TBBT's Stuart Spinoff Already Failed Due To Its Faulty Premise

While The Big Bang Theory’s upcoming spinoff, Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, promises to redefine the show’s universe, there’s one big problem with this lofty claim. By the time The Big Bang Theory’s finale aired, viewers knew almost everything about the show’s heroes. After 12 seasons, Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Howard, Amy, Penny, and Bernadette were like family.

However, this doesn’t necessarily hold true for the rest of the show’s supporting stars. The Big Bang Theory’s next spinoff, Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, will star Kevin Sussman’s unassuming comic book store owner Stuart, a character who was always an important figure in the series but whose story was never fully explored.

Other returning characters, like Stuart’s girlfriend Denise and the geologist Burt, were similarly enigmatic figures who appeared in plenty of episodes but never received a main storyline of their own. This makes them perfect stars for a spinoff, since they were established in The Big Bang Theory, but Stuart Fails To Save The Universe can flesh out their stories.

Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Promises To Redefine The Big Bang Theory Universe

The Spinoff’s Setup Involves Stuart Accidentally Destroying The Sitcom’s Universe

Image via CBS

That said, there is another, bigger issue with Stuart Fails To Save The Universe’s premise. According to the show’s official synopsis, Stuart Fails To Save The Universe will follow Stuart’s journey through the multiverse after he accidentally destroys the universe of The Big Bang Theory by using a device Sheldon and Leonard invented.

The fact that The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon has a role to play in the spinoff’s premise at all proves just how much the sitcom franchise never moved past Jim Parsons’ role in the original show. However, Sheldon’s part in the plot isn’t the main problem.

Although Stuart’s mishap prompts a multiverse-traversing journey, it is hard to imagine what ending The Big Bang Theory’s universe entails. Yes, there were a handful of episodes set at specific locations, but, for a 12-season series, it mostly took place in the apartment building, the university, and The Cheesecake Factory. It wasn’t an immersive universe in the first place.

The Big Bang Theory’s Universe Was Already Surprisingly Small

The CBS Sitcom Had Only A Handful Of Locations

The cast of The Big Bang Theory eating food — The cast of The Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory was not like, for example, The Simpsons, which has thousands of characters and locations, or even a more experimental sitcom like Community or It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. A straightforward multicamera sitcom with a traditional setup, The Big Bang Theory focused almost entirely on its main characters and almost never left their small, self-contained world.

As such, the spinoff’s threats to demolish the show’s entire universe ring a little hollow. While The Big Bang Theory wasn’t entirely lacking in ambition, it was a show with a small world, and this makes it hard to see how the premise of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe will work.

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