'Manifest' Showrunner Reacts After NBC Cancels Series, Offers Ray of Hope

NBC on Monday announced its decision not to renew popular supernatural drama Manifest for a fourth [...]

By Allison Schonter

NBC on Monday announced its decision not to renew popular supernatural drama Manifest for a fourth season, and fans are not the only ones stunned by the decision. Just hours after the cancellation was handed down during the overnight hours, Manifest showrunner Jeff Rake reacted to the news, admitting that while he is "devastated," there is still a glimmer of hope for the series.

In a note to the so-called "Manifesters," Rake addressed the cancellation news in a Monday night tweet, sharing that he is "devastated by NBC's decision to cancel us." Originally debuting on the network in September 2018, the series was sold to NBC with a six-season plan. Rake said that for the series to be "shut down in the middle" of that plan "is a gut punch to say the least." While "devastated" by the cancellation decision, Rake remained hopeful, sharing that he is hopeful the show will "find a new home" and said, "You the fans deserve an ending to your story."

In his tweet, Rake used the "Save Manifest" hashtag, one that fans used in the overnight hours to rally support around the show. Following the announcement of NBC's decisions, a fan-created Change.org petition was even created to "Save Manifest and have the show get the six seasons it deserves." That petition calls on streaming giant Netflix to pick the series up for a fourth season. That petition reads that while "the show has been cancelled we have hope of Netflix picking it up, so we are hoping with a community full of support that we can convince them to pick it up, if not we hope that manifest lives on in its third and hopefully more seasons with a different network or streaming service." It has received nearly 3,500 signatures as of this posting.

At this time, it remains unclear if Manifest will be saved. Deadline reports that Warner Bros. TV "is expected to look for a new home." Netflix seems to be the top contender for that. The first two seasons officially debuted on the streamer last week and immediately scored the top spot on the streaming platform's Top 10 in the U.S. list, topping the acclaimed new series Sweet Tooth.

Originally premiering in 2018, Manifest follows the 191 passengers of Montego Air Flight 828, who arrive in New York City, only to learn they have been missing for over five and a half years, but they haven't aged a day. The ensemble cast includes Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina, Parveen Kaur, Matt Long, and Holly Taylor. The series was created by Jeff Rake. The first two seasons are available for streaming on Netflix.

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