Kaley Cuoco returns as Penny in 'Stuart Fails to Save the Universe' — as a guerrilla leader

Kaley Cuoco reprises Penny in "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" Episode 2, now streaming on HBO Max. This Penny is a guerrilla leader in an alternate universe, not the Cheesecake Factory server from The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 2007–2019). Co-creator Chuck Lorre told Variety the multiverse framework was planned from the start, letting familiar characters recur with different backstories.