The Big Bang Theory Spinoff Just Brought Bernadette Back in the Perfect Episode With A Major Dig At Hollywood

While The Big Bang Theory‘s HBO Max spinoff brought back Melissa Rauch’s Bernadette in its third outing, viewers might be surprised to learn that the sci-fi comedy show used her presence as a setup for gags about Hollywood industry infighting. There are a plethora of meta comedy shows that take aim at the business of show business, from Hacks to The Studio. Before these recent barbed satires, everything from 30 Rock to Entourage to BoJack Horseman took on the TV industry with varying degrees of acidity or affection.

However, viewers still might be surprised to see The Big Bang Theory‘s spinoff spoofing the industry. While The Big Bang Theory‘s first two spinoffs, Young Sheldon and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, were straightforward prequels, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is a far more high-concept project. The series sees Kevin Sussman’s hapless title character traverse the multiverse in an attempt to undo an apocalypse he unintentionally caused by breaking a device Leonard and Sheldon invented. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe episode 2 wasted no time bringing back Kaley Cuoco’s Penny, but episode 3 revived another iconic original series star.

Melissa Rauch’s Bernadette Returns As A Magician In Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

Each episode of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe sees Stuart, alongside fellow The Big Bang Theory supporting stars Kripke, Bert, and Denise, travel to new parallel realities that reveal variant versions of characters and lore. For example: in episode 2, Kaley Cuoco’s Big Bang Theory protagonist Penny was now a Sarah Connor-esque action heroine leading the resistance against an AI that was mollifying most of the world’s population. The end of episode 2 saw the show’s heroes finally escape this dystopian reality; episode 3, “Spoiler: Bert Is Magic,” saw them land in another unfamiliar version of their world.

This time, magic is real, Bert is a powerful sorcerer, and the group must seek out the help of Howard’s love interest Bernadette to make sense of their latest new reality. Although this version of Bernadette is a witch, she has been disbarred from practicing magic by the Wizards Guild of America since she used her powers while members were on strike.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe‘s Wizard Guild of America Gag Takes Aim At The WGA

The gag is a nod to the oft-cited statistic that, as Deadline noted in an interview with the creators of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, over half of WGA writers are non-working members. Notably enough, this version of Bernadette later turns out to be a demon who is tricking Stuart and Kripke into helping her get her powers back. Although The Big Bang Theory‘s celebrity cameos and California setting meant the original show was linked to the world of entertainment culture more broadly, the series didn’t usually feature such pointedly esoteric references to movie industry specifics.

However, the high concept of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe means the spinoff can take bigger risks with its plots and gags, since each new episode presents the writers with a proverbial fresh slate. Thus, while viewers might end up divided in their reception ofStuart Fails to Save the Universe‘s inside baseball gags about the WGA, they can rest assured that the next episode of The Big Bang Theory‘s HBO Max spinoff will likely include a parody of the Star Trek universe or a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting like episode 2’s riff on the Terminator franchise.