'Stumble' Pilot Review: A Cheerleading Comedy That Trips Over Its Own Pom-Poms

NBC is back on the mockumentary mat with Stumble, its latest attempt to score a gold medal in the network comedy division. Premiering November 7, the new series follows a ragtag cheerleading team at a struggling junior college, coached by Jenn Lyon’s Courteney Potter, a once-renowned coach whose career took a nosedive after a scandal. The result is a mix of underdog sports energy and mockumentary, but while it’s got heart and sparkle, it lands somewhere between a cartwheel and a faceplant.

The mockumentary style is familiar territory for NBC, the home of classics like The Office and Parks and Recreation. Stumble clearly wants to join that lineage, even borrowing some of the same camera glances and talking-head confessionals. But television has evolved since 2009, and audiences have grown savvy to the format’s tricks. What once felt fresh and meta now risks feeling a little too self-aware, especially when the jokes do not quite stick the landing.

The premise itself has a lot going for it. A disgraced coach trying to rebuild her career by leading a team of misfits has all the makings of an underdog gem. And to its credit, Stumble does introduce a cast of colorful, refreshingly varied characters. There is a plus-size cheerleader who moves with the agility of a seasoned flyer, a kleptomaniac teammate who keeps things unpredictable, an ex-football player turned cheer newbie, and even an older student who should have graduated years ago but refuses to give up on his college dream. Kristin Chenoweth pops up as Tammy Istiny, a rival coach with the kind of manic pep only Chenoweth can deliver, and she steals every scene she is in.

Where Stumble struggles most is in the laughs department. The writing leans into quirk over punchlines, and while the show’s heart is in the right place, the comedy often feels too mild. Jenn Lyon is perfectly capable as the lead, but her character’s blend of exasperation and redemption never quite reaches the comic highs needed to carry the episode. The energy feels more Abbott Elementary than The Office, though without the same level of sharp writing that makes Abbott soar. It is as if NBC saw ABC’s classroom success and decided to counter with its own cheer squad version, hoping lightning might strike twice.

To be fair, the show does nail its ensemble chemistry. The characters feel authentic, the performances are earnest, and the underdog story beats have that comforting, feel-good rhythm that network audiences love. It is easy to root for this team of oddballs, even if their journey to the big cheer competition feels predictable. The issue is not with the setup but with the delivery. For a comedy, Stumble just isn’t very funny. Charming, yes. Amusing, occasionally. But truly laugh-out-loud moments are few and far between.

There is also the sense that Stumble is arriving a few years too late to the mockumentary party. The format has been overused, and unless a show brings something drastically new to the table, it risks feeling like a rerun with better lighting. The talking-head moments in the pilot feel more obligatory than inspired, and the show’s attempts at self-awareness sometimes fall flat.

Still, Stumble has potential if the writers lean harder into the absurdity of competitive cheer and less into the standard network sitcom formula. There is a lot of fun to be had in this world if the show can loosen up and embrace its weirdness. With a cast this diverse and a premise this ripe for comedy, it deserves a chance to find its rhythm.

For now, though, Stumble is a series that lives up to its name. It starts with enthusiasm, flashes some talent, and then loses balance just when it needs to stick the landing. NBC’s newest comedy has spirit, no doubt about it, but spirit alone cannot carry a show to victory. If the jokes tighten up and the tone finds its footing, Stumble could evolve into a sleeper hit. Until then, this is one cheer routine you might want to sit out.

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