Lots of big shows are heading to the 2026 TV schedule, but none have quite the same level of anticipation as HBO Max’s Big Bang Theory follow-up Stuart Saves the Universe, which finally started filming in September after a lengthy development process. The spinoff’s core cast has long been set, and sporadic updates have unveiled returning co-stars, with some taking on new characters. But fans have remained in the dark regarding potential returns for TBBT regulars like Kaley Cuoco.
Luckily, Cuoco herself seemed to let the cat out of the bag without ever having to touch the bag or even admit to there being any cats in the area. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight about her latest TV gig, MGM+’s four-ep mystery thriller Vanished, the actress put on the least convincing poker face humanly possible when the topic of reprising Penny was addressed. It’s not what she said so much as the “look at my face instead of listening to my words” way that she delivered the answer. Just look at these eyeballs:
Those eyes are wider and rounder than a tractor’s tires. That’s not the way an actor reacts when they’re about to share disappointing news, or when they’re about to throw out a generically hopeful comment about possibly returning if scheduling works out. No, this is the face of someone who 100% either already filmed new scenes, or has signed the dotted line to bring those new scenes to life in the imminent future.
As far as actual words went, the bottom half of Cuoco’s face wasn’t nearly as telling as the top half, and she even repeated the way Cassie DiLaura called out her reaction.
Big eyes! I don’t know what that tells you. . . . It’s just big eyes.
Ever since the spinoff news surfaced, fans have voiced hopes for the core Big Bang Theory apartment mates to show up. When Vanished was first announced and suggested Cuoco’s schedule might be too busy to fit a sitcom reprisal in, fans were still hopeful about Penny’s return. That hype was strengthened further when Cuoco reunited with Johnny Galecki in 2025, though that was for a Royal Kingdom ad and not anything TBBT-related.
I think Cuoco’s unconvincing reaction may be enough to sate audiences for a while, as it seems like a certainty that Penny will pop up the first season of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. Or some version of Penny, anyway. I don’t put it past Stuart to have an AI version of Penny as a personal assistant or something along those lines.
As far as how she currently feels about the character that turned her into a household name, Cuoco said:
I love Penny. It’s one of my favorite characters. It changed my life professionally, personally. What a journey. I learned so much.
Can we possibly expect to see Johnny Galecki making a TV return to reprise Leonard for the Big Bang spinoff? I wouldn’t expect Cuoco’s eyes to get quite so wide when answering that one.
