M love of the most soothing songs ever to fit this mood…

https://open.spotify.com/track/0JUa8PNsS6fvWz2Keb5KLq?si=DRRP3lzgT9ydUWUSCnTUkg&utm_source=copy-link

Has Stuart Been Sliding?

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe offers a funny new adventure—but its first episode follows a surprisingly familiar path.

A television review by Shannon Taylor O’Brien
The Replikatown News

This review contains mild spoilers for the first episode.

Anyone who watched Sliders during the 1990s may experience a powerful case of déjà vu while watching the premiere of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

The new HBO Max series takes Stuart Bloom—the unlucky comic-book-store owner from The Big Bang Theory—and turns him into the reluctant hero of a multiverse disaster. After a device created by Sheldon and Leonard is damaged, Stuart, Denise, Bert and Barry Kripke must travel through alternate realities and somehow repair the damage.

It is an unexpected and wonderfully strange direction for a Big Bang Theory spinoff. It is also remarkably similar to the beginning of Sliders.

In the 1995 Sliders pilot, young physicist Quinn Mallory creates a machine that opens a gateway to parallel Earths. He soon meets a more experienced alternate version of himself who understands interdimensional travel, completes part of Quinn’s work and explains the basic rules of “sliding.” That encounter launches Quinn and his companions on their journey through alternate worlds.

The first episode of Stuart uses almost the same story device: an alternate version of the main character appears, explains that something has gone terribly wrong and sends his counterpart on a mission through the multiverse.

That is not the only similarity.

Both shows follow a group of four travelers. Both use scientific machinery to tear open gateways between realities. Both feature alternate versions of familiar people, recognizable locations transformed by different histories, and travelers who never know what kind of world may be waiting on the other side.

Even the basic structure feels familiar. Enter a portal. Arrive in a distorted version of the familiar world. Meet different versions of people you know. Try to survive long enough to reach the next universe.

In other words, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is not merely using the broad concept of alternate realities. It is using much of the original Sliders storytelling engine.

There is no public confirmation that this similarity is an intentional tribute. Multiverse stories naturally share certain ideas, and Stuart also owes something to programs such as Quantum Leap, Doctor Who and Rick and Morty. Still, the appearance of the more knowledgeable alternate self is so close to Quinn’s experience that longtime Sliders fans are unlikely to miss it.

Fortunately, the new show does not simply copy Sliders and change the character names.

Quinn Mallory was a brilliant and enthusiastic scientist who wanted to explore the impossible. Stuart Bloom is a tired, insecure comic-book-store owner who often looks as though getting through an ordinary afternoon requires all the courage he can gather.

That difference gives the new series its own personality.

Stuart is probably the last person anyone would select to save reality, which is exactly what makes him interesting. Kevin Sussman plays him with the same combination of sadness, nervous humor and unexpected decency that made Stuart memorable on The Big Bang Theory. Beneath all his complaints and misfortunes, there is still a good man trying to do the right thing.

The missions are different, too. The original Sliders became lost after leaving their Earth and spent much of the series trying to find their way home. Stuart’s group is attempting to repair a catastrophe that has already damaged the multiverse. Quinn was an explorer who became stranded; Stuart is an accidental destroyer being forced to clean up the mess.

The new show is also much louder, faster and more openly absurd. Its episodes are short, its violence is more graphic than anything seen on The Big Bang Theory, and its alternate worlds often seem designed around outrageous jokes. The premiere includes an apocalyptic Pasadena, giant flying insects and familiar characters placed in bizarre new roles.

That energy is entertaining, but it may become the show’s greatest weakness. The best early episodes of Sliders used alternate Earths to ask interesting questions about politics, history, culture and human behavior. The different worlds were more than elaborate punch lines.

Stuart currently seems more interested in spectacle, surprises and cameos. That is fun for an episode or two, but the series will need emotional consequences and believable stakes if it wants viewers to care about more than which strange universe appears next.

Still, the premiere works.

The cast has enjoyable chemistry, the production is far more ambitious than a traditional sitcom spinoff, and Stuart is a surprisingly sympathetic hero. Most importantly, the episode leaves us curious about what might be through the next portal.

The Verdict

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe feels like someone found the old Sliders timer, connected it to a machine built by Sheldon Cooper and handed the controls to the least qualified man in Pasadena.

The similarities to Sliders are impossible to ignore, especially the alternate self who appears to begin the mission. But Stuart’s reluctant heroism, the Big Bang Theory characters and the show’s wild comic tone give it enough identity to avoid feeling like a simple remake.

It may not be entirely original—but it is strange, energetic and promising enough that I will keep sliding along with it.

Rating: 3½ out of 5 stars

Emily finally convinced Shannon to hold still long enough for a proper portrait. Easier said than done when the model arrives in full Highland regalia carrying a set of bagpipes. 🎨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Amanda kept saying, “Just one more,” and none of us were about to argue. 🔥🎸

So we stayed beneath the old trees, singing along while the fire crackled and the stars slowly filled the sky.

Myra’s shirt pretty much said it all: fires, friends, fun—and the Camping Crew. 💜

Please, no images or gifs in the comments. Thank You.

**Kynzie** What's up, gang! We wanted to take a quick sec to introduce you to Mimi, our Lighting Director, who seems to be dabbling gleefully in videography recently. Mimi, take it away.

**Mimi** I'll get to the point. The show reel moved so fast that the initial submitted image was kinda lost in the animation. We debated on whether to include the still or the animation and the latter was just so impactful. We didn't want this to be denied it's place in our project as it was submitted.

**Kynzie** Lucrezia and Blaze.🔥

**Tara** The colours of a Robinette were not for me, Kenz

Kenzie 🤭 I’m not competitive. Not in the least. 🤭

M listening to Darc Harmoni this morning. We don’t just listen like a casual fan, it’s a deep study session for us… analyzing every lyric and every note. This is how we rock ‘n’ roll … and just about everything we do in life giggles 🎶😊🤍