NBC Still Has Cancellation And Renewal Decisions To Make, But I Really Need One Show To Keep Going

We’re nearing the thick of TV cancellation season, the least celebratory time of year since “flu season,” and it should thin the 2026 TV schedule out a bit, even if most axed shows will be replaced with newly ordered fare. April has seen fewer disappointments than last month’s lineup of canceled shows. NBC still has several decisions to make with a pair of sitcoms and a handful of dramas, and those will definitely get solidified soon, as the network will have its finalized fall lineup set before mid-May.

Here are the shows yet to get cancellation or renewal news, the one I think most deserves another season, as well as the pilots that could potentially be replacing any current series whose fates might be sealed.

NBC's On-The-Bubble Shows

Brilliant Minds

Though NBC hasn't ever used the words "cancellation" and "Brilliant Minds" in the same sentence, the network did seem to point in a certain direction when it pulled the Zachary Quinto-led medical drama from the schedule pre-Olympics to slot in The Voice's all-star season. (Which itself lost steam with audiences due to a lack of live episodes.)

Brilliant Minds is returning to the schedule to air the remaining six episodes of Season 2, but not until May 27, at which point its fate will already be revealed to all, and not even a surge in ratings could have an effect.

The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins

Tracy Morgan's latest team-up with 30 Rock co-creator Robert Carlock got off to a strong start with its post-NFL sneak preview debut, but the sports documentary comedy quickly shed a lot of viewers with its weekly airings opposite American Idol's second half. Perhaps as big an albatross as anything: Reggie Dinkins was often beat out in its time slot by DMV, and CBS canceled that one in March.

One would think that the SNL vets, combined with the excellence of Erika Alexander and Daniel Radcliffe, would keep this show above "one season and done" waters, but is anything ever really safe now? It's possible the show makes more people say "Oooh, Daddy!" while streaming it on Peacock, but would it be enough to keep it safe?

The Hunting Party

NBC renewed The Hunting Party and Brilliant Minds at the same time in 2025, but the Melissa Roxburgh-starring crime drama didn't get its second season pulled from the schedule at any point, and it's set to conclude on April 30.

Unfortunately, its live viewership dipped below 2 million viewers for the first time with its ninth episode, so unless the final episode bring in a surge of eyeballs, it may not bode well for

Law & Order

A betting man would likely steer clear of any assumptions that one of TV's longest-running procedurals will get snipped five years into its revival era. While its ratings have dipped on average, it's not that big of a dip even from Season 21, and this season has pulled in over 3.5 million viewers a week. It's pretty safe.

Two key factors make Law & Order's fate seem complicated. One: it hasn't been renewed yet, which could come down to any number of issues that don't point to a cancellation, such as contractual negotiations. Two: Christopher Meloni's Organized Crime spinoff was canceled recently at Peacock, but that could also be down to streaming data and not the flagship series.

Stumble

Stumble unfortunately has a lot going against it, perhaps the most of any on-the-bubble show. Friday night shows aren't meant to be godsends, but the Jenn Lyon-starring comedy never rose beyond the 2.01 million-strong audience its premiere drew in, while lead-in sitcom Happy's Place regularly drew at least 1 million more viewers in per week.

On the flip side - pun half-intended - Stumble is the kind of good-natured comedy that we need more of, so perhaps just a move away from its Season 1 time slot is all that's needed. (Here's what Lyon told CinemaBlend about her Season 2 hopes.)

I Really Hope Reggie Dinkins Survives The Next Round Of Cancellations

While I'm as tired of the faux documentary format as much as anyone, the one-two combo of St. Denis Medical and Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is a reminder of how well the format can still work. (Stumble also, just not in the same block.) I've laughed harder at this show's jokes than anything else in 2026 thus far, except for maybe the glorious ridiculousness of Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat. And the pedigree of the cast and crew is top-notch.

If this comes down to budgets, I guess I could understand why this show and its guest stars and fanciful locations would be pricier than some other on-the-bubble-series. Don't cancel this show, NBC! It still needs to RISE!

NBC's Pilots In Contention For Fall Premieres

Here are some of the pilot projects that NBC has in development that could potentially get slotted for upcoming seasonal schedules.

• The Rockford Files reboot - David Boreanaz was cast for this updated take on the quippy detective made famous by James Garner in the 1970s, with other cast members including Jacki Weaver and Michaela McManus.
• Puzzled - From former Charmed showrunner Joey Falco, this procedural is centered on a college athlete who experiences a traumatic brain injury that makes him see the world in puzzles, which leads to a career in crime-solving, as based on the novel The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni. Damon Wayans Jr. stars.
• What The Dead Know - Based on Barbara Butcher's book of the same name, this NBC pilot comes from mega-producer Dick Wolf's eponymous production company, as created by FBI: Most Wanted's Beth Rinehart. The project stars Taylor Schilling as a medical examiner in New York city who helps detectives solve the hardest cases.
• Protection - This conspiracy thriller from Quantico creator Josh Safran (and produced by Jenna Bush Hager) centers on a family of law enforcement agents who become targets for a mysterious assassin. This marks actor Peter Krause's first starring TV role since his controversial exit from 9-1-1.

Now we're just waiting until NBC drops those cancellation bombs. And what's the best way to wait? By watching as much of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins as you can handle, of course! Seriously. Go. Now. Please.