Chuck Lorre Defends Choice of Stuart Bloom as Lead in New HBO Max Spin-off
Co-creator Chuck Lorre said the decision to make minor character Stuart Bloom the hero of the new series was intentional, and actor Kevin Sussman expressed surprise at being cast.
Series co-creator Chuck Lorre explained the reasoning behind selecting the comic-book store owner Stuart Bloom as the protagonist of the new HBO Max series "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe," which debuted Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. Lorre said the character, a relatively minor figure in the original sitcom, was chosen because audiences would not expect him to assume a heroic role.
"He was the absolute worst choice to be the hero of this story, which made him the perfect choice," Lorre told People.
Lorre added that actor Kevin Sussman was always his first choice for the part, noting the actor's background in comedy.
"And Kevin, as I’m sure you know, is just a brilliant comic actor, someone you can root for despite his inadequacies," Lorre said.
Sussman confirmed that leading a spin-off was unexpected for him.
"I was not expecting this," he told Deadline.
In the series, Stuart must prevent a "multiverse armageddon" after damaging a device originally created by Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter. The plot takes him and his friends—Bert (Brian Posehn), Denise (Lauren Lapkus) and Kripke (John Ross Bowie)—through encounters with alternate versions of themselves across parallel universes. The spin-off is co-created by Lorre, Zak Penn and Bill Prady.