2 NBC Shows, Including an Underrated Fan-Favorite Comedy, Have Been Quietly Canceled
Two NBC shows have been quietly canceled. Brilliant Minds, the medical drama starring Zachary Quinto, is ending after two seasons. The series, which was inspired by novels written by Oliver Sacks, was about a neurologist and his team of interns who tackle rare, psychological cases at Bronx General Hospital. The final episodes will air this summer.
"The conversation around network versus streaming has shifted," Quinto said in a 2024 interview with Entertainment Weekly. "And the industry has experienced a return to [a type of] television it had departed pretty significantly from. There's something about the reliability of [network procedurals]. Audiences are more interested in appointment television than they were for a little while." Unfortunately, even though Brilliant Minds drew in many fans, it did not last on the network.
NBC has also announced that the mockumentary, Stumble, is coming to an end after a single season. The series, which starred Jenn Lyon and Taran Killam with appearances by Kristin Chenoweth, was a laugh-out-loud comedy about a college cheer squad. Its final episode aired in March 2026.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Both shows were among NBC's least watched scripted series of the season. With seven days of linear viewing (i.e., before streaming), Brilliant Minds averaged just above 3 million viewers, a smaller total than any other drama on the network this season. Stumble, meanwhile, came in at 2.24 million viewers."
Fans of both shows have expressed disappointment at the cancellations, with some wishing that comedies like Stumble were advertised more. As one commenter on Reddit said, "I literally only found out about [Stumble] because of fans begging for it to not get canned." Another said, "So angry about Stumble. We don't need any more hospital or detective shows. Give us comedy!"
Many are hoping that just because NBC has canceled their beloved shows doesn't mean that they are gone forever. As one person said, "Praying [Stumble] goes on another streaming service so it gets the views it deserves and hopefully gets picked up."
Although these two NBC shows are coming to an end, there should be more new shows in the near future. NBC has ordered eight pilots, which is more than usual, which could be coming to your screen soon.
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 9:26 AM.