NBC brought back a Friday night comedy block in the 2026 TV schedule, anchored by Reba McEntire's Happy's Place and expanding to include the new cheerleading mockumentary Stumble. The former was a reunion for many members of the cast of Reba, the sitcom that ran for six seasons in the early aughts. Unfortunately for both new fans and returnees from Reba, the comedy is about to be pulled from NBC's schedule in February. The last episode for several weeks airs on January 30.
That said, there's a good reason why new episodes won't be arriving on the next several Friday nights (or stream next day with a Peacock subscription). Happy's Place isn't being singled out as a show to be bumped from primetime as a sign of impending cancellation; it's just one of many NBC shows heading into a mini hiatus in most of February, and it's all due to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Happy's Place is being replaced next Friday, February 6, by NBC's coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics. While live coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET, a.k.a. several hours ahead of Happy's Place's usual evening time slot, primetime coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET. Stumble, usually airing in the 8:30 p.m. ET slot directly after Happy's Place, is also being bumped for several weeks. You'll be able to find plenty of sports on Friday nights, but possibly fewer laughs.
The two sitcoms won't be gone for the entire month of February, although it's very close. Happy's Place and Stumble are expected back with new episodes on Friday, February 27. Although both are comedies, the two shows are actually much more different than Happy's Place and Lopez vs. Lopez were before the George Lopez-led sitcom was cancelled by NBC. While Stumble is a freshman mockumentary, Happy's Place is a sophomore multi-cam sitcom with a live studio audience.
Stumble showrunners Jeff and Liz Astrof spoke with CinemaBlend last year to share how "flattering" it was to be paired with Reba McEntire's show. Happy's Place was a hit when it premiered back in 2024, and that doesn't seem to have changed with Season 2 in the 2025-2026 TV season despite the Season 1 finale's bummer ending. I'd originally thought that the cheerleading show might be paired with NBC's St. Denis Medical to double the mockumentary action, but airing after Happy's Place isn't a bad place to be in primetime.
Alas, Fridays won't be the place to be for Stumble or Happy's Place for the foreseeable future. After the opening ceremony for the 2026 Winter Olympics takes over their usual time slots on February 6 in the historic San Siro Stadium in Milan, the athletic competition will occupy primetime on NBC for the next several weeks. That's not bad news for anybody who loves seeing the best of the best athletes in the world competing for gold, but Fridays without Happy's Place could really be a... well, less happy place when it comes to TV comedy.
While you wait for Happy's Place and Stumble to return on February 27, you can always revisit earlier episodes streaming on Peacock. Or, be like me, and just embrace watching the icy Winter Olympics from the cozy comfort of a couch.
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