The Big Bang Theory premiered nearly two decades ago — and the TV universe has only grown with three spinoffs (and counting)!
The sitcom inspired a franchise when The Big Bang Theory aired from 2007 to 2019. It starred Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch as a group of friends made up of physicists and their significant others.
The Big Bang Theory won 10 Emmy Awards during its 12-season run and spawned the prequel series, Young Sheldon. In addition to serving as an executive producer on the latter show, Parsons acted as the narrator across all seven seasons — and made an onscreen appearance as adult Sheldon in the 2024 finale.
From there, Young Sheldon paved the way for Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, which followed Sheldon’s older brother.
Which ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Stars Have — and Haven’t — Made Spinoff Cameos?
“We didn’t want to take away from the ending of Young Sheldon,” Montana Jordan, who plays Georgie, exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2024 about properly ending Young Sheldon before shifting focus. “For seven years we were on Young Sheldon, and we didn’t want to just short America by just getting rid of it and going to this new show. So we took our time and finished filming that.”
Jordan said he was excited to have a built-in fan base while still capturing the attention of new viewers, adding, “You can watch Young Sheldon without knowing anything about The Big Bang Theory. And I believe you can watch this new show without watching Young Sheldon. It’s a new start. We’re starting a new thing, and you get to follow Georgie and Mandy as they go through all these trials and errors in life. It’s a very relatable topic and everybody knows about it and it’s not a secret.”
While the original Big Bang Theory stars have crossed paths in a variety of ways on — and off — screen since the show ended, the biggest reunion is expected to take place on HBO Max’s Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which is centered around several familiar characters.
Keep scrolling for a guide to each spinoff — and how they exist in the larger The Big Bang Theory TV universe:
‘The Big Bang Theory’ (2007-2019)
CBS found major success with The Big Bang Theory, which starred Parsons, Cuoco, Galecki, Helberg, Nayyar, Bialik and Rauch as a group of friends made up of scientists and their significant others and their misadventures across 12 seasons.
‘Young Sheldon’ (2017-2024)
Following a successful CBS run, The Big Bang Theory branched off with a prequel series starring Iain Armitage in the role of Sheldon when he was a child prodigy growing up in Texas.
‘Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage’ (2024-Present)
The Big Bang Theory universe got even bigger when Sheldon’s older brother, Georgie, scored a spinoff with his now-wife, Mandy (Emily Osment), after viewers were introduced to their love story on Young Sheldon.
Jordan and Osment were joined by Will Sasso, Rachel Bay Jones, Dougie Baldwin and Jessie Prez. There were also appearances from Young Sheldon stars Zoe Perry, Annie Potts and Raegan Revord.
‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ (2025-Present)
According to its synopsis, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe “follows comic book store owner Stuart Bloom [who] is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon. Stuart is aided in this quest by his girlfriend Denise, geologist friend Bert and quantum physicist/all-around pain in the ass Barry Kripke. Along the way, they meet alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love from The Big Bang Theory. As the title implies, things don’t go well.”
Brian Posehn, Lauren Lapkus and Kevin Sussman have been tapped to headline the show while reprising their roles from the original series.
