'Manifest' on NBC Is the Best New Series This Fall
It is going to be a very good season for television this fall. There are lots of new shows that will keep you on your couch most or all of the new season.
If you like reboots, a revival of shows or brand new ones, you are in for a big treat and you don't have to wait for Halloween to get it.
You will definitely have a hard time choosing which shows to watch. Even if you don't have cable TV, there are many good ones on the local networks. One that has caught the attention of this writer and a lot of other television watchers is Manifest that premiered on NBC on Monday, September 24, at 10 p.m.
About 'Manifest"
This drama series has the same concept of Lost. It was the drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 2004, to May 23, 2010. However, the concept is in reverse. Instead of people being lost, a plane full of passengers arrives at its destination five and a half years after it was mysteriously delayed.
Time has passed for the people on the flight. They have not aged since they departed over a half-decade before. In fact, a child on the plane is the same age he was when he boarded, but his twin who was not on the aircraft is five and a half years older.
Initially, the families, friends, and colleagues of the 191 passengers and crew grieved. Over time, they gave up hope and moved on with their lives. While the return of the passengers should have brought joy and happiness, their re-entry came with a lot of questions, problems, and challenges for those who had been left behind as well as for the passengers themselves.
The Plot
Montego Air Flight 828 was headed from Montego Bay, Jamaica to New York. It was a turbulent but otherwise a routine flight for the few hours between the time they left the airport in Jamaica and the time they arrived at their destination in New York.
The passengers and crew were excited to land safely and were anxious to see their loved one who they expected would be waiting for them at the airport. However, when the plane landed, no one was waiting because people had accepted that the plane was missing and the passengers were probably dead after all that time.
A government official told the pilot, passengers, and crew that the plane departed on April 7, 2013, and the current date is November 4, 2018.
They have a very hard time connecting with their families and friends and getting back into society. Their family structure had changed, their jobs were no longer available, and their world had been turned upside down.
The experience isn't easy for anyone. There is a story surrounding every passenger and those who were left behind. By now, the passengers were more connected to one another than to their loved ones.
The Cast
The main cast doesn't include very many people and does not include A-list actors. However, that doesn't take away from the storyline. The cast includes the following actors.
- Melissa Roxburgh starred in Valor.
- Josh Dallas was in Once Upon a Time.
- Athena Karkanis acted in Zoo.
- J.R. Ramirez had a role in Power.
- Luna Blaise had a starring role in Fresh Off the Boat.
- Jack Messina and Parveen Kaur both were in Saving Hope.
What Producers Want Viewers to Know
Producers, directors, and writers want viewers to know that Manifest is not a knock-off of Lost, another airplane mystery series. There might be some similarities, but the upcoming series is not a duplication or a carbon copy.
The series Lost was based on people who were lost. Manifest is based on the stories of people who were found and the second chance they were given.
What the Passengers Missed in Five Years
It is hard to imagine what would have happened in real life if we had boarded a plane on April 7, 2013 and did not reach our destination until November 4, 2018.
Barack Obama would have been President of the United States when we left. Donald Trump would be the sitting President when we returned. Rev. Billy Graham, the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, iconic singer Prince, and Senator John McCain would have been alive before departure. They would be dead and buried by the time the plane landed.
Passengers would have missed the premiere of the smash hit Black Panther and other movies. They would be looking for Matt Lauer to still anchor the Today show, Les Moonves would still be at CBS and Julie Chen would still be moderating The Talk.
It will be good entertainment to watch the series, but It is hard to imagine trying to pick up the pieces after five and a half years.
