Fans have been asking for a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory for years... but I don't think they were expecting Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

Created by Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady, Kevin Sussman reprises the role of Stuart, the awkward and angsty comic book shop owner who often plays host to many classic TBBT scenes, not to mention its ever-spiralling scientific lore.

While the main season ran until 2019, Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage have taken over the reins when it comes to keeping the 'Sheldonverse' alive. Seven years later, and we're returning to the original story — only it's nothing like it, really.

In all honesty, it looks like a hilarious spoof of The Walking Dead with a comic book twist. But what do we actually know about the new HBO Max show?

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe release date

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe consists of 10 episodes, which will debut on HBO on July 23 at 9pm ET.

It will also be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes will debut on subsequent Thursdays.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe trailer

The full trailer was released on June 23, which you can watch above. There's a bunch of direct references to classic movies, from Mad Max to Alien.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe cast

We're expecting the following main cast members to appear in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe:

• Kevin Sussman as Stuart Bloom / Alternate Stuart Bloom
• Brian Posehn as Bert Kibbler
• Lauren Lapkus as Denise
• John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke / Supreme Ruler Barry Kripke
• Ryan Cartwright as Kyle
• Josh Brener as Trevor
• Tommy Walker as Gary

However, according to the synopsis (which you can read in full below), we can also expect to see some cameo appearances of alternate TBBT characters.

Annoyingly, we don't know exactly who yet. This will likely be kept under wraps until episodes air, so keep your eyes peeled.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe plot

Here's the official synopsis: "Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki), accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon.

"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."

See what I mean about those potential cameos? A lot of TBBT lore is set to be featured here, and fan theories are already spreading across the internet like wildfire.

None of these is confirmed, however, so don't believe everything you read.

The Big Bang Theory timeline — will it cross over?

Out of the four shows that currently make up the Sheldonverse, this is the correct chronological order for them (according to time, not when they were released):

• Young Sheldon
• Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage
• The Big Bang Theory
• Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

There's currently no confirmation that Stuart Fails to Save the Universe and The Big Bang Theory will directly cross over, outside of the tipped cameos.

However, as a show with alternate realities, it is logically feasible that some of these realities just happen to be the set of TBBT, or Sheldon's childhood home in Medford, Texas. Even more so for the latter, as the set is currently being used to film Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage season 3.

We'll have to wait until the show starts airing to see if any of this is true.

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Jasmine is a Streaming Staff Writer for TechRadar, previously writing for outlets including Radio Times, Yahoo! and Stylist. She specialises in comfort TV shows and movies, ranging from Hallmark's latest tearjerker to Netflix's Virgin River. She's also the person who wrote an obituary for George Cooper Sr. during Young Sheldon Season 7 and still can't watch the funeral episode.