Spoilers below for the third episode of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, so be warned if you haven't yet streamed it via HBO Max subscription.When it comes to wacky AF sci-fi storytelling, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe may have a total lock on the 2026 TV schedule, at least for the moment. The HBO Max comedy’s weekly jaunts to alternate dimensions is the kind of concept that could theoretically last forever, assuming the creative team keeps finding ways to make it work. Such as having former Big Bang Theory stars appearing as wildly different and possibly demonic iterations of their beloved characters, and then killing (some of) them off. But what are the chances TBBT’s superhero-loving lead character Sheldon Cooper will appear in a future episode? The actor himself made it seem very unlikely in a recent interview where he laid out the myriad stresses he faced doing sitcom work. To be fair, those sentiments echoed previous quotes where he denied interest in reprising the role, so it’s not like fans have been swimming in abject optimism. That said, Stuart's third episode did deliver a formal namecheck and update for what Sheldon is up to, and I kinda think it's a clever way of confirming that Parsons won't appear at all. (Image credit: HBO Max)How Sheldon Was Referenced In Stuart Fails To Save The Universe Episode 3The latest journey through time and space Stuart & Co. experienced took them to a magical realm where science was viewed as heretic behavior. At one point, after the characters met up with the all-knowing Alexa, not a smart home device, but rather a little snarky demon, which is where Melissa Rauch's Bernadette comes in.More to the point of this story, when asked about Sheldon's current whereabouts, Alexa notes that the genius physicist is starring in a Broadway production of Man of La Mancha. On the surface, it's clearly a nod to Jim Parsons' real-life stage work, which he started to prioritize more after The Big Bang Theory wrapped. (He's currently starring in the comedy musical Titanique, which is in its final weeks on Broadway.) But is the musical that the writers chose a clue indicating Parsons continued absence for the rest of the season? (Image credit: CBS)Why The Usage Of Man Of La Mancha Makes Me Think Sheldon Won't Appear (In Season 1 At Least)If everybody has their tin foil hats strapped on and secured, we can start down this fairly low-key avenue of speculation. In the first place, Man of La Mancha is inspired by, and wouldn't exist without, Cervantes' Don Quixote, but the musical isn't technically based on it. One can loosely apply that to Stuart itself, which is a sequel to Big Bang Theory that doesn't logistically follow up on most of that show's storylines, but obviously wouldn't be a show otherwise. As well, I think it's worth pointing directly at the idea of "tilting at windmills" as a thematic metaphor for engaging in pointless efforts. (And not a more literal reading about fighting invisible enemies.) In this case, I pose that "pointless effort = asking Jim Parsons to return." For a third thing, the biggest song to come out of the musical — which has been covered by everyone from The Temptations to The MIghty Mighty Bosstones to John Cleese on The Muppet Show — is "The Impossible Dream," which also feels like a finger-on-the-nose reference to what it's like to try and get Jim Parsons back as Sheldon. It's probably a step too far to bring up Terry Gilliam's long-thwarted attempts to turn Don Quixote into a movie, and his disastrous efforts were turned into the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha. But I'm still letting it float out there. To be sure, there are probably other deeper-cut references that could be used to make this argument. And on the flip side, there are probably points to make that debunk my take here. But this is all for Shelds and giggles, so I'm obviously not taking things too seriously.In the end, I just think Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn could have used any number of popular musicals to make their point that WOULDN'T make me automatically think that there are subtextual clues about Jim Parsons' Sheldon not showing up in Season 1. Of course, if he eventually does appear later in the season, you can find me out in the fields, swinging my sword at a bunch of wind-producing giants. In the meantime, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is dropping new episodes on HBO Max on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET.