NBC Orders Full Season of Rookie Drama ‘Manifest’

NBC has ordered three more episodes of new drama Manifest, which brings the full-season order to 16 episodes. The show premiered Sept. 24.

Manifest has averaged a 3.9 rating in adults 18-49 and 17.2 million viewers in L+7, said NBC. As to why Manifest did not get a larger season order, NBC noted that the first three seasons of This Is Us have all been 18 episodes, and that the show’s “ambitious storytelling” takes more time to get the formula right.

Manifest is produced by Warner Bros. Television, Universal Television, Compari Entertainment and Jeff Rake Productions. Jeff Rake writes and executive produces the show. David Frankel directs and executive produced the pilot. Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Jackie Levine also executive produce.

The cast includes Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina and Parveen Kaur.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.