Manifest season 4: Why was it revived at Netflix, not NBC?
In the latest edition of the What I’m Hearing… newsletter, Matt Belloni explains how everything came to pass over the past several weeks. NBC was interested in bringing the airplane drama back, albeit with some significant caveats per his sources. Their offer was something along the lines of a 12-episode final season, one that included a smaller licensing fee from studio Warner Bros. and also more streaming opportunities at the Peacock streaming service. Maybe this would have worked provided there was no other option, but Netflix came delivering the goods.
There are a few different reasons why WBTV may have favored the Netflix deal. For starters, it gives them 20 episodes that could be split up into batches. Also, Manifest will have a larger budget (think $5 million per episode as opposed to $4 million) and the main cast will receive pay raises. The trade-off is that Warner Bros. had to buy out some of their international deals to help Netflix secure global rights, something that they want for just about all of their exclusive shows these days.
When you read all of that, it’s pretty clear why it took so long for this Manifest season 4 revival to happen. There are often a lot of moving parts in arranging a deal like this and in the end, we’re just glad that everyone was able to eventually sign on the dotted line.
Our feeling (read more about it here) is that we’ll see at least part of the final season at some point in 2022 — it’s far too early right now to think in terms of a particular date.
Are you glad that Manifest season 4 is heading to Netflix to finish its run rather than NBC?
Be sure to let us know right now in the attached comments! After you do just that, remember to also come back around for some more updates that you don’t want to miss. (Photo: NBC.)
This article was written by Jess Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.