The Sci-Fi Thriller Mystery Series Netflix Saved From Getting Canceled

By Douglas Helm | Published

It’s not often that a TV show gets a second life after getting canceled, but on rare occasions, fans get closure to their favorite shows. One of the good things about the streaming era is giants like Netflix can opt to revive these kinds of shows if there’s enough of an audience, and that’s exactly what happened with the supernatural drama series Manifest. If you never checked the series out for yourself, you can stream all four seasons now on Netflix.

Manifest Defied Cancelation

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Manifest follows a group of passengers on a plane from Jamaica to NYC who experience severe turbulence during the flight. When they land in New York, they are informed that five and a half years have passed since their flight began. The passengers must then get back to their lives that have changed in their absence while also experiencing new visions and voices, or “callings,” that show them events that haven’t happened yet.

Manifest was created by Jeff Rake and starred Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J. R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, Parveen Kaur, Matt Long, Holly Taylor, Daryl Edwards, and Ty Doran.

A Mystery Box

Those who like mystery-box-type shows like Lost will find a lot to enjoy in Manifest, which keeps you guessing throughout its run. The show keeps you engaged with its premise alone, but it also has a great cast that gives solid performances throughout. 

Of course, the only bad thing about mystery shows like Manifest is the chance you never learn the answers to any mysteries. That almost happened to fans of the show, as NBC opted to cancel it after three seasons in 2021. The third season also ended on a cliffhanger, making the cancellation even more frustrating.

Manifest Blew Up On Streaming

Luckily for fans of Manifest, the show had been added to Netflix right before it was canceled and it topped the viewing charts right away. The interest in the show was enough to perk Netflix up and the streamer decided to renew it for a fourth and final season with 20 episodes. The show was able to wrap up, with part one premiering on the platform in 2022 and part two coming out in 2023.

Planned For Six Seasons Or A Movie

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Apparently, creator Jeff Rake had planned out six seasons for Manifest when originally selling the show to NBC. When the show was canceled, Rake started looking for platforms to fund a film that would tie up the loose ends of the series. Rake ended up getting much more than that when Netflix agreed to the full fourth season.

Manifest Stuck The Landing On Netflix

While it was a relief for fans when Netflix decided to give Manifest a fourth season, it wasn’t necessarily shocking when you look at the numbers.

According to reports, the show was watched by 25 million accounts in the US and Canada within its first 28 days of being on the platform. It then broke a streaming record at the time with six weeks of over 1 billion minutes viewed, and it became the third show in history to be in the Netflix Top 10 for 100 days. 

While it wasn’t the six seasons that Jeff Rake planned, you can now watch Manifest and rest assured that there’s an ending in store. Because who wants to start a show that ends in a cliffhanger? You can head over to Netflix to stream Manifest now.