Netflix Passes on Renewing Manifest After NBC Cancellation

Last week brought the shocking news that NBC had cancelled the fan-favorite TV series Manifest [...]

By Spencer Perry

Last week brought the shocking news that NBC had cancelled the fan-favorite TV series Manifest after three seasons. The end of the show on the broadcast network didn't necessarily mean the end of the series as a whole with news coming days later that a renewal on Netflix was possible (news of the cancellation had already spurned viewership numbers for the series on the streaming platform to boot). Now however the news has arrived and it's not what anyone was hoping for as Deadline reports that Netflix has passed on a fourth season option for the series. The trade notes that the decision came "after lengthy conversations and deliberations that stretched into this week."

Those holding out hope for another streamer to step-in are in for another dose of bad news as the trade also reports that "Warner Bros. Television has concluded its efforts to find a new home for the series....Pursuing other outlets would have involved navigating a maze of digital rights and cast options that have expired." News that Netflix has passed came after series showrunner Jeff Rake posted a semi-optimistic tweet earlier today which read: "No news is good news as far as I'm concerned. Keep watching. Keep pushing. Keep the faith. Endless gratitude. #SaveManifest"

Manifest ending with its third season marked an abrupt and unplanned conclusion for the show which had a six-season story already planned out by Rake and company, not to mention unresolved cliffhangers from the show's season three finale.

"My dear Manifesters, I'm devastated by NBC's decision to cancel us," Rake tweeted at the time that the cancellation was first announced. "That we've been shut down in the middle is a gut punch to say the least. Hoping to find a new home. You the fans deserve an ending to your story. Thanks for the love shown to me, cast, and crew. #savemanifest"

Manifest premiered in September 2018 and follows the passengers and crew of a commercial flight that went missing, with all on board presumed dead, for five years. The passengers attempt to rejoin their old lives but soon find that they and their loved ones aren't the same as they were. Things only get more difficult as they begin to see flashes of the future that they refer to as "callings."

The cast for the series includes Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J. R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, Parveen Kaur, Matt Long, Daryl Edwards, and Holly Taylor. Recurring characters include Alfredo Narciso, Victoria Cartagena, Adriane Lenox, Daniel Sunjata, Francesca Faridany, Shirley Rumierk, Elizabeth Marvel, Maryann Plunkett, Ellen Tamaki, and Garrett Wareing. Rake executive produces the series with Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Jacqueline Levine, David Frankel, Joe Chappelle, and Len Goldstein. Cathy Frank, Laura Putney, Margaret Easley, Harvey Waldman, and Marta Gené Camps produce.

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