Warning the following contains spoilers from the Stuart Fails To Save The Universe episode "Spoiler: We're As Confused As You Are." Stream the episode with an HBO Max subscription and read at your own risk!
Stuart Fails To Save The Universe may not have featured Sheldon, Leonard, or Howard yet, but Season 1 snagging Kaley Cuoco as Penny not once but twice has me feeling bullish they will eventually. It turns out Chuck Lorre played the long game to get one of The Big Bang Theory's biggest stars involved. In fact, Kaley Cuoco just revealed he cagily asked her years in advance about reprising Penny.
On the heels of her latest appearance on the 2026 TV schedule, Cuoco spoke to TVLine about Penny's appearances in Season 1 of Stuart. After previously showing up as an anti-AI revolutionary, she returned as an Army Major, putting the gang on trial. Cuoco shared the story of how her Season 1 appearances came together, and how it was all tied to a conversation she barely remembered:
He called me almost three years ago, this is true, just called me out of the blue and was like, 'Hey, if we ever do a spin-off, would you help me out and would you revisit Penny?' And I literally didn't even ask [about] it. I said, 'Yes.'
I don't blame Cuoco for jumping head-first into the offer, especially after The Big Bang Theory's success. No doubt the pay was nice, but Kaley Cuoco's continued success in Hollywood is largely tied to her breakout role on the original series.
Plus, when she agreed, Stuart Fails To Save The Universe didn't exist. Imagine her surprise, then, when a call came years later that she would appear in a series starring Kevin Sussman, who had a relatively small role in The Big Bang Theory. Cuoco admitted the call caught her by surprise:
I didn't hear about anything and I'm like, 'OK, that's probably never going to happen.' Then, like, out of nowhere, they're like, 'OK, you're shooting next week. You're going to do a Stuart.' I'm like, 'Shooting what?' Like, I was so confused. Plus, in my complete honesty and innocence of this sort of show, I had no idea what the hell I was doing.
It's a shame Stuart Fails To Save The Universe was so hell-bent on keeping former TBBT stars out of the trailer, because I think many would've watched after seeing Penny turn into a centaur. I can't wait to see if we'll see her in even more episodes, and in even whackier premises.
For now, it seems like the story focus is back on Stuart and friends, as they found themselves inside a comic book at the end of the episode. Probably a dream come true for the character, as well as the actor who plays him, given their history with the genre.
Here's hoping the team can get to the bottom of what's happening and the mysterious forces driving their mission. Considering we haven't seen Mr. Freeze yet and he was in the trailer, I would wager his appearance is on the way. Plus, the episode title next week is called "Spoiler: We Couldn't Get Green Lantern," which feels like a clear tease that upcoming superhero movies and characters will be referenced.
Stuart Fails To Save The Universe continues with new episodes on HBO Max on Thursdays, but we only have a couple of weeks left! Fortunately, Season 2 is already guaranteed, and I'm already looking forward to what's on tap for next season.
