and then it also made total sense," Posehn said. "It's like, well, yeah, what else were they gonna play off of? He's perfect for any comedy." Stuart Fails to Save the Universe premieres on July 23rd on HBO Max with new episodes streaming on Thursdays.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!