Stumble (TV series)
| Stumble | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mockumentary sitcom |
| Created by | Jeff Astrof & Liz Astrof |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Tim Phillips |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | November 7, 2025 – present |
Stumble is an American mockumentary sitcom created by Jeff Astrof and Liz Astrof. Jenn Lyon stars as a successful competitive cheerleading coach trying to train a new squad of inexperienced students at Headltston State Junior College after being fired from her former job. The series premiered on NBC on November 7, 2025.
Plot
Set in the fictional cities of Wichita Flats, Texas, and Headltston, Oklahoma, the competitive cheerleading coach tied for winningest cheer champion, Courteney Potter (Jenn Lyon), is fired from her position after drinking with her squad. She finds a new job as the typing instructor and head coach of the squad at Headltston State Junior College and pulls together a team in hopes of winning the championship.
Cast
Main
- Jenn Lyon as Courteney Potter, a plucky cheerleading coach seeking to break the record for winningest cheer champion coach[1]
- Taran Killam as Boon E. Potter, Courteney's husband and head coach of the football team at Sammy Davis Sr. Junior College[1]
- Anissa Borrego as Krystal, the former flyer at Sammy Davis Sr. and new flyer at Headltston[2]
- Jarrett Austin Brown as Dimarcus, a former Sammy Davis Sr. Junior College football player and a new cheerleader at Headltston[2]
- Arianna Davis as Madonna, a talented new Headltston cheerleader with narcolepsy[2]
- Taylor Dunbar as Peaches, a kleptomaniac and new Headltston cheerleader[2]
- Georgie Murphy as Sally, a new Headltston cheerleader[2]
- Ryan Pinkston as Steven, a thirty-something car rental clerk that cheered on Courteney's first squad years ago
Recurring
- Kristin Chenoweth as Tammy Istiny, former assistant coach to Courteney and new head cheerleading coach at Sammy Davis Sr. Junior College[2]
Notable guest stars
- Busy Philipps as Vicky, Peaches' older sister
Episodes
| No. | Title [3] | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [3] | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Jeffrey Blitz | Jeff Astrof & Liz Astrof | November 7, 2025 | 2.02[4] | |
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After getting fired from her position at Sammy Davis Sr. Junior College, Courteney Potter lands a job coaching a new cheer squad at Headltston. After recruiting ten cheerleaders, the Buttons put on a "Show Off" performance in an attempt to attend a national conference. Krystal, a popular cheerleader, falls and breaks her ankle disqualifying the team from advancing with the "Show Off" performance. | ||||||
| 2 | "Media Day" | Jeffrey Blitz | Jeff Astrof | November 14, 2025 | 1.70[5] | |
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After Krystal’s fall, Courteney decides to use media day as a way to recruit new cheerleaders and put the team on the mat. DiMarcus proves it difficult to adapt to being a part of a team. | ||||||
| 3 | "In Sync" | Jeffrey Blitz | Liz Astrof | November 21, 2025 | 1.76[6] | |
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Several female Button members begin their menstrual cycles simultaneously. Sally, who is experiencing homelessness, is overlooked by a flustered Courteney, who is concerned about the possibility of pregnancy after not starting her cycle. Meanwhile, despite persistent teasing from football players, Dimarcus assists the group by providing tampons and small gifts. | ||||||
| 4 | "Button Day" | Yana Gorskaya | Niki Schwartz-Wright | December 5, 2025 | TBD | |
| 5 | "Homecoming" | Yana Gorskaya | Matthew Zinman & Craig Gerard | December 12, 2025 | TBD | |
| 6 | "The Tell-Tale Slurp" | Jeffrey Blitz | Maxwell Theodore Vivian | December 19, 2025 | TBD | |
Production
NBC picked up the Stumble pilot in March 2025.[7] The series is created by siblings Jeff Astrof and Liz Astrof, with executive producer Monica Aldama, a former cheerleading coach that also appeared in the Netflix docuseries Cheer. [7] It was ordered to series on July 22, 2025, with the following main cast members announced: Jenn Lyon, Taran Killam, Ryan Pinkston, Jarrett Austin Brown, Anissa Borrego, Arianna Davis, Taylor Dunbar and Georgie Murphy.[2] Kristin Chenoweth was announced as a recurring cast member.[2]
Stumble premiered on NBC on November 7, 2025.[8] New episodes are available to stream on Peacock the day after release on NBC.[9]
Reception
Critical response
The series received mainly positive reception. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 10 critics' reviews are positive.[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 70 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable".[11]
Aramide Tinubu wrote for Variety, "With a highly talented cast who clearly know their characters and exceptional comedic timing, the show hits the ground running, and it can only reach new heights from here." Cristina Escobar of RogerEbert.com praised the cast, "It's a strong setup and approach, buoyed by a cast that's clearly having fun with it. Lyon and Killam are both heartfelt and funny, able to pull laughs and play their more down-to-earth moments."[8] In a less positive review, Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter described Stumble as "too harmless to hate — it is just, like most of its characters, too sloppy to put much faith in so far."[12]
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | November 7, 2025 | 0.2/3 | 2.02 | 0.04 | 0.42 | 0.22 | 2.44 | [4] |
| 2 | "Media Day" | November 14, 2025 | 0.2/3 | 1.70 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [5] |
| 3 | "In Sync" | November 21, 2025 | 0.2/3 | 1.76 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | [6] |
References
- ^ a b Tinubu, Aramide. "Kristin Chenoweth and Jenn Lyon Soar in NBC's Hilarious Cheer Mockumentary 'Stumble': TV Review". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Andreeva, Nellie. "NBC Picks Up 'Stumble' Cheerleading Comedy Pilot Starring Jenn Lyon To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b "Shows A-Z – Stumble on NBC". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (November 10, 2025). "Friday Ratings: Return of Reba McEntire Sitcom Happy's Place on NBC Earns Best Demos for a Broadcast Network Telecast in its Time Slot". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (November 19, 2025). "Friday Ratings: CBS and ESPN Share Prime Time Victory". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (November 26, 2025). "Friday Ratings: Women's College Basketball Begins New Season Well for Fox". Programming Insider. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie. "NBC Picks Up Liz & Jeff Astrof Cheerleading Comedy 'Stumble' To Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Escobar, Cristina. "NBC Mockumentary Sitcom "Stumble" is a Flipping Good Time". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Bennett, Tara (November 6, 2025). "How to Watch Stumble, NBC's New Cheerleading Mockumentary". NBC. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
- ^ "Stumble: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ "Stumble: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Han, Angie (November 7, 2025). "'Stumble' Review: NBC's Competitive Cheerleading Mockumentary Is Hardly a Winner". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 11, 2025.