The first major development on HBO Max’s long-gestating Big Bang Theory spinoff came in October 2024 when three alums from the original series, Kevin Sussman, Brian Posehn and Lauren Lapkus, were signed into talent-holding deals by the studio behind the hit comedy franchise, Warner Bros Television, for the purpose of starring in the offshoot.

The project, from Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn, had already been rumored to have three leads, two male and one female, so the announcement felt like the final answer on who the new series would be focused on: comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Sussman), geologist Bert Kibbler and Stuart’s girlfriend Denise (Lapkus). That changed four months later when fellow Big Bang supporting player, John Ross Bowie, also inked a talent deal with WBTV to reprise his role as prickly plasma physicist Barry Kripke.

As confirmed by photos from the first table read and marketing materials for the series — now titled Stuart Fails To Save the Universe — it is a four-lead comedy built around Sussman as the title character.

What prompted the setup change, and how did Bowie’s addition come about?

“Bill said, we need a Dr. Zachary Smith from Lost in Space, we need an antagonistic character, and Kripke is perfect for it,” Penn said. “He didn’t have to convince us, we were like, oh yeah, good point.”

Dr. Smith is the antagonist sabotaging the intergalactic voyage of the Robinsons, a pioneering family of space colonists, on the classic 1960s sci-fi series Lost In Space.

“John is a brilliant comic actor, and we had a rock solid cast of great comic actors, adding John as well,” Lorre said.

Bowie admitted to feeling a little disappointed when Sussman, Posehn and Lapkus were revealed as the leads of the Big Bang spinoff but did not lose hope.

“I saw the announcement — I think in your esteemed publication — that they were doing the show with the three of them, I allowed myself 36-48 hours of self-pity, and then figured, you know, they’ll find something for me to do. I know all those guys, Kripke will come back in some form or another,” Bowie said. “So I was beyond thrilled when they called me up and said, no, we’ve actually kind of reconceived the show so that you’re sort of the Dr. Smith from Lost in Space. And I was like, oh, I totally get that reference, I’m all in, sign me up.”

Added Bowie, “I was really, really excited to get to work with these guys, all of whom I’ve known for years, long before the show even started. I met Brian right after I moved to LA in 2002, and I was already a fan of his work. So it’s it’s been really exciting to be part of this.”

“I was so stoked for him when I found out that they added him, and then it also made total sense,” he said. “It’s like, well, yeah, what else were they gonna play off of? He’s perfect for any comedy.” (You can watch the video below.)

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe premieres on HBO Max July 23 with episodes released weekly.

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