NBC is ending Peacock’s “The Paper” series earlier than expected. Instead, starting Jan. 5, NBC will air episodes of the freshman comedy “Stumble” in its Monday 8:30 p.m. ET time slot. The program has been airing the broadcast version of “The Paper” since November 10th.
New episodes of “Stumble” continue to air Fridays at 8:30 p.m. behind “Happy’s Place.” But NBC executives hope to give “Stumble” even more exposure by airing Monday reruns behind “St. Denis Medical,” which begins with the show’s pilot episode.
This means that all 10 episodes of “The Paper” will not air on Monday, but NBC will air the remaining three episodes on Saturday, January 3. Of course, the show will be available on Peacock starting September 4th, and viewers can already watch the entire first season. And a season 2 of “The Paper” has already been optioned, meaning the show will return with more episodes on the streamer in 2026.
NBC executives hope to add more momentum to “Stumble,” which airs in an additional Monday slot through Feb. 2 (excluding NBA games on Jan. 19). That Monday 8:30 p.m. slot will eventually be taken over by the new comedy The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, which will premiere with a one-hour episode on February 23 at 8 p.m. ET and settle the following week on March 2 at 8:30 p.m.
“Stumble” was created by Jeff and Liz Astrof and is set in the competitive world of a junior college cheer squad. In addition to Jen Lyon, the series will also star Taran Killam, Ryan Pinkston, Jarrett Austin Brown, Anissa Borrego, Ariana Davis, Taylor Dunbar, and Georgie Murphy, with Kristin Chenoweth also reportedly making a recurring guest appearance. Other guest stars in season 1 include Jeff Hiller, Ashley Atkinson, and Dasha Polanco.
The Astrofs will serve as executive producers along with Dana Honor and Monica Aldama (Netflix’s “Cheer”). Jeff Blitz is the director/EP. Universal TV is the production studio behind the single-camera comedy, which was featured in 13 episodes of Season 1.
Aramide Tinubu, a variety show critic, highly praised the show, saying, “It’s a hysterical mockumentary about the high-stakes scene of junior college cheerleading.” For viewers who loved the serious approach to gaming, this light-hearted twist on that world introduces a very diverse cast of characters and a woman determined to win at any cost.”
