HBO Max’s Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, a Big Bang Theory spinoff, has added three more cast members to its lineup.
Ryan Cartwright (Kevin Can Wait), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), and Tommy Walker (Danger Force) have joined Stuart Fails to Save the Universe in recurring roles, according to Deadline.
Cartwright and Brener did appear in guest roles in the original series, but they will be taking on new roles in this series. Cartwright will be playing Kyle, a daily patron of Stuart’s comic store. Walker will be playing Gary, Denise’s new boyfriend, while Brenner will be playing a new character named Trevor.
The series regular cast includes returning Big Bang veteran Kevin Sussman (Stuart), Lauren Lapkus (Denise), Brian Posehn (Bert), and John Ross Bowie (Kripke). Sussman, already a series regular by season 6, brings grounded authenticity — he actually worked in a comic shop before landing the role.
The series has been in development for some time, but it’s finally becoming a reality.
Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady — the trio behind both The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon — are approaching this like a sandbox full of comic book tropes, genre mythology, and dry jokes about cosmic collapse. The setup? Stuart accidentally breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, triggering multiverse mayhem. Along with his girlfriend Denise, geology bro Bert, and everyone’s favorite nasal menace Barry Kripke, he’s got to patch reality back together. Naturally, it all goes sideways.
Lorre says he wanted something radical — Stuart bungling time-space instead of just pulling long shifts behind the comic counter. Penn’s rejoinder involved carrier pigeons, dirigibles, and Prady frozen in ice. That’s the level of absurdity they’re embracing, complete with deep-cut nerd references that demand a glossary.
It’s too soon to say whether Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will become HBO Max’s next comedy killer app or just a fun backdrop while you sort your graphic novel collection. Either way, Stuart’s finally stepping out of Sheldon’s shadow — and the universe might never recover.
