The Big Bang Theory franchise is further expanding with a new spinoff coming to the HBO Max streaming service. This won’t be your typical sitcom, however, with sci-fi and fantasy elements sure to make the new series stand apart from the others.
The show is called Stuart Saves the Universe, with Kevin Sussman reprising his role as Stuart, the comic book store owner, in the original series. Per Variety, series co-creator Chuck Lorre shared an update on Stuart Saves the Universe while at the Banff World Media Festival in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Lorre confirmed that ten episodes of the new show have already been written, going on to hint at how “a lot of CGI” is being used to add elements of science fiction and fantasy.
“There’s a lot of CGI,” as Lorre explained. “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.”
There’s a lot of CGI.
On putting the show together, Lorre also said, “I reunited with my old pal, Bill Prady, who I created The Big Bang Theory with, and a wonderful science fiction feature writer named Zak Penn, who’s written a lot of gigantic, big time Marvel kind of movies with superheroes and things. And we’ve written ten episodes of this thing.”
Along with The Big Bang Theory, the franchise found a lot of success with the hit prequel show, Young Sheldon. That series was given its own spinoff with Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage. Following a successful first season, that show was renewed for Season 2. For his part, Lorre feels proud that Young Sheldon was able to find its own way without requiring fans to see The Big Bang Theory. Perhaps he’s feeling that same way about Stuart Saves the Universe.
The Big Bang Theory Franchise Continues to Grow
“These shows that we worked so hard on for so many years that we were so determined to make meaningful and funny at that same time, they seem to be sustaining over time, which is incredibly gratifying,” he noted. “And even more so, I met people all the time who enjoyed Young Sheldon and never watched The Big Bang Theory. They didn’t even know it was a prequel, which is incredibly gratifying, because, when Steven Molaro and I started doing that, the hope was that it would stand on its own. That it would not be leaning against these 12 years of this other series. And it did, it became its own series, its own ensemble. That’s immensely gratifying. The idea is to make a to make a silicon chip instead of Kleenex, something that you can use it again.”
