Manifest creator Jeff Rake offers spinoff update on 828 day: 'Keep the faith'

Over one year after Manifest ended in June 2023 with its series finale on Netflix, creator Jeff Rake offered a highly anticipated update for Manifesters. Since the beloved supernatural drama series concluded on its June 2 "death date," fans have been holding out hope for a spinoff series that picks up with some of the show's loose threads. Well, that's still an option on the table!

On Aug. 28, a.k.a. 828 day to those who celebrate, Rake shared a message to the Manifesters on social media that continued to stoke their excitement for a potential spinoff series. As Rake told Manifest fans, a follow-up series has not received a green light, but he and his team of writers haven't given up on working to make the spinoff the fans "deserve" come to fruition.

Read Rake's full social media post below:

Several Manifest fan accounts replied to Rake's post about keeping the faith with enthusiasm, thanking him for the long awaiting update on the status of the hopeful spinoff and following his example to keep that faith. Largely, the consensus among the fandom was gratitude and a renewed sense of relief that the team's still trying to get the spinoff off the ground.

Is a Manifest spinoff necessary?

It's unclear exactly what story the spinoff would tell and which characters, if any, would return a spinoff series since multiple main character arcs came to a natural conclusion in the series finale. (Michaela and Zeke are out since Melissa Roxburgh leads NBC's upcoming series The Hunting Party.) However, while the finale wrapped up most of the character arcs, the mystery of Flight 828 and the disappearances of a handful of passengers who died in the reckoning remains.

Likewise, it's unclear exactly which network or streaming service would be interested in giving the green light to a Manifest spinoff. While fellow NBC series New Amsterdam saw its Netflix streaming success lead to the development of a sequel spinoff on NBC, similarly to the Suits renaissance of summer 2023, there haven't been any official rumblings of Manifest following suit. All of the spinoff chatter seems to have originated from fans and addressed directly by Rake.

Of course, that doesn't mean that the interest isn't there. Manifest was a monster success when it arrived on Netflix in the wake of its NBC cancellation. That success led to Netflix saving the series for one final season of 20 episodes. Unfortunately, while still successful, the Netflix original and exclusive season arrived to lukewarm reception compared to its mega-streaming boom pre-season 4.

Personally, as a fan of the series who didn't particularly adore the final series and its ending (there's a lot of us out there!), a spinoff series doesn't seem completely necessary. The series told the story it needed to tell, and anything else runs the risk of retreading territory the series previously covered. Maybe it will take some time to find the right story and the right moment to revisit the Flight 828 universe.

You know what they say: All good things must come to an end. But they also say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Stay tuned for more Manifest news and updates from Netflix Life!