Doctor Who Meets Sliders In The Hit 10-Part Time Travel Series That's Already Renewed For Season 2

Published Aug 28, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT

Ben is a Senior Writer on the New TV team at Screen Rant. He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class B.A. Degree in English Literature and History.

Born and raised in Ireland, Ben has always had a love for storytelling in all forms of media and operates multiple projects under the name Benjamin Blogs. Ben is a comic book writer and podcast host, in addition to his work as an entertainment journalist. He has worked as both a writer and editor for Screen Rant, Collider, and other media outlets across various departments, including features, news, reviews, and interviews.

Fans of Doctor Who may be pleasantly surprised by a fascinating new time travel series which is breaking the mold in more ways than one. While sci-fi remains a popular genre of TV and film, time travel sci-fi seems to have become a less prominent part of these narratives in recent years, with the popularity of shows like Doctor Who steadily declining in recent years.

That being said, there is finally a new contender in this space, with a compelling 10-episode premiere season, and an order to renew the series for season 2 already in the bank. And surprisingly, this show is a spin-off of the wildly successful sitcom, The Big Bang Theory.

Of course, the show in question is Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, a series that follows the comic book shop owner from TBBT, Stuart, along with a ragtag group of misfits who are thrown into an adventure through the multiverse. Despite the enormous departure from what came before, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is establishing a significant fanbase.

Why Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Has Been A Semi-Surprise Success

HBO

While Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is absolutely one of the most exciting to come out of the world of The Big Bang Theory since the original show ended in 2011, it is a departure. After all, The Big Bang Theory was a sitcom that followed a group of quirky genius scientists who befriend a popular and attractive woman who moves into a neighboring apartment.

The two genres are vastly different, and as much as some people may have hoped to tune in for something similar to what came before, this show is the most ambitious and distinct from any TBBT put out in the past. That being said, the fans who have stumbled into, or sought it out in the first place, have been providing the show with some big praise.

But, it's important to point out that the fanbase for both of these shows may have some things in common, but the execution for these stories is so vastly different that it automatically inspires different audiences in different ways. As a result, the show has had some mixed reviews, with some people upset about the genre shift from TBBT, and many others embracing this fresh new venture beyond the mundanity of Leonard and Sheldon's apartment.

Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Is The Show TBBT's Characters Wish They Were In

Image via MovieStillsDB

As highlighted above, the characters that appear in The Big Bang Theory are quirky. While they, by and large, possess genius-level intellects, and they are employed in roles that see them redefine scientific understanding or build technology capable of exploring the depths of space, they often devote much of their focus and attention to fictional stories.

Everything in the realm of sci-fi and fantasy appears to be of interest to Leonard, Sheldon, Rajesh, and Howard, and they often partake in games that allow them to insert themselves into these kinds of narratives. Evidently, with their fascination with these types of stories well-documented throughout the show's run, it seems clear that they would jump at the opportunity to be inside a show like Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.

With the opportunity to travel through time and space, and hop between realities to explore previously undiscovered worlds, while also learning about what happens when you pass through a wormhole, or what causes civilization to collapse, the TBBT boys would be deeply invested in how this show pans out.

Ultimately, that creates a fascinating, if not non-traditional, link between both shows that makes them intertwined in a fascinating way. So, whether you loved The Big Bang Theory, Doctor Who, or even both, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe could be the perfect project to add to the watchlist if you haven't seen it already.

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