NBC Just Made a Huge Mistake Canceling These 2 Incredible Scripted TV Shows

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TV networks often cancel shows prematurely, but NBC’s recent decisions are particularly disappointing. They’ve canceled Brilliant Minds and Stumble after only one and two seasons, leaving many fans feeling like the shows weren’t given a fair opportunity to succeed.

Many of NBC’s successful shows, like The Office and Seinfeld, took time to gain popularity. However, the network didn’t give newer shows, Brilliant Minds and Stumble, a chance to find their audience. These shows could have become hits like their predecessors, but NBC cancelled them too quickly, which was a significant mistake.

Stumble Could’ve Been NBC’s Chance to Rival AppleTV+’s Ted Lasso

The show Stumble, which premiered in November 2025, features Jenn Lyon as Courteney, a former cheerleading coach trying to get her career back on track at a small college. She takes on a team of unlikely athletes and works to transform them into winners, all while dealing with school bureaucracy and her own past mistakes. Each episode follows the team’s journey as underdogs, told through a documentary-style format with interviews revealing the personalities, struggles, and definitions of success for each member.

Stumble is a funny and surprisingly heartwarming show. It uses a documentary-style format to deliver quick jokes and tell a more detailed story, focusing on unique, well-developed characters rather than typical sitcom tropes. It’s similar to shows like The Office and Parks & Recreation – full of quirky, memorable characters and a positive vibe, with humor that feels both silly and relatable.

Similar to how The Office and Parks & Recreation started, the show Stumble had a hard time attracting a large audience, averaging about 2 million viewers during its single season. This was a key reason NBC decided to cancel it. Despite this, Stumble was a critical success, earning an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes after just 13 episodes. Reviewers praised the show’s excellent comedic timing, warm atmosphere, and talented cast, including Jenn Lyon (from Justified), Taran Killam (formerly of Saturday Night Live), and Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth.

NBC missed out on a potential hit with Stumble. The show had the potential to be a charming workplace comedy like The Office or Ted Lasso, and keep viewers engaged for multiple seasons. With its cancellation, NBC loses the opportunity to offer a similar feel-good experience to AppleTV+’s Ted Lasso, and fans won’t see a heartwarming story develop between Courteney’s team and their rivals in Oklahoma.

Brilliant Minds Had Long-Term Potential

The series Brilliant Minds centers around Dr. Oliver Wolf, a unique neurologist played by Zachary Quinto, who has face blindness (prosopagnosia). He uses his condition to better connect with and treat his patients. While his approach often goes against hospital rules at Bronx General, his compassion and ability to deeply understand his patients allow him to form bonds others can’t. Alongside each week’s medical mystery, the show explores Dr. Wolf’s personal challenges and tackles important themes like doctor burnout, ethical dilemmas in medicine, and the pursuit of medical breakthroughs.

Compared to many medical dramas, Brilliant Minds excelled at making complex medical topics feel personal and relatable. The NBC show frequently used visuals to help viewers experience things from the patient’s point of view, giving it a reflective and thoughtful quality that’s rare in the genre. Combined with a talented cast, realistic stories, and a lead character who was more than just a typical “troubled genius,” the show quickly gained a dedicated fanbase.

Like the show Stumble before it, Brilliant Minds was canceled due to low viewership. Although critics praised the show and it had a loyal following, ratings dropped significantly in its second season. The situation worsened when The Voice took over its original time slot, leading to early rumors about the show being canceled – rumors that proved to be true.

NBC’s decision to cancel Brilliant Minds seems counterproductive, particularly since the show already had a dedicated following after its first season. It’s hard for viewers to stay engaged when schedules are constantly changing due to events like the 2026 Winter Olympics and when shows like The Voice take over established time slots, even if a series has long-term promise. The success of The Pitt demonstrates a clear demand for compelling medical dramas, and shows like House and Grey’s Anatomy prove that audiences will remain loyal to these types of shows for years.

It’s All Too Common For Networks & Streamers to Cancel Good Shows

Though very different in style, Stumble and Brilliant Minds were both important to NBC’s plans for its programming. It’s disappointing that neither show will be able to complete its story, especially since Brilliant Minds still had six unaired episodes from its second season. However, this isn’t the first time a network has canceled a show before it could finish its run.

So far in 2026, several TV shows have been canceled: Gen V on Amazon Prime Video, Palm Royale on AppleTV+, Terminator Zero on Netflix, and Watson on CBS. This is a worrying pattern that damages viewers’ confidence in TV networks and streaming platforms, especially when shows are cut before they have a chance to find an audience. Unfortunately, Stumble and Brilliant Minds on NBC also faced this fate, despite having the potential to be popular.

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2026-05-05 17:06