Creators Explain Short Runtime of 'Stuart Fails To Save the Universe' Episodes
The streaming spinoff of 'The Big Bang Theory' features episodes ranging from 15 to 25 minutes, a choice its creators say reflects storytelling needs rather than budget constraints.
The first season of HBO Max’s "Stuart Fails To Save The Universe" consists of ten episodes that run between 15 and 25 minutes, shorter than the typical 25-35 minute length of many streaming comedies.
Co-creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn said the abbreviated runtimes are intentional. Lorre explained that the team ends each episode once the story is complete, adding that extra material would be unnecessary padding. > "We just felt that we’d successfully told the story, and to add would be padding," Lorre said.
Lorre also noted that traditional broadcast formats dictated a 22-minute structure to accommodate advertising, a constraint that no longer applies to streaming. > "The historic length of a show is entirely arbitrary, it comes from network television where a certain amount of advertising has to be sold," he said, adding that the series aims to keep viewers engaged without forcing a specific duration.
Both creators said the episode structure, which often ends with characters entering a new alternate reality, emerged naturally from the storytelling approach. > "The way we structured it, it just fell into our laps, it’s a teaser for the next week but it also felt like a natural way of telling this story," Lorre said, and Prady echoed that the format allowed them to maintain a recurring surprise element.
"Stuart Fails To Save The Universe" premieres on HBO Max on July 23, with new episodes released weekly.