NBC Cancels 'Stumble,' a Comedy with 96% Audience Score, After Just 13 Episodes
When new shows are canceled, it is typically because they failed to connect with people. However, there have been some instances when viewers quickly grew to enjoy a show only for it to be axed anyway. That has happened again since NBC canceled a series that has received rave reviews from fans after only one season.
NBC Axes Fan-Favorite Comedy After Just 13 Episodes Despite a 96% Audience Score
On May 1, it was reported that NBC had quietly canceled Stumble after just one 13-episode season. The news came roughly a month and a half after the show's finale first aired on March 13, 2026. Stumble was a mockumentary focused on a former competitive junior college cheerleading coach who takes over training a team of misfits as they try to win a national championship. The series starred Jenn Lyon and Taran Killam, with Kristin Chenoweth having a recurring role.
Even though Stumble ended so soon, it was able to accomplish something very few shows pull off. The comedy earned a truly impressive 96% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes based on user ratings. The series also garnered a solid 82% Tomatometer score.
'I Feel Terrible About It': Inside NBC's Rare Corporate Regret Over 'Stumble'
After Stumble was canceled, Deadline interviewed Jeff Bader, NBCUniversal's President of Program Planning Strategy, about that decision. During that discussion, he was asked about the decision to schedule the sitcom on Friday nights after Happy's Place, a comedy with a different tone and format. In response, Bader explained the questionable scheduling and expressed sorrow about Stumble's ending.
"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."
The outlet also spoke to Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, who similarly expressed her disappointment. "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."
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 9:15 AM.