NBC Execs Address 'Brilliant Minds' & 'Stumble' Cancellations
Deadline • • entertainment
Key Points:
- NBC canceled two scripted series, Brilliant Minds and Stumble, ahead of its 2026 upfront presentation due to a tight schedule and the need to accommodate sports programming.
- Stumble, despite strong critical and viewer ratings, struggled with ratings partly because of its challenging Friday time slot following a multi-camera sitcom, leading NBC to acknowledge scheduling issues and plan better pairing of show formats next season.
- Brilliant Minds experienced significant year-to-year rating declines and was pulled from the schedule in February, with remaining episodes set to air post-cancellation, allowing fans to see the story's conclusion.
- NBC executives expressed creative pride in both shows despite cancellations and emphasized learning from scheduling mistakes to improve the flow of multi-camera and single-camera comedies in future lineups.
- New multi-camera and single-camera comedies, including Newlyweds and Sunset P.I., have been ordered to better complement existing shows and optimize NBC's Friday entertainment schedule.