John Ross Bowie regrets Kripke’s killing of Raj in new Big Bang Theory spin-off
Actor John Ross Bowie said he felt remorse after his character Barry Kripke shot Raj in the premiere of the HBO Max series "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" at Comic-Con. TVLine reported that the series, a continuation of the original sitcom, premiered on HBO Max and follows comic-store owner Stuart Bloom and his friends as they travel the multiverse. Variety noted that the ten-episode sci-fi comedy starring Kevin Sussman launched on the streaming service after a rejected pitch and a shift from the traditional sitcom format. MovieWeb said the show earned a 69 % critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest among Big Bang Theory-related series. Deadline quoted co-creator Chuck Lorre defending the decision to make minor character Stuart Bloom the lead, and Kevin Sussman expressed surprise at being cast.
Slate reported that the series, created by Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn, departs from the original tone and format of the franchise. Deadline later reported that the debut episode features the death of Raj, prompting comments from creators Lorre, Prady, Penn and from Bowie about the scene. The same outlet explained that the opening credits were designed to be unskippable and to contain playful spoilers, with composer Danny Elfman providing ten variations of the theme. Yahoo quoted Bowie saying he felt bad about Kripke’s action, confirming his remorse over the character’s killing of Raj.
