As NBC prepares for its 2026 upfront presentation, the network has put the brakes on two scripted series, sophomore medical drama “Brilliant Minds” and freshman cheerleading comedy “Stumble.”
NBC axes Brilliant Minds and Stumble to make room for new comedy lineup
According to Jeff Bader, this is because NBC Universal’s President of Program Planning Strategy has a very busy schedule. He explained, “To be honest, we have a very busy schedule. Because we have so many games, for our entertainment time, we actually had to give up some shows that we really love to make room to launch our future potential hits.” deadline.
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A look at the 7 shows NBC has canceled so far this year
However, this is not the first time that NBC has canceled its shows, here is the list of shows that NBC has canceled this year.
- brilliant mind– NBC’s lowest-rated drama this season, the Zachary Quinto-led medical show posted the steepest year-to-date ratings decline on the network’s linear schedule. NBC removed it from the schedule in February, with its final six episodes scheduled to be released on May 27. NBC’s president of scripted content Lisa Katz told Deadline: “Creatively, we love the show, and are really proud of the show, and think fans deserve to see how the story ends. It has a great, very satisfying ending.”
- stumble– A critically beloved single-camera mockumentary about a cheerleading squad starring Jane Lyon, the show earned an 82% critics score and a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, but was canceled due to poor scheduling. Placed on Friday, right after the multi-camera sitcom happy placeTonal mismatches hurt it from day one. Bader told Deadline: “I love that show. Obviously, there’s a problem with single-cam coming out of multi-cam, just tonight, it was different from The Happy Place. We have very limited real estate, and we did the best we could, I feel very bad about that.” NBC says that in the next season, multi-cam will be paired with multi-cam and single-cam will be paired with single-cam.
- law & OrderOrganized Crime: Christopher Meloni’s spin-off was canceled after five seasons. Meloni posted an emotional video on Instagram, saying, “So I wanted to use this moment to thank the fans who not only helped give life and longevity to the character of Elliot Stabler, but also for sticking with him and welcoming him on a good journey. It was a good journey, I had a great time playing him.”
- Karamo- strange eye According to People, star Karamo Brown’s daytime talk show has also been canceled and will not return for a fifth season.
- steve wilkos show– Canceled after 19 seasons aired. According to Variety, it was the second longest-running daytime talk show at the time of its cancellation.
- Access Hollywood and Access Daily– The entertainment news show that had been airing since 1996 was axed along with its companion shows in March 2026 after nearly 30 years.
- kelly clarkson show– In February 2026, Kelly Clarkson announced that her Emmy-winning talk show would end after seven seasons. In a statement, Clarkson said she was “always grateful and honored” to run and that withdrawing from it would allow her to focus on her family. New episodes will continue to air until autumn.
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As NBC moves toward its upfront presentation with a shorter schedule, the network is already preparing for the next season. As per deadline. NBC has ordered Newlyweds, the multi-camera comedy starring Ty Leoni and Tim Daly, to air on Fridays, succeeding Happy Place. The network has also picked up single-camera comedy Sunset PI starring Jake Johnson, which will air alongside the St. Denis medical during midseason. While many shows have been canceled, NBC executives believe the new lineup will work better together. As Jeff Bader told Deadline, “The flow should be better this year.”