‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ Draws Backlash for AI Use

Sharp-eyed viewers are accusing Stuart Fails to Save the Universe of using generative AI in its opening credits.

The sci-fi spinoff of The Big Bang Theory premiered a little over a week ago on July 23 on HBO Max, but it’s already drawing backlash for possibly incorporating AI in its 35-second opening.

Set to an original theme from iconic composer Danny Elfman, the opening features bizarre scenes and animations that admittedly do look like they may have been created (or at least partially created) using AI.

One such scene shows Stuart sliding backwards down a curved, constantly changing, hyper-surreal hallway, while another clip that raises AI red flags sees a group of friends on a couch enjoying Chinese takeout.

In particular, fans point to the aforementioned hallway scene as a telltale sign due to various doors inexplicably featuring two doorknobs, one on each side — a fairly critical door detail a real, human artist likely would not have, uh, missed.

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Some viewers who believe the intro was created using AI are extra agitated by a moment that appears to nod ironically to the graphics for the opening credits.

“And how about these graphics?” a sign in a comic book store reads. “Not bad considering we had like zero money in the budget,” a comic book title reads. (Plus, peep the nonsensical words in the background of the comic shop, such as on the dividers between the comic books.

It’s still unconfirmed whether or not HBO Max used AI in the creation of the show’s title sequence, but it doesn’t seem too hard to figure out.

That said, in an interview with Deadline prior to the show’s premiere, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe co-creator Chuck Lorre insisted they set out to make an ever-evolving opening sequence fans wouldn’t want to skip.

“…You can click on the button that says ‘Skip Titles,’ and I went, ‘Well, it’s a terrible waste of time and money and creativity.’ What if we made a title sequence that you could skip but you shouldn’t? And that would mean every title sequence would have to be different and worth watching. And then we got a gift from the gods when Danny Elfman said yes, I’ll write a theme and produce a theme song, and he rearranged it and and remixed it and did variations on it throughout the 10 episodes as well, so the end result was a title sequence that hopefully is surprising and fun to watch,” he said.

According to an official logline about the series:

Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon. Stuart is aided in this quest by his girlfriend Denise, geologist friend Bert, and quantum physicist/all-around pain in the ass Barry Kripke. Along the way, they meet alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love from The Big Bang Theory. As the title implies, things don’t go well.

See more reactions to the alleged AI used in the title sequence of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, below: