Jeff Bader Ends Brilliant Minds, Stumble as All Nbc Shows Cancelled Looms
all nbc shows cancelled now includes Brilliant Minds and Stumble, two scripted series NBC pulled ahead of its 2026 upfront presentation. Jeff Bader said the network’s entertainment schedule was so tight that it had to give up some shows to make room for future potential hits.
Jeff Bader on NBC’s schedule squeeze
Bader, NBCUniversal’s President of Program Planning Strategy, framed the move as a numbers problem, not a creative one. “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 said.
That puts the cancellations in the context of an NBC lineup with limited real estate. The network is not just clearing space; it is choosing which scripted properties stay in the rotation when sports commitments crowd the calendar.
Stumble and Happy’s Place
Stumble, a freshman cheerleading comedy starring Jenn Lyon, was NBC’s lowest-rated scripted series this season along with Brilliant Minds. It got off to a rough ratings start on Friday, then NBC moved reruns behind St. Denis Medical on Monday, a more compatible lead-in than the show had behind Reba McEntire’s Happy’s Place.
Bader said, “I love that show,” and added, “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.”
Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said, “Creatively, we loved this show. I think we could all think of shows that we loved creatively that unfortunately, didn’t go beyond one season. We’re incredibly proud of it, and think it had so much humor and so much heart. I’m disappointed that it’s not continuing.”
Brilliant Minds after February
Brilliant Minds, a sophomore medical drama starring Zachary Quinto, posted NBC’s steepest double-digit year-to-year declines. NBC pulled it from the schedule in February, but the remaining six episodes were set for release on May 27 after the cancellation.
Katz said, “I think we shot this season and, again, similar to Stumble, creatively we love the show, and are really proud of the show, and think that the fans deserve to see how the story ends.” She added, “It has a great, very satisfying ending. So we’d like to have the opportunity for the fans of the show, of which there are still many, to be able to see it and finish the story with the character.”
The practical read is simple: NBC is protecting prime space for bigger bets, and these two series were the ones it could afford to lose. For viewers, the near-term move is to watch for the final six Brilliant Minds episodes on May 27 and for NBC’s 2026 lineup decisions to show which new shows actually won the slots.
