Why Shorter Episodes Of ‘Stuart Fails’ Is Actually A Win For ‘Big Bang Theory’ Fans
When The Big Bang Theory premiered in 2007, every episode followed the same basic rule. No matter what story Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and the rest of the gang found themselves in, it had to fit into roughly 22 minutes before CBS cut away for commercials. That's just how network television works.
The 2026 spinoff series, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, will break away from that formula, in a way that might surprise viewers. Despite being housed on the HBO Max streaming service, of the first season's 10 episodes, one runs for just 15 minutes, four clock in at 18 minutes, while the longest reaches only 25 minutes. By streaming standards, that's extremely short.
It might sound disappointing at first. After all, streaming services have spent years convincing audiences that longer episodes equal better value. But according to creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, and Zak Penn, the shorter runtimes weren't a compromise or a studio mandate. They were a deliberate creative decision, and it could end up being one of the show's biggest strengths.
Speaking to Deadline, Lorre explained that once the team felt a story had reached its natural conclusion, they saw no reason to keep adding scenes just to reach a specific runtime. "We just felt that we'd successfully told the story, and to add would be padding," Lorre said. "Padding, generally, is a hammock between important scenes, and why would we do that if there's no real reason?"
Chuck Lorre Finally Doesn't Have to Write Around Commercial Breaks
It's an interesting way of looking at sitcoms because it shines a light on the network broadcast schedule, which is something that viewers rarely think about. For much of Lorre's career, episode length wasn't really determined by the story. If an episode naturally came in short, scenes had to be added. If it ran too long, something had to be cut. Streaming doesn't work that way.
"The historic length of a show is entirely arbitrary," Lorre explained. "It comes from network television where a certain amount of advertising has to be sold to pay the way of making this television, but it's not an element any longer in streaming. So, why not just make the best show we can and hope the audience is entertained."
Lorre also talked about how unlikely it would be for anyone watching the comedy series to be looking at their watch and thinking they needed an added five minutes of runtime in any given episode. "I don't think that would happen, that'd be my guess," he said. "I would think you either loved the episode, or you didn't, and you weren't looking at your watch."
None of this is a criticism of The Big Bang Theory. The sitcom became one of television's biggest success stories while working within the rules of network television. Its pacing, structure, and even its act breaks were designed for a weekly broadcast audience. And it perfected that format over 12 seasons. But Stuart Fails to Save the Universe isn't telling the same kind of story.
A Multiverse Sitcom Doesn't Have to Follow Sitcom Rules
Instead of following a group of friends through everyday life in Pasadena, the new series throws Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) into a multiversal crisis after he accidentally damages a device created by Sheldon and Leonard. Every episode sends him into another reality, complete with different versions of familiar characters and entirely new tricky situations.
For The Big Bang Theory fans, the shorter episodes could actually be the best way to introduce a very different kind of spinoff. Unlike 2017's Young Sheldon or 2024's Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe isn't grounded in everyday life. It's a sci-fi comedy built around alternate realities, with a story that changes direction every week.
That kind of premise relies on momentum, and shorter episodes are more likely to keep things moving rather than slow it down with extra scenes that don't add much to the story. More importantly, it allows Lorre, Prady, and Penn to focus on creating sharp dialogue and clever pop culture humor that made The Big Bang Theory such a massive hit, instead of filling time for the sake of it.
This also isn't the first streaming series to be flexible with its runtimes. FX's 2022 comedy-drama series, The Bear, is known for allowing episodes to vary dramatically in length, with some running around 20 minutes while others stretch beyond an hour. It's a completely different genre, but it reflects the same philosophy. If an episode has already told its story, there's little value in stretching it.
