Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 Stars
Bottom Line: This Lost-lookalike has some interesting ideas but does not appear to be built for the long haul.
NBC’s new series Manifest follows the passengers and crew of an airplane that disappears for over five years then mysteriously reappears and lands with no explanation for the absence. For those on the plane, it only seems like a few hours have passed. But the rest of the world assumed the plane had crashed and all aboard were lost. And if this premise is starting to sound a bit like Reverse-Lost, that appears to be exactly what the show is going for. Mysteries upon mysteries abound, and we are introduced to more and more people from the plane who all seem to share an uncanny connection.
After three episodes, though, the creative team has failed to demonstrate that they grasp what made Lost a must-watch show when it first debuted (and throughout its six-year run). The veteran show gave us interesting, colorful, and diverse characters amongst its principals, each who had a well-developed backstory. We became engaged in the characters right away, and the mysteries of the island just added to the intrigue of the show. Viewers were drawn back each week to learn more about this cast of characters while also putting together the clues for the over-arching mystery.
Manifest, on the other hand, has so far loaded up on stock television characters and stories while throwing in bits of mystery relating to the disappearance and how it has affected those from the plane. A few of the characters step away from television stereotypes, particularly Cal (played by Jack Messina) and Saanvi (played by Parveen Kaur), but the rest seem to fade into the background, including the show’s leads Michaela Stone (played by Melissa Roxburgh) and Ben Stone (played by Josh Dallas). Add to this procedural storylines with plenty of soap opera asides, and you have a mish-mash of genres that never really distinguishes itself.
There is perhaps an intriguing storyline here and the show could start to find its legs after a few more episodes, but without interesting enough characters and more original ideas, it seems like diminishing returns will set in pretty quickly. Manifest reminds me very much of FlashForward, The Event, Alcatraz, and other Lost-wannabes in that it has some potential but it is mired too much in television tropes and attempts to substitute unresolved mysteries for stories. Sci fi fans like myself are likely already losing interest in the show, and the general television audience will probably start tuning out when they grow frustrated with the murky storylines.
Ratings-wise, this one has actually done quite well for NBC through its first three episodes. But I personally am ready to tune out considering there are so many better options for viewing in the Peak TV era. If Manifest continues on its current path, my guess is that the audience will erode and this will end up as another one-season-and-done Lost-imitator like the shows mentioned above.
Bottom Line: This Lost-lookalike has some interesting ideas but does not appear to be built for the long haul.
After three episodes, though, the creative team has failed to demonstrate that they grasp what made Lost a must-watch show when it first debuted (and throughout its six-year run). The veteran show gave us interesting, colorful, and diverse characters amongst its principals, each who had a well-developed backstory. We became engaged in the characters right away, and the mysteries of the island just added to the intrigue of the show. Viewers were drawn back each week to learn more about this cast of characters while also putting together the clues for the over-arching mystery.
Manifest, on the other hand, has so far loaded up on stock television characters and stories while throwing in bits of mystery relating to the disappearance and how it has affected those from the plane. A few of the characters step away from television stereotypes, particularly Cal (played by Jack Messina) and Saanvi (played by Parveen Kaur), but the rest seem to fade into the background, including the show’s leads Michaela Stone (played by Melissa Roxburgh) and Ben Stone (played by Josh Dallas). Add to this procedural storylines with plenty of soap opera asides, and you have a mish-mash of genres that never really distinguishes itself.
There is perhaps an intriguing storyline here and the show could start to find its legs after a few more episodes, but without interesting enough characters and more original ideas, it seems like diminishing returns will set in pretty quickly. Manifest reminds me very much of FlashForward, The Event, Alcatraz, and other Lost-wannabes in that it has some potential but it is mired too much in television tropes and attempts to substitute unresolved mysteries for stories. Sci fi fans like myself are likely already losing interest in the show, and the general television audience will probably start tuning out when they grow frustrated with the murky storylines.
Ratings-wise, this one has actually done quite well for NBC through its first three episodes. But I personally am ready to tune out considering there are so many better options for viewing in the Peak TV era. If Manifest continues on its current path, my guess is that the audience will erode and this will end up as another one-season-and-done Lost-imitator like the shows mentioned above.
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