Question: I saw that Netflix will stream a fourth and final season of Manifest. It has been the No. 1 most streamed show for months, and when it wasn’t, Manifest ranked very high. Do you think Netflix will order more seasons? — Fred
Matt Roush: Let’s take them at their word that the fourth season of 20 episodes (likely to be presented in more than one batch) will be the end of the road for Manifest, and fans should see this as a win that they’ll get some closure to the story, even if at an accelerated pace. (If only there’d been a similar groundswell for Prodigal Son, but I digress.) I always found it a bit hubristic for the show’s creators to tout a six-season plan when working within a genre that is proving to be increasingly difficult to succeed on network TV. (Good luck, La Brea!) The good news is that they’ll have time to shape a proper finish to this convoluted premise. Of course, there is precedence with Lucifer, which Netflix rescued from cancellation and ended up producing a sixth and final season after announcing that the fifth would be the last.
But given the complexity of the deal-making involved in bringing Manifest back to
life, I’d be surprised if Netflix kept it going beyond what has already been announced. Although anymore, I’m really not surprised by much of anything. Disappointed, yes. (Again, Prodigal Son.) But surprised? Not so much.
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com
