Is ‘Brilliant Minds’ getting cancelled? NBC show pulled after ‘Voice’ Season 29 expands time slot
'Brilliant Minds' Season 2 will not return to its regular Mondays 10 p.m. time slot as NBC has decided to replace the medical drama with 'The Voice' Season 29, the network announced via Deadline on February 4. Starring Zachary Quinto as the eccentric Dr. Oliver Wolf, the medical drama aired its final episode, The Invisible Man (#14), on February 2. The remaining 6 episodes of the sophomore season will be released later this summer, as per NBC. Furthermore, the network has halted its primetime programming to cover the Winter Olympics, which will run from February 6 to February 22.
Michael Grassi created 'Brilliant Minds,' inspired by the books 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat' and 'An Anthropologist on Mars,' by Oliver Sacks. It debuted with 13 episodes on September 23, 2024, on NBC. The show returned for its second outing with 20 episodes on September 22, 2025, but only 14 episodes have aired so far. However, Season 2 has seen a drop in viewership, averaging around 1.9 million viewers for its first airing (excluding streaming and other delayed viewing), a significant decline from 2.97 million in Season 1. Furthermore, Nielsen Live+7 data for the Season 2 premiere recorded 3.67 million views, compared with the 4.2 million views for the Season 1 finale (excluding streaming viewership) in January 2025.
From February 23 onwards, 'The Voice' Season 29 will air for two hours from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Mondays, for the whole season. Created by John de Mol, 'The Voice' has been a ratings hit for the network, so the decision to expand its time slot comes as no surprise to viewers. Also, the new timings will allow 'The Voice' to avoid direct competition with ABC's 'American Idol,' which airs on Mondays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., for one hour of its airtime. The latest season of the singing competition will bring together judges Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, and John Legend for the first time in seven years. They last appeared together in Season 16, which aired in 2019. Also, their reunion also marks the first time in the show's history that the coaching panel consists entirely of winning coaches from past seasons.
Furthermore, 'The Voice' will return with an updated format, 'infused with fast-paced, competitive elements,' NBC said. The upcoming season will feature four rounds, with each coach getting 10 artists on their team. The coaches will compete in a 'Triple Turn Competition' to secure the most three-chair turns and gain a special advantage in the next round. The winning coach will receive a 'Super Steal' for the battle rounds, allowing them to veto other coaches’ attempts to steal. In the revamped knockout round, each coach will get to include two fan-favorite artists from their previous seasons to compete in an 'In-Season All-Star Competition.'
The winning coach, chosen by CeeLo Green, will get to add their two artists in the finale. This season will also introduce a new voting block consisting of super fans and past Voice artists. Viewers can watch past episodes of 'Brilliant Minds' and 'The Voice' on Peacock exclusively.
