‘Stuart Fails To Save The Universe’ Stars Kevin Sussman & Lauren Lapkus Talk Sci-Fi ‘Big Bang’ Spinoff With “Reluctant Hero” At Center & Romance
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- "Stuart Fails To Save The Universe" premieres on HBO Max July 23 with weekly episodes, becoming the third Big Bang Theory spinoff after CBS's Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage — and the first to air on a streamer.
- Kevin Sussman headlines as Stuart, a "reluctant hero" tasked with preventing a multiverse Armageddon he accidentally triggered by breaking a device built by Sheldon and Leonard; Lauren Lapkus co-stars as Denise, his comic-book-store girlfriend from the mothership's final two seasons.
- Both Sussman and Lapkus said the spinoff caught them completely off guard, with Sussman noting the lead role "was not on my bingo card" and Lapkus saying she never expected Big Bang to "come back around" for her character.
- The show shifts from Big Bang's traditional multi-camera, live-audience format to single-camera, which Sussman says enables a more intimate development of Stuart and Denise's relationship than the original sitcom allowed.
- Supporting cast includes Brian Posehn as Bert and John Ross Bowie as Kripke, with Lapkus describing Denise as the grounded voice — the "feminine energy" — keeping the men focused amid post-apocalyptic chaos.
- The Stuart–Denise romance wasn't part of the original pitch, according to Lapkus, who said the relationship "naturally builds" as the characters navigate the sci-fi storyline rather than being written in from the start.
Why it matters: The spinoff gives a seven-year-late promotion to Kevin Sussman and Lauren Lapkus, both of whom were recurring Big Bang players, marking a rare move where supporting sitcom actors get a streaming lead rather than a network follow-up. With CBS retaining Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy while this branch lands on HBO Max, the Big Bang franchise is now split across broadcast and streaming for the first time.
