Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Stuart ( Kevin Sussman ) and friends are transported to a primitive Pasadena, with huts, no technology and a peaceful civilization that shares everything. While Stuart tries to find a piece of red quartz for the machine, Bert ( Brian Posehn ) falls in love with a native (Zoe Cipres) and Barry ( John Ross Bowie ) quickly makes his own negative mark on their society. My Thoughts:  This was the first episode to fly without the cameo safety net.  A true test of a spin-off series is if it can survive without the references to the original series and for the most part, I thought this one did pretty well. Not having the cameos gave more time for the main characters to do their thing. I liked how this episode reversed things a bit. Usually, the gang arrives in a world that is already screwed up in some way. This time, they arrived in what could arguably be a perfect, peaceful world and were the ones responsible for messing it up. I especially liked how it was a combination ...

Synopsis: In a dystopian Pasadena ruled by Barry Kripke ( John Ross Bowie ), comic bookstore owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) is visited by an alternate version of himself and learns an accident with a device invented by his friends has caused an alternate reality. He, along with geologist Bert Kibbler (Brian Posehn) search for the device and with help from his former girlfriend, Denise ( Lauren Lapkus ), try to bring the world back to its normal state. My Thoughts: This should have been a movie. Not necessarily a feature-length Hollywood-budgeted film but maybe a 60-to-90-minute pilot that deep dives into the main plot and sets up the story for the rest of the series. There was an awful lot being crammed into the 30-minute episode, making it seem rushed and making it difficult to become invested. I have so many questions about dystopian Pasadena. For one, when did society collapse? The episode suggested it happened during Stewart's lifetime but at the same time, everyone seemed...

After being off the air for seven years, The Big Bang Theory will be getting a spin-off series that isn't a prequel and will be centered around characters from the original series, albeit not the main cast members. I haven't decided if I am going to watch Stuart Fails to Save the Universe because, not unlike TBBT's Sheldon Cooper ( Jim Parsons ), I do have to consider if it will be worth the time commitment. Plus, while the plot does sound intriguing, I'm not convinced it wouldn't have been better as a movie rather than a television series. One thing the new show does do for me, however, is remind me of the missed opportunity for another TBBT spinoff that probably wasn't even considered but, if done correctly, could have been a success, at least in my opinion. The spin-off series I am referring to is Professor Proton, starring Wil Wheaton . Let me give you a quick recap in case you need a refresher or haven't seen the series yet (sorry for the spoilers if i...

With a number of television series, ranging from Doctor Who to The Boys set to have some new spin-offs in the near future, and other series, like The Big Bang Theory recently launching its second spin-off and maybe a third, it got me thinking about previous popular shows and missed opportunities to build on them. In some cases, the television networks simply chose to let the series end without attempting to take advantage of interesting characters. Other times, the networks made the attempt but maybe could have done better. Either way, here are some characters I thought could have had successful spin-offs centered around them. Christine Sullivan - Night Court The series ended with Christine ( Markie Post ) being elected to Congress. A spinoff focusing on that next step in her life, adjusting to her new career and life in Washington while taking care of her child as a single mom, would have been an intriguing series. Would she remain the same idealistic/optimistic person she was as a...