re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I liked it. Sets up some interesting things.

I guess these "survivors" have some psychic ability after their return from wherever they went.

I'm really surprised that they gave a fairly unknown Canadian actress (Melissa Roxburgh) top billing on this show. I've seen her in guest spots here and there, but it didn't cross my mind she could be the lead of her own show.

Not surprised at all that Ben's wife is seeing someone.


I hope that the network and creators of this show will realize this is not the kind of show/premise that will work with a long 22 episode season. If it does well enough to warrant more, I'd like to see them pick it up for maybe 4-5 more episodes tops. Serialized mythology shows like this simply don't work with the standard long network season.

And yeah I know most here don't trust serialized network shows longevity, so you're just waiting to see if this catches on with the masses.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I'm not really sure there would be a legal way to even do that to people in the USA. I mean it's not technically illegal to just run off for 5 years outside of defaulting on stuff you might owe bill wise and that's what everyone would just think happened. Plus Lawyers would be all over it in a heart beat as they would know everyone on the plane was a prime talk show guest etc to get press coverage

after all if Malaysia Flight 370 just popped back up right now like in this show would anyone really believe it did not just land and hide out for the last few years? Kid? Fake.. People look the same age? Only been 5 years etc.

anyways, as others have said it's really tough to commit to a mystery show in today's modern network tv environment where stuff gets canceled in a heartbeat.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

The usual problem with these shows is the showrunner's seems to think they need the structure:

Season 1 tease tease tease tease cliffhanger Season 2 explain tease explain tease twist

Problem is it usually ends with Season 1 tease tease tease tease cliffhanger Cancelled. People who enjoyed the show get nothing and everyone else already dropped out.

My thought to tell showrunners is, think up that perfect 2 seasons... and now condense it into your 1st season and then you might have something special and satisfying.

We'll see if this one is any different.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I would guess it matters to some in a similar way to "I'll watch anything with XXX" - which I find equally baffling.

I thought it was refreshing in a time where every name actor/actress is in at least 3 shows at once.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

Finally finished watching the pilot off the dvr..
Starts off really interesting, ends really interesting but I found most of the stuff in the middle to be a little dull. About 2/3 of the ep is pure relationship and family fallout issues from a 5 year time gap and then 1/3 of the show is kind of a tacked we hear voices?
Errrrrrr ok.

I don't think it's going to be enough family drama for the people looking the next One of Us sort of show. Yet at the same time letting some dogs out, then coming back and oh hey lets look around isn't all that much mystery powers/crime fighting/helping people either. Just kind of a strange mix.

Networks already tried plane + family + gaining super powers with the one and done "No Ordinary Family" from back in 2010, yet right now we are a heavy drama show cycle. So more focus on family, less on powers? Guess we wait and see what happens.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591493/

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

Really enjoyed this one, hope they keep it up, in for the season.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I liked it, but it seems like it could go in one of 2 directions. The typical sci fi route I’m down for for now, but I’ll probably tune out if it turns into more of a religious/spiritual type thing. Either way, the extranormal stuff looks like it’ll likely take second priority to the relationships of the characters.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I too feel like we could get roped into something that gets cancelled with no conclusion. But if we wait till the end we could end up with major developments getting spoiled. So we're in week to week given we love serialized "sci-fi" over the dozens of AARP targeted procedurals.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I just caught up on the pilot. I enjoyed it, and realize pilots are made to get people hooked from the get-go, but man did that feel rushed. The pilot easily could have been spread over the first half of the season.

The most interesting aspect, the plane flight and being missing for 5 years, was practically forgotten 15 minutes in. They could have easily just given us a quick glimpse of the psychic stuff in the first episode and expanded on it later.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

They stuffed a lot in one episode and now to drag everything else out for at least two dozen episodes. Unless it keeps up the pace they could have taken more time since the episode number will exist.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

The pilot was surprisingly solid, if a bit aimed at a middle-of-the-road audience. The concept is broad enough they could turn the series into any number of tried-and-true TV formulas.

The only thing that bothered me was the woman getting mysterious flashes that guided her actions. It's the cheapest storytelling gimmick on episodic television and has practically become standard on many, many shows.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I really liked the first episode. I look forward to committing around 20 hours to it and having it cancelled on me by May.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

We enjoyed it. It was confusing that the whole point of this was the missing 5 years and that seemed to be forgotten after 5 minutes. I'll DVR this and hopefully not get shafted like Timesless

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

This gave me a 4400 vibe for some reason.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

It's 4400 meets The Dead Zone meets any number of other recent high-concept network dramas that get canceled after one season.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I was gonna say the same thing! And I like 4400!

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

Episode 2 was ok. I’m not interested in a case-of-the-week type show, so I hope they show more of the plane mystery scenes.

I’ll give this show credit. They do give a lot of character development.

The ending was good. Shadow people freak me out! (I may or may not believe in ghosts haha)

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

Ugh! Too many commercials. I think I'm spoiled by streaming TV shows. If I continue watching this, I will have to record it and watch it later.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I just watched the first episode; good concept, but the acting was ridiculously bad to me.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

Just starting watching the pilot, so far loving it

Loved that when the plane landed, the FBI guy gave it to everyone straight on the tarmac about the current date, didnt try and draw that out

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I noticed this as well even though I'm watching via DVR. A few of those breaks take longer to FF through. I think it's because of that first break that is only 60 seconds. Not sure what the'r angle is doing it that way. If anything, their should be a longer break towards the beginning and a shorter one at the end.

So far it seems that many of the people gained slightly different abilities after the flight. Maybe the son's is that he can see the shadow people. Seems his picture implies one of the shadows has been following his family since they landed.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

I got that wrong at first. I thought he was drawing whoever his mother is dating (he's never seen him), but then it clicked.

The 2nd episode was slower and I'm already over the mother trying to hide her existing relationship. I'm still in and I'll give it a few more episodes to show us what it's about and how it's about it. There were a lot of people on that plane, so there are a lot of stories they can tell (like Lost).

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

Seems like after going to the storage unit with the daughter the husband knows his wife was/is with somebody else.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

? Of course he did, he saw the scuba gear and directly asked his daughter who the storage unit belonged to, realized what that meant, and then had a talk with his wife about it.

I also thought at first that the son was referencing the man he had never seen before. I mean, I doubt there's actually a shadow character chasing them around and killing them, though that shot where the woman was starting up her car was really odd.

re: Manifest (Now on Netflix)
 

That was a comment about this:

Essentially posting that I believe it's no longer an issue after his realization at the storage unit and their discussion (and getting busy) after that.