Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady’s next The Big Bang Theory spinoff has a replacement for every member of the Pasadena gang — except 1. Despite the franchise already thriving with its period pieces, Young Sheldon and its own sequel spinoff, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, the creators are confident that a story set in modern times is necessary, hence the new project. Officially titled Stuart Failed To Save The Universe, specific plot details about the project are still tightly under wraps. That includes how it actually ties to The Big Bang Theory beyond its characters knowing Sheldon and his friends.
There are some pertinent information about the show, however, that has already been confirmed. For starters, Stuart Failed To Save The Universe would be a streaming show on Max instead of airing on CBS like its predecessors. This will mark the first time that an installment of the franchise won’t be a network project since The Big Bang Theory kicked off in 2007. Secondly, the main cast of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe has been announced: Kevin Sussman’s Stuart, Lapkus’ Denise, Brian Posehn’s Bert Kibbler, and John Ross Bowie’s Barry Kripke.
The Big Bang Theory Spinoff Has A Replacement For All Pasadena Gang Members Except Howard
Stuart Has His Own Friend Group Now
Shockingly, the cast of The Big Bang Theory spinoff recently gathered for their very first table read. Looking at the ensemble and remembering their respective characters in the original show, I realized that each one represents a player from the inaugural ensemble. Stuart is awkward but lovable like Leonard was. His relationship with Denise being central to the offshoot’s storytelling makes Lapkus the new Penny. Aside from that, she’s also the only female lead role, at least at the beginning of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe. Kaley Cuoco was in the same boat before Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik were cast.
Kripke’s arrogance is reminiscent of Sheldon’s, hence why they never got along, while Bert’s gentleness is similar to Raj’s. This means that only Howard has no clear counterpart in Stuart Fails To Save The Universe. What makes this observation more interesting is that originally, Sussman was cast as the sleazy astronaut/engineer.
Why Introducing A Howard Counterpart Is Tricky For The New The Big Bang Theory Spinoff
Howard Was A Very Problematic Character
It’s no secret that out of all the cast members of The Big Bang Theory, Howard was the one who started out as the most problematic. Sheldon may have been snide, snooty, and just downright cruel sometimes, but because of his poor emotional and social skills, he was always given a pass. The idea was that hurting people wasn’t intentional for him. Howard, on the other hand, was sleazy and sometimes, even sexually inappropriate. He used to hit on women by making lewd comments, including Penny and even Missy. He only changed when he started a serious relationship with Bernadette.
Despite Howard’s character progression, it’s still tricky for Stuart Fails To Save The Universe to introduce his counterpart. Doing so opens the show to intense backlash — something that The Big Bang Theory retroactively experienced. Aside from that, the nerd-centric sitcom didn’t introduce any other character who was even remotely similar to him.
