Manifest, which began on NBC and ended on Netflix, is returning to the same universe with a spinoff titled Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery. Netflix approved the project approximately three years after the completion of the series’ 4th and final season. The announcement was made on August 28, in a reference to Flight 828.
Manifest creator Jeff Rake is reuniting on the project with Margaret Easley and Laura Putney, who served as writers and executive producers on the original series. The trio will serve as co-creators and showrunners of Arrivals, while Warner Bros. Television will produce the series.
The new series follows passengers who, after a mysterious plane makes an emergency landing in Denver, do not remember their identities, where they came from or how they got there. A young social worker and a new Department of Homeland Security agent will work with the passengers to prevent a major disaster; however, they will discover that the mystery they are trying to solve is connected to them.
Manifest’s first three seasons aired on NBC in 2018-2021. After NBC canceled the series, Netflix released its 4th and final season in 2022 and 2023 in two parts of 10 episodes each.
Why it matters
The project shows that the story universe did not come to an end with the conclusion of a single series after Manifest’s finale; however, it is not yet clear whether the new production will directly continue the previous series’ narrative thread or establish an independent mystery. Netflix’s approval of the new spin-off adds a new stage to the series’ broadcasting history, which extended from NBC to Netflix. The retention of the creative team may interest longtime viewers seeking continuity in the narrative world, while different passengers and central characters could provide a separate entry point for those watching the production for the first time. By contrast, it has not been disclosed which elements from the original series will be carried over to the new project or to what extent a connection will be established between the two productions.