As NBC prepares for its 2026 upfront presentation, the network has pulled the plug 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, the reason is that NBC Universal’s President of Program Planning Strategy comes down to a packed schedule. “Honestly, we have a very, very tight schedule. Because we have a lot of sports, for our entertainment time periods, we had to actually give up on some shows that we really love to make room to launch our future potential hits,” he told Deadline.
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A look at 7 shows that NBC cancelled this year so far
However, this is not the first time NBC has cancelled it’s shows, here is the list of the shows that NBC has cancelled this year.
- Brilliant Minds– NBC’s lowest-rated drama this season, the Zachary Quinto-led medical show posted the steepest year-over-year rating declines on the network’s linear schedule. NBC pulled it from the schedule in February, with its final six episodes set to release on May 27. Lisa Katz, NBC’s President of Scripted Content, told Deadline: “Creatively, we love the show, and are really proud of the show, and think that the fans deserve to see how the story ends. It has a great, very satisfying ending.”
- Stumble– A critically loved single-camera mockumentary about a cheerleading team starring Jenn Lyon, the show earned an 82% critics score and 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes but was undone by poor scheduling. Placed on Fridays right after the multi-camera sitcom Happy’s Place, the tonal mismatch hurt it from day one. Bader told Deadline: “I love that show. Obviously, there is an issue with a single-cam coming out of the multi-cam, just tonally, it was different than Happy’s Place. We have very limited real estate, and we did the best we could, I feel terrible about it.” NBC says next season, multi-cams will be paired with multi-cams and single-cams with single-cams.
- Law & Order: Organized Crime- Christopher Meloni’s spin-off was canceled after five seasons. Meloni posted an emotional video on Instagram, saying: “So I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans, who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back. Good ride. It was a good ride, I had a great time playing him.”
- Karamo- Queer Eye star Karamo Brown’s daytime talk show was also canceled and will not return for a fifth season, as per People.
- The Steve Wilkos Show– Canceled after 19 seasons on air. According to Variety, it was the second-longest-running daytime talk show still in production at the time of its cancellation.
- Access Hollywood & Access Daily– The entertainment news show that had been on air since 1996 was axed in March 2026 after nearly 30 years, along with its companion show.
- The Kelly Clarkson Show– In February 2026, Kelly Clarkson announced her Emmy-winning talk show would end after seven seasons. In a statement, Clarkson said she was “forever grateful and honored” for the run and that stepping away would allow her to focus on her family. New episodes will continue airing through the fall.
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As NBC heads into its upfront presentation with a smaller schedule, the network is already preparing for next season. According to Deadline. NBC has ordered the multi-camera comedy Newlyweds starring Tea Leoni and Tim Daly to air after Happy’s Place on Fridays. The network has also picked up single-camera comedy Sunset P.I. starring Jake Johnson, which will air alongside St Denis Medical during midseason. While several 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.”