Once-cancelled mystery plane drama Manifest comes back from the dead on Netflix

NEW YORK – The supernatural drama Manifest tells the strange tale of Montego Air Flight 828, which flew from Jamaica to New York in 2018.

After hitting turbulence, it is safely diverted to a different airport. But when it lands, the passengers and crew learn they have been gone not for mere hours but 5½ years, and until now, presumed dead.

This mirrors the fortunes of the show itself, which was also written off before being resurrected.

Manifest received middling reviews when it premiered in 2018 and, three seasons later, was abruptly cancelled by NBC, the American television network it originally aired on.

But its first two seasons became a sleeper hit when they were made available on Netflix in 2021, so the streaming platform decided to rescue Manifest and renew it for a fourth and final chapter.

And unlike another supernatural drama about the survivors of a fateful flight – the Emmy-winning Lost (2004 to 2010), whose finale was slammed for not resolving certain mysteries – Manifest seems to be going out on a high, with Part 1 of Season 4 receiving warm reviews after debuting in November 2022.

At a panel in New York to discuss the final season – Part 2 premieres on Netflix on Friday – creator and showrunner Jeff Rake says that for him and the other writers, the streaming service meant more creative freedom.

“One really nice luxury about writing at Netflix is there’s a lot of flexibility about the length of the episodes,” says the 56-year-old American TV writer-producer.

“That’s really helpful because sometimes the story wants to be a little shorter and sometimes longer.”

At the same time, they decided to stick to the original plan for the show.

“The first thing (Netflix) said to us was, ‘Continue the story and keep going where you always intended to,’” Rake says. “And that’s what we’ve done.”

That meant the passengers would continue to have ominous visions of the future and other odd experiences as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives.

They also learnt they all now have a predetermined “death date”. They are supposed to die 5½ years after the plane’s reappearance, but they may have also been brought back for a loftier purpose.

These questions are still up in the air for Part 2 and, like Lost, Manifest has inspired dozens of fan theories and wild speculation online.

But Part 1 did resolve at least one conundrum: the love triangle involving a passenger named Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh), her former fiance Jared (J.R. Ramirez) and her new love interest Zeke (Matt Long).

Zeke – who was not on the plane but was also presumed dead after getting lost in a blizzard – managed to survive his own “death date”, but ultimately decided to sacrifice his life for the greater good.

This is one reason Roxburgh, the 30-year-old Canadian-American actress who appeared in science-fiction film Star Trek Beyond (2016), describes this season as one of the most melancholy.

“People maybe won’t die as much, but the relationships are really sad,” says Roxburgh, who is reportedly dating co-star Ramirez, a 42-year-old Cuban-American actor.

In an interview with Variety magazine after Part 1 aired, however, Rake hints that Michaela and Zeke may still be connected despite his death, and that there might be another opportunity for romance between her and Jared.

Michaela’s brother Ben (Josh Dallas) also finds himself in a “really dark, complicated place” this season, says Dallas, 44.

“He’s stuck in this grief and profound anger. His sister, son, daughter and his friends are still there, but he can’t really connect with them, so he pushes them away,” says the American actor, who appeared in the fantasy series Once Upon A Time (2011 to 2018) and has two children with his wife, American actress Ginnifer Goodwin.

This season, Roxburgh and Dallas also got the chance to step behind the camera and direct several episodes.

“This story is so important to all of us, so to get the opportunity to be able to have an input with a 360-degree view of it was really a privilege,” says Dallas.

Manifest Season 4 – Part 2 premieres on Netflix on Friday.