The upcoming Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Saves the Universe is going to differ from the other shows in the franchise in one significant way. During an appearance at Banff World Media Festival this week (via Variety), creator Chuck Lorre shared some details about the series, revealing it will feature lots of special effects work. While he didn’t get into many specifics, Lorre spoke about the critical role CGI will play on Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. He’s excited about that prospect since it marks such a drastic departure from what he’s typically worked on over the course of his storied career.
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“There’s a lot of CGI,” Lorre said. “There’s a lot of special technical stuff that — you know, for me in my career, a big production number was two people sitting on a couch, drinking coffee! This is different. This is trying to incorporate some of that world of science fiction/fantasy into a comedy. And I’m completely out of my element, which is what I wanted. Which is what I was hoping to do, something that I had no experience with. And maybe I can learn as we go.”
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is the third spinoff of The Big Bang Theory, following Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. It stars Kevin Sussman as his fan-favorite supporting character, comic book shop owner Stuart Bloom. Rounding out the cast are Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler, Lauren Lapkus as Stuart’s girlfriend Denise, and John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke.
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The title of this Stuart-centric spinoff was unveiled back in March. Though the show is actively in development (Lorre noted that 10 episodes have been written so far), it has yet to officially get the green light for a series order at HBO Max.
The Big Bang Theory was full of references to popular sci-fi and fantasy properties, but that show was always a traditional network sitcom in terms of production scale and scope. It kept things grounded, exploring the relationships between the main characters and how they evolved throughout 12 seasons. Based on Lorre’s tease, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is going to shake up the formula in unexpected ways. It sounds like the spinoff is going to work genre elements into the actual plot instead of merely including Easter eggs to things like The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Perhaps the show’s title is literal and the story involves Stuart trying to save the world from some kind of threat. It’ll be interesting to see what Lorre has in mind. Few could have predicted a Big Bang Theory sitcom would rely heavily on visual effects.
If Stuart Fails to Save the Universe ends up being a mashup of sci-fi/fantasy and sitcom, it could end up being a polarizing creative decision. On one hand, it ensures the spinoff won’t be a simple rehash of what’s come before, standing out with a unique premise and approach. However, it’s such a drastic departure from the other series under the Big Bang Theory umbrella that it might be too jarring for long-time fans hoping for just a regular comedy chronicling Stuart’s misadventures with his friends. Hopefully it isn’t much longer until Stuart Fails to Save the Universe gets the green light and people can see what the team is hoping to achieve.
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