Critic Reviews

“Stumble” stands out because the show knows exactly what it wants to be. The writers have mastered the cadence and comedic style that make series like “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” and, more recently, “Abbott Elementary” so beloved.

It all adds up to a flipping good time—a chance to watch good people achieve a bit of excellence in their little corner of the world, while laughing at the absurdity of the society that surrounds them.

“Stumble” centers on celebrated cheerleading coach Courteney Potter (a delightfully deadpan Jenn Lyon). .... [Navarro College cheerleading coach Monica] Aldama is an executive producer on “Stumble,” which should guarantee a certain amount of authenticity. .... The show might be mocking the characters, but that doesn’t mean it can’t take the sport seriously.

Based on the two episodes out for review, the results here, rich in slapstick and silliness, are very good. I laughed a lot, anyway.

Stumble is not only funny, but it has a surprising amount of heart and character-based humor, and our hope is that it’ll improve on both factors after a strong start.

The first “Stumble” episode is particularly meh. But the second episode, which allows Potter some wins, shows signs of improvement with funnier moments and better writing.

Stumble’s best efforts, however, are strained. Instead of a warm, easy time, it delivers a string of sweaty jokes that are mostly either too obvious or too random and only rarely actually funny, punctuated by sudden swerves into earnest uplift.