New details have emerged regarding why Manifest season 4 took so long to happen. Created by Jeff Rake, the supernatural drama aired on NBC in 2018. The series follows the crew and passengers of a commercial airliner who experience minor turbulence during a flight from Jamaica to New York City but when they land, they discover that five years have passed and they were all presumed dead during this time. The show stars Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J. R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, Parveen Kaur, Matt Long, and Holly Taylor.
Manifest was quickly renewed for a second season which aired in 2020 and then a third season which wrapped earlier this summer, but due to its declining ratings, NBC decided to cancel the show after the third season. Meanwhile, seasons 1 and 2 were added to Netflix and quickly began topping the streamer's viewing charts. Since season 3 leaves many questions unanswered, this newfound fanbase began a campaign online demanding the show tie up loose ends, which was supported by Rake. Fans recently got their wish when Netflix renewed Manifest for a fourth and final season consisting of 20 episodes.
Now, in his newsletter What I'm Hearing..., Hollywood insider Matthew Belloni shares a bevy of details regarding why Manifest season 4 renewal took so long to happen. Because Netflix bought the first two seasons of the show, this positioned them as the frontrunners to acquire the rights after NBC canceled the series in June. However, Warner Bros. Television had already sold Manifest internationally in France, Germany, the U.K., and other territories, which they needed to pay off before making a worldwide deal with Netflix. In turn, the streamer had to significantly increase their offer. Netflix ending up sealing the deal by guaranteeing 20 episodes.
There seems to have been a lot of complex negotiating that went on behind the scenes at NBC, Warner Bros. TV, and Netflix, so it's no wonder why season 4 of Manifest took so long to happen. According to Belloni, Manifest's budget will increase by $1 million per episode from $4 million to $5 million. Returning cast members like Dallas, Roxburgh, and Ramirez will also see a pay bump along with the showrunner Jeff Rake who gets to finish his story how he intended.
While this inside baseball will surely be of interest to some, many fans are likely happy to hear that Manifest will be returning for a proper conclusion to its story. Since news of this deal just surfaced a few days ago, season 4 is still a ways away, but expect to hear news regarding returning cast members in the coming weeks.
Source: What I'm Hearing.../Matthew Belloni