Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: After using the device to transport themselves to another universe, Stuart ( Kevin Sussman ), Bert ( Brian Posehn ) and Barry ( John Ross Bowie ) discover they are in a world dominated by an AI overlord that punishes anyone who shows any sort of aggression. While Bert and Barry go to Caltech in search of answers, Stuart goes in search of Denise ( Lauren Lapkus ). My Thoughts: What happens to the other versions of Stuart and company? Since they didn't run into other versions of themselves, I can only assume they replaced their alternate versions. Do those versions get transported to the universe they traveled from? Are they also using their own version of the device? Are they confused about what is happening? Along those lines, why didn't anyone recognize Bert and Barry? Stuart apparently owns a comic store in every universe (or at least the ones we've seen). Shouldn't the same standard apply to his friends? Barry and Bert worked at Caltech and yet Ramona No...

As I mentioned, I recently watched the debut episode of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe . As might be expected, leading into and shortly after, I binge watched several episodes of The Big Bang Theory, mostly to get me in the mood for the spin-off series. In the past, I mentioned three storylines from TBBT I felt were left unresolved, including which genius got tenure and if Sheldon ( Jim Parsons ) ever addressed his hoarding issue. While in the middle of my re-watch of episodes I've seen dozens of times, I realized there where three more unanswered questions that, while not anything too big, did give me reason to pause. Did Leonard ( Johnny Galecki ) ever get his stolen car back? I am, of course, referring to the car theft that occurred in season 6's "The Bakersfield Expedition," while Leonard and friends were doing their Star Trek-themed photoshoot in the desert while on the way to a comic book convention. The last we see of his car in that episode is the thieves (...

One thing I've always found interesting is how easily it is to become emotionally invested in characters on a television series. You know they aren't real, but when that show goes off the air, you still feel as though you've lost friends. I think this is a big part of the reason spin-offs are so popular. I feel that way about The Big Bang Theory which, with the debut of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe tonight, will have its third spin-off series (though one is technically a spin-off of a prequel) and will emphasize some of the secondary characters that helped make that show great.  As I think about the original series while debating if I'll watch the new spin-off tonight or tomorrow morning, I find myself contemplating each of the seven main characters and how they all changed at some point during the show, some more than others. While those changes were over the course of the full series, I was able to pinpoint the moments I think had the biggest impact for each of...

I needed a moment to regroup following the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last night, ending their season and, as is often the case in situations like that, I found some familiarity by watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory .  As I was doing that, I realized I have now seen every episode at least a half dozen times, despite not even watching the series until a couple years ago, when it was already off the air.  That reflection resulted in me being reminded of some storylines throughout the series that were one-offs without any real resolution. Even to this day, with the added benefit of the Young Sheldon spinoff clearing up a few questions (while creating a few more), these three storylines, which were major plot points for one episode each, remain unresolved. Who Received Tenure? The season 6 episode, "The Tenure Turbulence", put Leonard ( Johnny Galecki ), Sheldon ( Jim Parsons ), Raj (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard (Simon Helberg) in direct competition ...

Synopsis: After experiencing the worst day of her life and wanting to kill herself, Sheila is given the opportunity to travel 24 hours into the past for a fresh start and ends up on an impromptu date with Gary. Wanting the moment to last forever, she continues to travel back in time, re-living the same day and date over and over again. However, when she grows bored with Gary, she decides to try to change him, creating problems. Who's in it? The movie stars Kaley Cuoco , Pete Davidson , Kevin Corrigan , Deborah S. Craig and Rock Kohli . Review: This movie has been on my list for some time now, but I didn't get an opportunity to watch it with my wife until last night. As it turns out, this movie was nothing like I was expecting it to be, and I mean that in both a good and bad way. First of all, everything about this movie, the main stars, the preview and the IMDB description screams "comedy." After seeing the film, I honestly couldn't see any way of classifying ...

Synopsis: Hoping to add a little spice to their marriage, Dave and Emma Brackett take a break from their kids, check into a fancy Manhattan hotel and, using made-up names, pretend to be strangers meeting at the hotel bar. However, what Dave doesn't know is Emma is secretly an international assassin with a bounty on her head, something that throws their romantic evening and marriage into jeopardy when she is recognized by another assassin and his attempted blackmail ends in his death and her being exposed. Who's in it? The movie stars Kaley Cuoco ,  David Oyelowo , Bill Nighy ,  Connie Nielsen and  Rudi Dharmalingam. Review: It was way too cold out for my wife and I to have our own date night last night, so I figured "why not at least watch a movie about one." At first, I expected this to be a movie that was similar to other comedies like Date Night and Game Night . As it turns out, it was nothing like those and wound up being surprisingly entertaining as a result...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book uses interviews with cast members and various others to tell the inside story of The Big Bang Theory , an unexpected hit series that ran for 12 seasons. Review: Even though I didn't first watch it until after it was off the air, The Big Bang Theory has become one of my all-time favorite television shows and I don't think I've gone a week without watching at least one re-run. When I saw this book advertised, I wound up requesting it through my local library as a result. Overall, I have to say I was happy with that decision. The book wasn't what I was expecting it to be. I figured it would just be your normal non-fiction book that tells the story with the occasional cast member quote thrown in. Instead, the author lets the people who were involved with the series tell the story for her. The end result is a book that reveals a lot of intimate details and some funny anecdotes you may not otherwise have gotten. For example, the book spends ...

My wife and I are currently binge-watching the show The Big Bang Theory (first time for her, second time for me) and, as we watch/re-watch the episodes, we find ourselves comparing the series to another favorite, Friends .  While I do think the former has a slight edge overall, partly because the material isn't as dated as the 90s sitcom now is, there were also some things Friends  did better, making me want to attempt some comparisons. After some thought, I decided to start with the shows' couples. For simplicity purposes, I am focusing solely on the primary pairings. In the case of Big Bang Theory , it would be the seven starring characters, and, with Friends , I am using the show's couples at the end of the series.   Ross and Rachel ( Friends ) versus Leonard and Penny ( Big Bang Theory ) At first glance, there are a lot of similarities between these two couples. Both Ross and Leonard had crushes on their future romantic partners long before the romantic interest was ...