Netflix Summary:
Flight 828 arrives in New York with passengers who are unaware they’ve been missing for years as a mysterious phenomenon influences their behavior.
FYA Summary:
On its way from Jamaica to New York, flight 828 goes missing. Five years later, it reappears—and the passengers have little to no recollection of where they’ve been. They try to get their lives back on track, but many of their family and friends have moved on. And then they start having visions, visions that lead them to save lives, solve crimes, and more. Soon, they discover that their missing years might have been spent in the presence of a Divine Consciousness … and they only have a short while before the universe comes to collect.
Familiar Faces:
Josh Dallas as Ben Stone and Matt Long as Zeke Landon
I first recall seeing Dallas as Fandral in Thor, and his theatrical nature and over-the-top character made an impact, even though he was a pretty minor character. Since then, I’ve seen him act similarly in Once Upon a Time, but Manifest gave him an opportunity to flex his more dramatic (and less fantastical) muscles. Ben is sometimes an interesting character, and other times a super boring one, and always a bit of a stereotypical “boy scout.” But on the whole, it was interesting to see him in a more serious role.
I never actually watched the show Long’s most famous for—Jack & Bobby—but he’s definitely the second-most familiar face in the show. (At least to me.) I liked the character of Zeke, but I can’t say I got a good feel for Long’s acting abilities while watching.
Couch-Sharing Capability: In for a Binge?
Manifest is four seasons and 62 (45-ish minute) episodes long, so you’ll either need to set aside all of a long weekend to get through it or watch a few episodes a day until you’re done. That said, I’m not sure I’d force anyone else to watch this show with you, unless they’re of the same “I like to watch terrible TV shows, even when the ridiculousness reaches SyFy channel levels.”
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Bring the Drink Coupons
I don’t drink, but I was seriously considering it to pair with this show. It’s that hard to take seriously.
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Answer the Calling
Manifest aired on NBC for three seasons before being “saved” by Netflix for its fourth and final one. It’s very much a network show; I’m not sure I can fully explain what I mean by that, but if you’ve ever watched network dramas, you’ll understand what I mean. I didn’t watch it as it aired, but when it popped up on my Netflix queue I decided to give it a go for times I wanted something to half-watch while folding laundry (or working on FYA posts). I immediately got sucked into the story, and I stuck with it even when it veered into strange and unexpected religious territory. (I’m both a completist and a glutton for punishment.)
The final season, particularly the series finale, was so ridiculous that I laughed pretty much the entire time. (Was I supposed to? Likely not. But I couldn’t help it.) If that’s not a great reason to watch, and a great use of my Netflix subscription, I don’t know what is.
(I don’t love calling things guilty pleasures—as I don’t think you should ever feel guilty of partaking in something that brings you joy—but this is definitely a show that I have to caveat when I tell people I’ve watched it.)
If you’ve watched the whole shebang and want to chat about it—especially that finale—head to the comments!
We published this review during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. This work would not exist without the labor of writers and actors, and we support their goals.
