We’re going to get a longer chance to unveil the mysteries on Manifest. NBC has given the freshman series a full season order.
The network has extended the show for three more episodes, bringing its total for the season to 16. The move comes after four episodes in which Manifest established itself as one of the top-rated new series of the fall so far. It’s the fourth new show and second at NBC (following New Amsterdam) to have its order extended.
In its first four episodes, the Warner Bros./Universal TV drama is averaging a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 8.4 million viewers in the same-day ratings. After a week of delayed viewing, the Sept. 24 premiere grew to 4.2 in the 18-49 demo (up two full points from its initial ratings) and 18.4 million viewers (up 8 million, the second-biggest lift ever for a broadcast show). Those are the biggest seven-day gains of any show in premiere week.
The fact that Manifest did not receive a traditional back-nine order does not have anything to do with NBC’s faith in the series. Many broadcast shows are making less than the traditional 22- or 24-episode orders, including NBC breakouts This Is Us and The Good Place (which run for 18 and 13 episodes, respectively). Fox’s Empire also has 18-episode seasons. It also allows serialized shows to tell more concise stories when they have shorter episode orders.
