Trailer Lands For ‘Manifest’ Season 3
It seems ‘Manifest‘ may not yet be grounded, as news leaks that both Netflix and NBC have resumed talks with show producers Warner Bros. TV about a possible 4th Season…
It has been a turbulent ride for the passengers of Flight 828. Back in June, NBC opted to cancel the series after three seasons, much to the annoyance of fans, and the show’s creator, Jeff Rake, who had already laid out plans for a six-season story arc. However, a week prior to the cancellation, Netflix struck a deal with WBTV, who make the drama, to began streaming the first two seasons in a second-run window on the streaming service in the USA. It then sat in Netflix’s top ten for more than a month and topped the Nielsen streaming ratings in its first week of release. Even after that though, Netflix couldn’t come to a deal with WBTV which made enough financial sense to take on the series themselves.
Now, the latest reports say that both NBC and Netflix have returned to the table in an attempt to keep the series flying. There seem to be a few things that have factored into this return to negotiations. The outcry from fans and their #SaveManifest campaign. For Netflix, the continuing growth in numbers they are seeing on the platform. And for NBC, they have a bit more cash and broadcast space available on the network, due to them opting to cancel ‘Good Girls’, and reversing their decision to make ‘Law & Order: For the Defense’. We should point out, none of the parties involved have officially commented directly about renewing negotiations, and there are a number of hurdles they will have to overcome if there is any chance of a deal being worked out.
Firstly, WBTV has already sold ‘Manifest’ in some international markets, such as here in the UK where it airs on Sky One. That may be a problem for Netflix, who would want the international first-run streaming rights to the series if they are funding it. The other possibility would be some sort of co-production deal with NBC and Netflix putting in cash. That also hits the same potential stumbling block, as usually what would happen with those deals would be NBC takes the US rights, whilst Netflix gets the rest of the world. Again, a problem as WBTV has already sold some of the international rights. However, WBTV did manage to pull off a deal for ‘Lucifer’, which had the same issues, where Amazon had the rights in a number of countries, and Netflix still decided to move forward, so it is not out of the question for that to happen again.
The second issue is the cast, who have all been released from their contracts to allow them to search for other work. Whilst this might cause some scheduling issues should one of them land another show, many of the main cast have been engaged in the #SaveManifest campaign, so there certainly seem a will to come back, should the series manage to land a 4th Season pick up.
‘Manifest’ followed a turbulent but routine flight of the crew and passengers of Flight 828. However, when they disembarked they found the world had aged five-and-a-half years and their friends, families and colleagues had given up hope of ever seeing them again. Faced with the impossible, the passengers’ dreams of a second chance at life evaporated as they encounter the imminent danger surrounding them, both tangible and unexplained. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds, and some of the returned passengers soon realise they might be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible. The series starred Josh Dallas, Melissa Roxburgh, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, Parveen Kaur and Matt Long.
If any more news develops on ‘Manifest‘ Season 4, we’ll let you know, but for now, you can catch Season 3 on Sky One and NOW in the UK.
