Manifest season 2 renewal debate (vote): The latest state of things
The real question that we think is worth wondering about more so than any other is simply this: Is the lack of a renewal at this point disconcerting? Does that hint at something bad happening behind the scenes? We should note that we’re not a part of NBC or Warner Bros. TV; with that, CarterMatt can’t speak to the state of negotiations. That being said, what our heart tells is that there’s really nothing to be worried about.
The case for renewal – Even with some lower ratings near the end of season 1 (at least in proportion to the premiere) Manifest is still one of the most-popular dramas of the season. It trended worldwide on Twitter often while it was airing and it gave NBC something that it doesn’t really have anywhere other than This Is Us — a new hit show that people want to discuss even when its episodes are not on the air anymore.
So why the wait on a renewal announcement then? We should point out that NBC may be negotiating a little bit differently with outside studios than they have in the past. When you look at all the shows that they’ve renewed so far, most of them (with the exception of The Blacklist) are major in-house productions. That includes New Amsterdam, Law & Order: SVU, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and all of the shows within their larger One Chicago universe. They haven’t technically even renewed This Is Us just yet, and that’s their once-in-a-generation hit! It’ll be back, and so will Manifest.
We’re sticking with our conspiracy theory here in that Warner Bros. may be trying to negotiate Manifest in tandem with another one of their shows on NBC in Blindspot, which is in far more danger than the Josh Dallas series. Whether or not that strategy is actually in play is something that we’ll have to wait and see on.
Is there a case for cancellation? – Maybe Manifest secretly costs a billion dollars to make, though that seems unlikely since NBC would’ve never greenlit it in the first place. We don’t know how their expectations for the show’s success could’ve been too much higher than where it’s at. Another idea? That maybe some parasitic alien with mind control takes over an executive mind and they decide that they no longer want hit shows. If that happens, first of all – fear for the human race. Second of all, someone else would probably swoop in and take Manifest since it’s the sort of show that we could easily see making it a few more seasons.
Do you want Manifest back for another season?
Vote in the poll below! NBC has until May to figure things out, and we’re still trying our best to remain optimistic that we’ll know all the good news long before getting to that point. (Photo: NBC.)