Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: Lapkus on "Big Bang" Easter Eggs
· BCPosted in: HBO, Max, TV | Tagged: stuart fails to save the universe, The Big Bang Theory
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: Lapkus on "Big Bang" Easter Eggs
HBO Max's Stuart Fails to Save the Universe star Lauren Lapkus discusses the spinoff series and teases "The Big Bang Theory" easter eggs.
Published Tue, 26 May 2026 14:37:09 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary
- Stuart Fails to Save the Universe premieres July 23 on HBO Max, sending Stuart on a multiverse mission gone wildly wrong.
- Lauren Lapkus says Stuart Fails to Save the Universe packs Big Bang Theory Easter eggs and familiar faces for fans.
- Each episode twists reality into a new universe, with Stuart, Denise, Bert, and Barry trying to fix the chaos.
- Chuck Lorre teases major Big Bang Theory surprises, fueling questions about possible returning cast appearances.
Set to premiere on July 23rd, HBO Max's Stuart Fails to Save the Universe sees comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon. Stuart finds himself aided in his quest by his girlfriend, Denise (Lauren Lapkus), his geologist friend, Bert (Brian Posehn), and the quantum physicist/all-around pain in the ass, Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie). Checking in with PEOPLE during a special event, Lapkus shared that she was "excited" for fans of "The Big Bang Theory" to check out the spinoff because "we have a lot of characters that are familiar to them."
And yes, there will be some serious nods to the original series, with Lapkus adding, "There's a lot of good easter eggs, throwing back to the first series. And then it's also this whole new thing. Each episode is so unique. We're saving the universe and failing it, so we're messing up the universe in each episode, and we end up in a different reality. So everything changes in each episode, and I think people are going to be really surprised and delighted with it."
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe: Will "Big Bang Theory" Cast Return?
Of course, when you're a spinoff from a very popular long-running series, fans will start asking questions about who from the original cast might appear. But when your official overview name drops Jim Parsons' Sheldon Cooper and Johnny Galecki's Leonard Hofstadter and includes a reference to "alternate-universe versions of characters we've gotten the meet over the course of the original series' run," the questions are begging to be asked – and Lorre was kind enough to answer them (as much as possible) during an interview with TV Line in support of Netflix's Leanne Morgan-starring comedy Leanne.
Will Parsons/Sheldon and Galecki/Leonard Appear in the Series? "I cannot speak to that. That is a closely guarded piece of information that, you know… I've taken a blood oath regarding."
Will Parsons, Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Kunal Nayyar, Simon Helberg, Melissa Rauch, and/or Mayim Bialik Return to Play Alt-Universe Versions of Their "Big Bang Theory" Characters?
Here's how the exchange went down:
Lorre: "Is that your hope?"
Interviewer: "It would be my hope, and I think millions of—"
Lorre: "You're going to love this show."
"I wanted to do something radical that would take me out of my comfort zone. Something the characters on 'The Big Bang Theory,' would have loved, hated, and argued about," Lorre shared about the premise behind the spinoff. Penn added, "I was on a vision quest in the most remote parts of the Amazon Rainforest when a carrier pigeon arrived with a note from Chuck Lorre asking if I wanted to help make a show that the characters from 'Big Bang Theory' would watch. I couldn't resist that idea, so I packed up my yurt and hailed the next dirigible out. At the same time, Chuck sent an expedition to locate Bill Prady, who had been frozen with his shield across his chest in a block of arctic ice. The team assembled, we set out to make this insane show, which lives in a universe created by Chuck and Bill. I couldn't be more honored to be working with these amazing people."
The spinoff series also stars Ryan Cartwright (Kevin Can Wait), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), and Tommy Walker (Danger Force) – with Wil Wheaton also returning to the TBBT universe. HBO Max's Stuart Fails to Save the Universe stems from Chuck Lorre Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady serve as executive producers.
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