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'Brilliant Minds,' 'Law & Order,' and more: NBC cancels fan-favorite shows after broadcast TV season ends

The cancellations of these NBC shows have been motivated by various factors, including low ratings and year-to-year viewership declines.

As the 2025-2026 television broadcast year comes to an end, NBC has finally unveiled its slate for the upcoming year. With plenty of shows competing for screen time, several shows, from a fan-favorite police procedural to a freshman comedy, have been discontinued and won't be returning this Fall. Alongside the drama shows, several syndicated shows have also been given the axe, in keeping with the ever-changing paradigm of television programming. The mood was echoed by Frances Berwick, the chairman of Bravo & Peacock unscripted for NBCUniversal, who mentioned in a statement, "NBCUniversal is making changes to our first-run syndication division to better align with the programming preferences of local stations. These shows have provided audiences with great talk and entertainment content for many years, and we’re very proud of the teams behind them." 

1. Brilliant Minds

Among the shows that were canceled was 'Brilliant Minds,' which will not return for Season 3. The show starred Zachary Quinto as the neurologist Dr. Oliver Wolf. Per Deadline, the show was the lowest-rated drama on NBC's linear TV schedule and had the "steepest double-digit year-to-year declines." Nurse Silva (played by Al Calderón) shared a heartwarming Instagram post thanking the show, "What a life changing experience," he continued. "Met forever friends. Learned from the absolute best. Was reminded that my voice mattered. Learned that it’s okay to believe in yourself. Felt like I was part of something,'' he added.

2. Law & Order: Organized Crime

The 'Law & Order' spinoff, 'Law & Order: Organized Crime,' hasn't been renewed for a sixth season, bringing the five-season run to a conclusion. Starring Christopher Meloni as Elliott Stabler, the show debuted in 2021 and chronicled Stabler's return to New York to join the city's Organized Crime bureau. On his Instagram page, Meloni recently posted a video expressing his gratitude for being part of the long-running show. He mentioned, "Hey everyone, I just saw that they announced OC, Organized Crime won’t be coming back, so I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans, who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back." 

3. Stumble

The freshman series 'Stumble' shares the same fate as the aforementioned shows. The mockumentary show, which featured Taran Killam, Jarrett Austin Brown, Jenn Lyon, and Arianna Davis, chronicled the ups and downs of a cheerleading team. It also featured Kristin Chenoweth in a recurring role.

4. Access Hollywood

The iconic show 'Access Hollywood' had been canceled after three decades on the air. The entertainment news show currently has Kit Hoover, Zuri Hall, Scott Evans, and Mario Lopez as the hosts. Incidentally, 'Access Daily' has been canceled as well. A similar fate befell 'The Steve Wilkos Show', which debuted in 2007 and had 17 seasons before being canceled.

5. The Kelly Clarkson Show

Elsewhere, Kelly Clarkson had announced in February that 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' won't have an eighth season. NBC has confirmed that new episodes from the seventh season will continue airing through the fall. Finally, NBC has also canceled 'Queer Eye' star Karamo Brown's talk show, 'Karamo.'