HBO's new sci-fi show looks like it knows it's bad – but that's not the point
A Big Bang Theory spinoff? Now?
Okay, this isn't one I saw coming. We're now a good numbers of years on from the end of The Big Bang Theory, a show that changed the landscape of sitcom TV but obviously has its fair share of detractors. I'm in the camp that thinks clips with the laugh track stripped out show its quality quite nicely, but you can't argue with its almost absurd popularity, particularly in the US.
The series will, as the title very obviously hints at, star Stuart, a side character from The Big Bang Theory who grew into a returning role as that series snowballed. Played by Kevin Sussman, he was the owner of the gang's local comic book store, a store they obviously patronised a whole heap given their interests, and was one of those cultish characters who seems to have some staying power.
Now, the spinoff will see him confronted by a dimension-crossing version of himself from a dark and twisted future. He's going to have to avert that future by going on a trans-dimensional adventure, from the looks of things, largely accompanied by his sometime sidekick Bert (complete with monotone delivery of every line he gets).
That adventure seems like it'll involve crossing through pastiches of a whole heap of famous sci-fi subgenres, from The Matrix to Fallout and Mad Max, all with little plots to be resolved and danger to be escaped. Interestingly, the show actually looks fairly ambitious, and clearly has some budget behind it, which is borderline baffling given how niche it looks on paper.
Still, don't underestimate the fact that it's associated with The Big Bang Theory, since that's presumably what HBO is betting on hooking people in. This could be a sleeper hit, but we'll get a better temperature check when it starts streaming on 23 July, in a couple of months' time.
