NBC has made its first cancellation decisions for the 2026-27 season, opting not to renew sophomore medical drama Brilliant Minds, starring Zachary Quinto, and freshman cheerleading comedy Stumble, headlined by Jenn Lyon. That leaves two returning scripted series on the bubble, the mothership Law & Order and sophomore The Hunting Party, with new midseason entry The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins looking good for renewal.
The news is not entirely surprising. Brilliant Minds is NBC’s lowest rated drama series on linear with the steepest double-digit year-to-year declines despite having the same post-Voice Monday time slot as last season. In an early sign that the Warner Bros. TV-produced drama was facing a likely cancellation, NBC pulled it from the schedule in February to make room for two-hour Voice episodes on Monday. The remaining six episodes will be released post-cancellation, on May 27.
Stumble also had spent the last few months heavily on the bubble. The single-camera mockumentary, which has scored well with critics and viewers (82% and 96%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes), got off a rough ratings start when NBC scheduled it on Fridays behind Reba McEntire’s multi-camera sitcom Happy’s Place.
That was followed by a couple of scheduling moves designed to get the show in front of more people as the series, from Universal Television, has had strong internal support creatively. Ultimately, Stumble could not find wide enough audience for NBC to bring it back.
As Deadline has reported, between the two NBC sophomore dramas, The Hunting Party starring Melissa Roxburgh was considered the stronger one. Its odds were boosted by Season 1’s strong launch on Netflix in the U.S.. While that has not resulted in meaningful linear ratings gains for Season 2 on NBC, I hear there has been a halo effect on Peacock where the series streams next day.
Somewhat surprisingly, Law & Order found itself on the bubble this year. After going through major cast changes in the first couple of seasons after its 2022 launch, the revival seems to have hit its stride creatively, especially in its current season. Performance-wise, the mothership still lags behind One Chicago and SVU though its linear viewership is on par with the latter.
Still, cancelling unceremoniously the Law & Order mothership for a second time is hard to imagine. If the series is to end, a limited-run final season could be a possibility.
