Why ‘Big Bang Theory’ spinoff ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ episodes are much shorter than most sitcoms
Fans usually expect comedies on streaming platforms to run longer than traditional television sitcoms, but 'Stuart Fails to Save the Universe' breaks that trend. Instead of extending its episodes beyond the 30-minute mark, the upcoming HBO Max series keeps them surprisingly short. Creator Chuck Lorre says the decision had nothing to do with budget constraints or production challenges. He believes every episode simply ends when the story reaches its natural conclusion.
The first season includes 10 episodes, and several run even shorter than classic network sitcoms. One episode lasts just 15 minutes, while four others clock in at 18 minutes each. The remaining episodes range from 20 to 25 minutes despite the show's ambitious multiverse story and visual effects. That unusual runtime quickly sparked questions about why the creators chose such a brief format.
Lorre explained that the creative team refused to extend episodes with unnecessary material. "We just felt that we’d successfully told the story, and to add would be padding, and padding, generally, is a hammock between important scenes, and why would we do that if there’s no real reason," he said, as per Deadline. Lorre also pointed out that streaming platforms no longer follow the strict scheduling rules that shaped broadcast television for decades. Traditional sitcoms usually lasted about 22 minutes because networks needed room for commercial breaks. Streaming services have removed those restrictions, giving creators complete freedom over each episode's length.
He also believes viewers care more about the quality of an episode than the number of minutes it lasts. According to Lorre, audiences rarely finish an enjoyable episode wishing it had continued for five more minutes. "I would think you either loved the episode or you didn’t, and you weren’t looking at your watch," he added.
Lorre developed 'The Big Bang Theory' spinoff alongside fellow creators Bill Prady and Zak Penn. The series also marks Lorre's third single-camera streaming comedy after 'The Kominsky Method' and 'Bookie'. The team designed each episode to end with the characters entering another alternate reality, creating a natural hook for the following week. Prady said they discovered that storytelling pattern while writing the first episode and decided to keep repeating it because it worked so well. 'Stuart Fails to Save the Universe' premieres on HBO Max on July 23, with new episodes releasing every Thursday.
