Now that The Big Bang Theory’s HBO Max spinoff has introduced a new version of the iconic sitcom’s lead character Penny, we need a full show devoted to this fresh take on her. The whole appeal of sitcom characters relies on their recognisable, consistent personalities, and this means it can be hard to reinvent them for new spinoff shows. Frasier might be one of the most successful sitcom spinoffs ever, but the show barely changed the characterisation of star Kelsey Grammer’s titular Cheers supporting character at all.
The Big Bang Theory’s HBO Max spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe doesn’t have the luxury of simply bringing back the main characters of the original series, since the series isn’t set in the same fictional universe as its predecessor. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’s eponymous protagonist Stuart was a humble comic book store owner in The Big Bang Theory, but in the spinoff, he accidentally damages a device that impacts the spacetime continuum and must travel across the multiverse to right this wrong.
This means that, unlike The Big Bang Theory’s earlier spinoffs Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe can introduce new versions of the show’s original main characters across its many alternate realities. There is an alternate universe Raj, an alternate universe Will Wheaton, and in episode 2, “Spoiler: Zack’s in This One,” an alternate version of Kaley Cuoco’s iconic Penny.
Fans of the original sitcom will remember the Killer Movie star as Sheldon’s glamorous neighbour and Leonard’s eventual love interest, Penny. Easygoing and sweet but with a rebellious edge, Penny was the polar opposite of her fastidious roommate and her meek wallflower love interest. However, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe introduces a version of Penny who somehow has even less in common with Sheldon and Leonard.
In “Spoiler: Zack’s in This One,” Stuart, along with his companions Bert and Kripke, arrives in a universe where a sentient AI has overtaken and enslaved humanity. The trio is soon kidnapped by a human resistance who are led by none other than Penny, now a tough action heroine in the vein of the Terminator franchise’s iconic Sarah Connor. Penny spends much of her brief appearance brutally beating up Kripke, Bert, and Stuart to deprogram them from the AI’s influence, trying to get them to express anger and confirm their humanity.
While Penny’s cameo is fun while it lasts, viewers need way more of this fresh take on the sitcom heroine. Seeing Penny reinvented as an action heroine is like seeing Urkel from Family Matters as the detective in a gritty cop show, and the sheer novelty of this premise could sustain a spinoff of its own. Moreover, the cameo is a welcome reminder of just how multifaceted Cuoco’s character always was in the original show’s 12 seasons.
Although Penny usually seemed like the happy-go-lucky counterpart to Leonard’s moping or Sheldon’s high-strung neuroses, she was also whip-smart, sharp, and unwilling to suffer fools. Penny had more social graces and street smarts, while the rest of the Pasadena gang were more academically gifted, so her playing a Sarah Connor-style badass in a sci-fi dystopia is a fun reminder that technical know-how isn’t the only measure of the character’s intellect. Thus, The Big Bang Theory’s heroine needs another chance to explore Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’s version of her iconic character.
