It almost goes without saying that NBC once had high hopes for its supernatural drama Manifest. The series revolves around the passengers of the mysterious Flight 828 which goes missing for five years. The premise is undoubtedly intriguing, so much so that it resulted in a three-season run for the show. At the same time, Manifest also managed to attract a whole new audience group once the show became available on Netflix.
Despite the show’s success on the streaming platform, a cancellation appeared to be inevitable. And even today, fans are curious to know why NBC axed the show and why Netflix never decided to produce the show itself.
Manifest Experienced Ratings Highs And Lows
When Manifest premiered in 2018, there were some comparisons to J.J. Abrams’ hit ABC drama Lost. According to Indie Wire, the series attracted around 10.3 million viewers when it aired its pilot. However, the intertwined stories among the central characters proved to be complicated for most. That said, the relationships are a key element to the show’s overall plot. “It’ll be a slow burn,” the series’ creator, Jeff Rake, explained during an interview with Collider in 2018. “Every episode will be a pretty even balance between relationship drama moving the ball forward in the key relationships that we’re tracking in the episode, and pushing along mythology while also carrying a close-ended procedural story of the week.”
Later on, it became clear that much of the audience didn’t appreciate the show’s “slow burn” at all. By the time the show aired its ninth episode, its audience had already gone down to an estimated 5.9 million. Despite the ratings dip, NBC decided to renew the show for a second season. Rake also made it clear that he had a six-year plan for the series. “In my first incarnation, I did basically have a sense of the ultimate end game, but as anyone who watches or writes television knows, there’s a long way from the beginning to the end,” Rake told Collider. “The many layers that I intend to bring to the show have been the result of my own contemplating, over the years.”
When the show aired its second season, the viewership went further down to a reported average of 3.90 million with its highest numbers recorded during the finale. Meanwhile, the global pandemic situation had forced Hollywood to cease production on several shows and films for months before gradually resuming work again. And this situation essentially worked in Manifest's favor.
When it came time to decide on new and existing series, NBC seemingly opted to “corona-proof” its line-up, much like The CW and Fox. That meant the network opted to go with scripted shows that were already filmed instead of going with new shows that are relatively untested across audiences. This may explain why NBC opted to renew the show for a third season amid its lackluster performance.
At the same time, Manifest also became available on Netflix last June. Upon its release on the platform, the show shot to the top of Nielsen’s streaming charts. In fact, TV Line revealed that the show’s first two seasons nearly 2.5 billion viewing minutes. Since then, Hulu also decided to pick up the show’s third season. Despite this, NBC announced that it was cancelling the show. Soon after, it was also confirmed that Netflix has no plans of producing the show themselves.
So, Why Did NBC And Netflix Walk Away From Manifest?
Once NBC axed Manifest from its lineup, Warner Bros. Television, who had been producing the show with Rake, set out to find a new home for the drama. But their efforts were futile. According to Deadline, Warner Bros. Television was also unwilling to look into other outlets since that involved going over digital rights. Not to mention, several cast options on the show have also reportedly expired. Hence, it seemed giving up on the show altogether was the most rational move.
As for Netflix, the streaming platform expressed interest to take over producing Manifest initially. However, those talks went nowhere rather quickly. “Netflix looked at the numbers for a week or so,” Rake revealed while speaking with Entertainment Weekly. “And apparently informed Warner Bros. TV that for whatever reason I can't speak to, they decided they didn't want to take over production and create additional episodes.”
Jeff Rake Isn’t Giving Up On Manifest Just Yet
Despite the cancellation, Rake is convinced that there is a way for Manifest to continue in the future. “How strange for a show to seemingly be at the end of its rope and then suddenly it's the No. 1 series on Netflix for, I think it's 20 days in a row,” he said. “I was well on my way through the stages of grief to process the premature ending of the story. Now I am basking in the rebirth of the show.”
Even if Netflix has already turned down producing Manifest themselves, Rake also believes he should press on negotiations with the streaming giant, nonetheless. He also hasn’t ruled out another possible streaming partner. “So I've encouraged Warner Bros. and my agents to continue conversations with Netflix, and anyone else for that matter, another platform who may be interested in stepping up,” Rake revealed. “There's a lot of questions over whether Hulu would want to take over since season 3 of the show lives on Hulu…” Only time will tell if Rake can pull off the seemingly impossible.