7 Best Shows Like ‘The Big Bang Theory’ to Watch Before New Spinoff Arrives

The Big Bang Theory’s Stuart is about to make things go very wrong in the show’s upcoming spinoff now that the series is officially in development at HBO Max after months of speculation.

Titled Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, the show will come as the third ever project expanding The Big Bang Theory’s universe and potentially setting up another major TV franchise.

However, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe might not be coming until sometime in 2027, which means there’s still a lot of time to fill the void with something just as funny and sci-fi-coded as the original show — here’s our top of series similar to The Big Bang Theory.

‘Friends’ (1994 — 2004)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Friends has scores of 78% and 93% from critics and viewers
• On IMDb, the show is rated 8.9/10

Just like Penny, Leonard and Sheldon, Friends’ main characters have been spending their time in between two opposite apartments trying to help each other as they navigated life and pursued their own goals.

The show became an instant cult classic back in 1994, with Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Ross and Joey turning into living legends of modern TV.

In fact, it might even be that The Big Bang Theory followed Friends’ sitcom formula after all — and, well, it proved itself a scheme that does work.

‘Two and a Half Men’ (2003 — 2015)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Two and a Half Men holds scores of 65% and 66% from critics and audiences
• On IMDb, the show rates 7.1/10

Helmed by The Big Bang Theory’s creator Chuck Lorre, the show was the first signal of Lorre becoming a sitcom king just several years later.

Initially starring Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men follows brothers Charlie and Alan who become some sort of parenting duo trying to raise Alan’s young son Jake.

Things got pretty complicated as the series went by, with Sheen being fired from the project after starting up a feud with Lorre, though even a messy finale doesn’t undo much of what the show achieved by that point.

‘How I Met Your Mother’ (2005 — 2014)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, How I Met Your Mother keeps scores of 84% and 85% from critics and viewers
• On IMDb, the show’s rating is 8.3/10

One of the best sitcoms that even Quentin Tarantino gives a rewatch to every so often, How I Met Your Mother shares many themes with The Big Bang Theory, starting with life led in an apartment shared with friends and ending with desperation to find love in the big city.

Like Johnny Galecki’s Leonard, Josh Radnor’s Ted Mosby is ready to do no matter what to get a chance from the woman he’s in love with, though the eventual outcome of both shows’ storylines is pretty different.

‘2 Broke Girls’ (2011 — 2017)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, 2 Broke Girls has a score of 63% from viewers
• On IMDb, the show is rated 6.7/10

The Big Bang Theory is far from being the only show where a duo of characters that couldn’t be more different worked out quite well, and 2 Broke Girls prove it like no other.

Starring Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs, the show follows two Brooklyn diner co-workers and eventually roommates and business partners as they navigate the hardships of love life, career ambitions and attempts to make something of their own.

‘Scrubs’ (2001 — 2010)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Scrubs keeps scores of 83% and 86% from critics and audiences
• On IMDb, the show’s rating is 8.4/10

A hit medical drama series, Scrubs tackles life-or-death situations with a grain of weird humour, also introducing compelling characters like Zach Braff’s J.D. without whom the show was never the same.

Following the physicians in the fictional California-based Sacred Heart Hospital, the show masterfully blends genres of a hilarious sitcom and a serious medical drama, making both all the way more intriguing, even when there was no place for fun in there.

‘Young Sheldon’ (2017 — 2024)

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Young Sheldon holds a score of 84% from audiences
• On IMDb, the series rates 7.7/10

The Big Bang Theory’s first ever spinoff series, Young Sheldon dates back to the time when Jim Parsons’ character was a bit annoying, but genius child growing up in Texas.

While the original show gave its viewers some clues about Sheldon’s earlier years and his relationships with his other family members, the spinoff goes way further, introducing new characters and exploring Sheldon’s personality from all possible sides.

No wonder many fans liked it better than The Big Bang Theory after all.

‘Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage’ (2024 — )

• On Rotten Tomatoes, Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage holds scores of 89% and 67% from critics and viewers
• On IMDb, the show’s rating is 7/10

Young Sheldon walked so that Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage could run — and it does run pretty successfully.

The series was pushed into development right after Young Sheldon wrapped it up with its seventh season back in 2024, this time focusing on Sheldon’s older brother Georgie and the new chapter of his life that he navigates with his wife Mandy and their little daughter.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage proves that the franchise can live on without always centring on the original show’s leading characters, which is good news for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.