The Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is expanding its cast with more stars from the original show.
News broke on Wednesday, August 13, that Ryan Cartwright, Josh Brener and Tommy Walker landed major recurring roles on the upcoming series. Cartwright, 44, was previously a student in class with Penny (Kaley Cuoco) on season 6 of The Big Bang Theory, while Brener, 40, was introduced as Stuart’s (Kevin Sussman) friend and coworker.
Walker, meanwhile, is new to The Big Bang Theory universe. He was cast as Gary, the handsome new boyfriend of Stuart’s ex.
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,” according to the official synopsis.
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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 Sussman, 54, were tapped to headline the show. They will all reprise their roles from the original series with Posehn, 59, returning as a geologist at Caltech who was interested in dating Amy (Mayim Bialik). Sussman’s Stuart owned the comic book store that Sheldon and his friends often visited on the show. Stuart found love with Denise (Lapkus), and the couple remained together once The Big Bang Theory came to an end.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is the fourth project in the Big Bang Theory universe. CBS’ hit sitcom aired from 2007 to 2019 and starred Jim Parsons, Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Bialik and Melissa Rauch as a group of scientists and their significant others.
CBS later launched the Young Sheldon prequel, which focused on Sheldon’s life (Iain Armitage) as a child prodigy growing up in Texas. Viewers met Sheldon’s brother, Georgie (Montana Jordan), which paved the way for his love story with Mandy (Emily Osment) to inspire another spinoff, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
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While fans are hoping for more cameos on Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Bialik, 49, weighed in on whether she would return to the upcoming HBO Max series.
“I haven’t been contacted,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in January. “I’ve seen what’s been announced and I think that’s where a lot of people’s knowledge of it is right [now] — me being one of them.”
Bialik expressed her excitement for the show as a fan, adding, “These characters were so iconic and so significant to people. [Creators] Chuck [Lorre] and Bill [Prady] really created a world of characters that people want to know about and follow up on. So, I’m very flattered and I would be very flattered if I am contacted.”
