HOW NETFLIX ‘MANIFESTED’ OVERNIGHT STARDOM FOR A PREVIOUSLY CANCELLED TV SERIES

While Netflix is infamous for cancelling many of its promising shows without a by-your-leave, the streaming giant has also given many dying shows a new lease of life. One of the best examples of a cancelled show that the OTT platform raised to overnight stardom is the American supernatural TV series ‘Manifest’. The series, which revolved around the passenger and crew of a commercial airliner that suddenly reappears after disappearing for over five years, originally premiered on the channel NBC in 2018. However, it was cancelled just after three seasons due to dwindling viewership.

In June 2021, Deadline revealed that NBC had opted not to continue the drama series for a fourth season. Despite a strong start with respectable ratings when it first aired, the show's audience steadily dwindled over time, with a notable drop in viewership during its third season.

However, in August 2021, Netflix acquired the rights to the series and approved a fourth season.

Good luck seems to have ‘manifested’ for the show producers after it passed hands from NBC to Netflix. After it’s ‘re-debut’ on the platform, the show catapulted to fame and topped the viewership charts consistently, leading to the series being renewed for fourth and fifth seasons.

As per a 2022 report by Variety, the opening episodes of season four had 57.1 million hours viewed in their first three days of availability. The fourth season also sits pretty at 88 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

About ‘Manifest’

Manifest is a U.S. supernatural drama series, created by Jeff Rake. It debuted on NBC on September 24, 2018. The storyline follows the passengers and crew of a commercial flight who mysteriously return after being missing and presumed dead for five and a half years. The series features an ensemble cast including Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, Parveen Kaur, Matt Long, Holly Taylor, Daryl Edwards, and Ty Doran.