NBC has given fans some disappointing news over the last week. There are two NBC shows remaining on the bubble after two were — sadly, unsurprisingly — canceled. Now eyes are on when the final decisions will be made, as the NBC Upfronts are coming up fast!
We know that cancellations have to happen. The networks need to make room for new shows in the next TV season, and that means looking at the series that are underperforming. Just how much room does NBC want to make, though?
NBC Shows Canceled: Brilliant Minds and Stumble
The two shows that have just been canceled aren’t all that surprising, sadly. Brilliant Minds was pulled from the schedule just after the Winter Olympics, and it told us everything that we needed to know. With the show now set to return with its final set of episodes later this month, it was clear that NBC knew that the viewership was too low to justify keeping the series on the air.
It is sad, though. Brilliant Minds was one of those shows that offered a necessary look at medical care. The doctors stepped back from looking at the symptoms and took note of the patient instead to help get to the bottom of mysterious illnesses.
Stumble was the other casualty of last week. The cheerleader mockmentary comedy just didn’t quite find its audience, and I do blame the decision to air it on Friday nights for that. If it had aired straight after St. Denis Medical rather than the Peacock show The Paper, Stumble could have found its audience.
NBC tried to rectify its mistake, but the damage was already done. This well-thought-out comedy just didn’t get the viewership it needed to get a second season.
NBC Shows on the Bubble: The Hunting Party and Law & Order
If you’d have asked me a couple of years ago if Law & Order would be on the bubble, I’d have laughed. The idea of that seemed absurd, but then the viewership dropped. The interest just isn’t there anymore, and the constantly changing cast isn’t helping.
The Hunting Party is the other show on the bubble, and this doesn’t surprise me. The Thursday night timeslot after Law & Order: SVU is a difficult one. It’s where Found struggled to get its audience, and before that, Law & Order: Organized Crime struggled. So, I expected to see the viewership struggle, but I had hoped that the first season landing on Netflix would help.
We won’t get to hear decisions until a little later this week, as NBC makes some final moves in the run up to the Upfronts. Out of the two, I could see The Hunting Party canceled and Law & Order just landing a renewal.
