"Manifest" is the latest TV series to be cancelled without enough time for those behind the scenes to properly end the story. But while many shows simply fade away ("Glow," "Good Girls," and many others), this series may live to end its story another day.
At least, that's the word from Manifest creator Jeff Lake. Lake has long spoken about why the series needed to last longer than it actually did, telling the Television Critics Association (TCA) in 2020 that "as someone who has never had a serialized show before, I pitched this one with a road map and clear chapters along the way," and that "this show is six season," he said. Unfortunately, NBC only aired the show for three seasons.
Earlier this week, Lake tweeted his support for the show's fans, writing, "Manifesters! We are in awe of your support. We are trying to find a way to end the series, it may take a week, a month, a year. But we will not give up. You all deserve an end to the story. Keep the conversation going. If it works, it's because of you."
And parsing these words, we see that there is good news and bad news for the manifestor in question. The good news is that Lake and co-management clearly do not intend to let this show die.
But the bad news? Because it doesn't look like Lake has any big plans. The tweet was published six days after Deadline reported that Netflix had not ordered a fourth season of Manifest. This reportedly caused Warner Bros. Television to stop looking for a new home for the show.
Why would they stop? Perhaps if Warner did look for a new home, it would be difficult to navigate the complex world of digital rights and casting options.
So what is Rake going to do; Netflix still seems like the best option; can they sell Netflix a movie that completes the story, rather than the three seasons this series seems to need to tell the story?
Indeed, a movie is on the table. As Lake told Twitter Space...
"Whether it's in terms of more episodes, or a final film like I did with 'Firefly,' or a lot of people have asked me to 'write a book.'
Maybe there is a path that is not well visible from the other side of the monitor. Either way, the #SaveManifest hashtag will be used by manifestists trying to revive the series.
"Manifest" is a mystery box-style series that has much in common with "Lost." However, instead of focusing on a crashed plane, it tells the story of the plane's passengers and crew, who reappear after the plane mysteriously disappears and the world presumes them dead.
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