Naman Shrestha
Serving as the second direct spin-off of ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ HBO Max’s ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ is a science fiction comedy series created by Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, and Bill Prady. The narrative follows Stuart Bloom, the awkward comic book store owner who accidentally damages a device built through the geniuses of Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter. Stuart’s mistake has grave consequences, leading to a multiverse Armageddon. Now, it is Stuart’s responsibility to restore reality and the world to their normal state.
On his mission, the comic book store owner is assisted by his girlfriend, Denise, his geologist friend, Bert, and the quantum physicist, Barry Kripke. As the group tries to save the universe, they encounter versions of themselves and their friends from other universes, making the journey even more complicated and unfortunate. The fourth series in ‘The Big Bang Theory’ franchise involves several familiar faces and places, as well as some fresh locations in other universes.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Filming Locations
‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ is filmed entirely in California, particularly in Los Angeles County. According to reports, principal photography for the inaugural iteration of the sitcom began in September 2025 and continued for about 5 months, concluding in February 2026. During the shooting process, Lauren Lapkus, who plays Stuart’s girlfriend Denise, took to social media and praised the hair and makeup department, stating, “I can’t share any pics from Stuart Fails to Save the Universe but I can say that @kayliehair and @katiemiddletonmakeupfx are killing it every day!! 😍 #SFTSU Also, The Bends is the best Radiohead album. No further questions at this time.”
Los Angeles County, California
For the purpose of filming, the production team settled on several spots in Los Angeles County, situated in Southern California. In particular, several shots were recorded at Universal Studios Hollywood, at 100 Universal City Plaza in Universal City. In the backlot of the complex, the team chose to shoot sequences depicting the multiple realities in the narrative. Namely, filming took place at Courthouse Square and New York Street. The area around the town square and courthouse in Courthouse Square served as the backdrop in the scenes that showcase Stuart’s comic book store transforming into a giant corporate-religion institution. Furthermore, they made use of the versatile facade of the New York Street set to create the reality-bending environment for the multiverse collision shots.
A portion of the shooting was also conducted at Warner Bros. Studios, a 110-acre filmmaking establishment located at 3400 Warner Boulevard in Burbank. The team utilized the production spaces, soundstages, and other amenities of the facility to paint the visual canvas of the HBO show. A few scenes of ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ were also recorded in the 932-acre park named Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park at 10700 Escondido Canyon Road, located in Agua Dulce in the Sierra Pelona Valley region.
Filming also led the team to make use of the vast space and sets at the 250-acre Blue Cloud Ranch, located at 20019 Blue Cloud Road in Santa Clarita. The cast and crew were also spotted filming at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), situated at 1200 East California Boulevard in Pasadena. In addition, places in downtown Los Angeles doubled as shooting sites.
During a conversation with Men’s Journal, Kevin Sussman, who portrays Stuart, and Lauren Lapkus were asked about their experience of recreating the goo scene from ‘The Matrix.’ Lauren stated, “Yeah. I mean, it was cool, and it looks really cool. So, I feel like we are all glad that it happened. But on the day, wearing the bald cap took hours of prep. Then getting into a vat of goo in all your clothes…Warmed goo and you’re wearing jeans. I was wearing a sweater. I was just sopping wet with goo.” Kevin added, “Yeah, yeah. Also, because of the viscosity of the goo, it’s the first and last time I’ll ever use those words, probably ever, you tend to sort of float in it.” Lauren also admitted that it was a hard day on set, noting, “We had to add bags to keep me down in it. So, it was weird.”
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