{"id":813063,"date":"2026-03-08T21:53:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T21:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/813063\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T21:53:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T21:53:16","slug":"the-big-bang-theory-retconning-a-character-17-years-ago-sets-up-its-sequel-show-for-success-comicbook-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/813063\/","title":{"rendered":"The\u00a0Big\u00a0Bang\u00a0Theory\u00a0Retconning\u00a0a\u00a0Character\u00a017\u00a0Years\u00a0Ago\u00a0Sets\u00a0Up\u00a0Its Sequel\u00a0Show\u00a0for\u00a0Success – ComicBook.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2009, The Big Bang Theory<\/a><\/strong> retconned a character, and that now helps its 2026 sequel series to be successful. As one of the most popular comedies ever, it was only a matter of time before the nerd-centric show got a follow-up series. While The Big Bang Theory has had spinoffs, with Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy\u2019s First Marriage, both of those series are set in the past. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe<\/a> marks the first one in the franchise to be set after The Big Bang Theory ended.<\/p>\n

Led by Kevin Sussman\u2019s Stuart Bloom \u2014 The Big Bang Theory\u2018s most notable supporting character<\/a>, HBO Max\u2019s Stuart Fails to Save the Universe will follow him on an exciting journey in the multiverse after he accidentally destroyed a device created by Sheldon and Leonard to preserve reality. Barry Kripke, Bert Kibble, and Denise round up the cast for the series. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is breaking new ground for The Big Bang Theory franchise, but while anything related to the show will always draw a lot of attention, one change from the original\u2019s early years makes it easier for the sequel to endear itself to viewers.<\/p>\n

The Big Bang Theory Retconned Stuart\u2019s Character In Season 3<\/p>\n

\"KevinImage courtesy of CBS<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that before landing the lead role for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Sussman had a tumultuous history with The Big Bang Theory. He auditioned to play Leonard Hofstadter \u2014 a role which eventually went to Johnny Galecki. He also auditioned for the role of Howard Wolowitz and even booked the part until a scheduling conflict forced him to give the part up, paving the way for Simon Helberg to be cast. These didn\u2019t stop Chuck Lorre from trying to get him into the show, which he eventually succeeded in when Stuart debuted in The Big Bang Theory season 2.<\/p>\n

It has been nearly two decades since he was introduced, so it\u2019s easy to forget that the Stuart was very different when he joined the comedy. While The Big Bang Theory maintained his background as the comic book shop owner, he was far more confident and cocky when he debuted \u2014 a far cry from the jittery dweeb that he is mostly remembered by. At one point, he even easily scored a date with Penny, leaving Leonard seething with jealousy.<\/p>\n

The Big Bang Theory retconned the character in season 3, after just two appearances in the previous cycle. While there is no official reason for the change, there\u2019s an assumption that Stuart\u2019s failed attempt at dating Penny, especially after she incorrectly said Leonard\u2019s name while they were making out, resulted in this significant change.<\/p>\n

How Stuart\u2019s Change In Demeanor Sets Up Stuart Fails To Save The Universe For Success<\/p>\n

\"\"Raj, Leonard, Stuart, Howard, and Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory<\/p>\n

Admittedly, it\u2019s interesting to think about how The Big Bang Theory would have been different if it utilized Stuart differently. Granted that he wasn\u2019t officially part of the Pasadena gang, but he was the most recognizable character from the show outside of its main cast. Between this and knowing Sussman\u2019s The Big Bang Theory history, it\u2019s not difficult to root for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. <\/p>\n

In terms of narrative, however, what makes Stuart such a strong lead for The Big Bang Theory spinoff comes from his character being retconned in 2009. If the nerd-centric sitcom maintained his cocky persona throughout its run, he could have easily been a problematic character used to peddle the aptly criticized brand of humor that The Big Bang Theory had<\/a>, especially in its early years. Despite Stuart having creepy and overall loser tendencies, he wasn\u2019t like Howard, who was very much a pervert, or Sheldon, when he was being misogynistic. <\/p>\n

Without a controversial history, Stuart\u2019s softer demeanor makes it so much easier to root for him in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Confident and charming lead stars are fun to watch, but people tend to get attached more quickly to an underdog, and that\u2019s exactly what Stuart is in the new show. He\u2019s very much out of his league in The Big Bang Theory sequel, as he doesn\u2019t have the scientific background or genius that Sheldon, Leonard, and their friends have. Instead, he\u2019s going on this adventure purely by principle. <\/p>\n

While specifics of how exactly he breaks the mysterious device created by The Big Bang Theory\u2018s original duo, the fact that Stuart is taking accountability for it is already impressive. As he goes on this hero\u2019s journey, he will have to rely on his other positive qualities to resolve the matter. Maybe at the end of this adventure, he comes out of it a little bit more confident, which will be such a satisfying payoff to his overall The Big Bang Theory history. <\/p>\n

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is set to premiere on HBO Max in 2026.<\/p>\n

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the <\/strong>ComicBook Forum<\/strong><\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2009, The Big Bang Theory retconned a character, and that now helps its 2026 sequel series to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":813064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3937],"tags":[77,4580,234603,36905,382,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-813063","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-regular-feature","10":"tag-stuart-fails-to-save-the-universe","11":"tag-the-big-bang-theory","12":"tag-tv","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116195780617088958","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=813063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/813064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=813063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=813063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=813063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}