The time of year to celebrate a supernatural drama with one of the wildest rides in TV history is here: Happy 828 Day, Manifest fans! The series that started out on NBC, was cancelled, and then renewed for Season 4 for anybody with a Netflix subscription did eventually come to an end, but that doesn't mean everybody has given up on returning to that world that was turned upside down by the disappearance (and reappearance) of Flight 828. Creator Jeff Rake continued his tradition of updating fans on spinoff chances on each August 28, and his message this time is equal parts intriguing and exciting.
It's been one year since Jeff Rake posted that although there was "no green light yet," he and his partners were "working nonstop to bring you the spinoff you deserve." While a spinoff still hasn't gotten off the ground by 828 Day 2025, his Instagram post is encouraging. Take a look:
I can't blame any fans who hope for the best kind of news each year on August 28. Not only does Jeff Rake take care to provide updates on the date, but Netflix also renewed Manifest for Season 4 on 828 Day 2021. Good things sometimes happen for Manifest fans on this particular day!
It does sound like a spinoff – whether it would bring Melissa Roxburgh over from The Hunting Party to play Michaela again or center on a whole new cast of characters – is likely a ways off, if it does happen. Still, it put a smile on my face to see original series cast members Jared Grimes and Garrett Wareing commenting on Rake's post.
Grimes appeared as Adrian in nineteen episodes all four seasons of Manifest, while Wareing played TJ Morrison in eighteen episodes of Season 2 and Season 4. They commented:
- @grimeystepz: "Aaaaaaayyyyeeeeee 🙌🏾"
- @garrettwareing: "Happy 828!!"
A number of fans chimed in with their thoughts as well, proving that Jeff Rake isn't the only one ready and willing to celebrate 828 Day and Manifest each year. Over on X (formerly known as Twitter), these are just some of the supportive messages the creator got in response to his post (edited for content and clarity):
- @nickjismymuse: "Yearly reminder of good luck with spinoff [of] Manifest."
- @828ride_or_die: "Support of execs and producers sounds promising! We’ll be here waiting, always!"
- @Gehan_51100: "Happy 828 Day, dear Fellow Manifesters"
- @melacholiaaa: "Amazing show. Amazing casting. Amazing producers. Thank you."
- @Manifest_Italy: "Happy 828 Day, Jeff. Always keeping faith."
For most shows, I would have a hard time keeping "the faith" for a spinoff more than two years after it ended for the second time, but Manifest beat the odds many times over the years. Most series would be over and done with after being cancelled by their home network, but NBC giving the drama the axe was only the beginning of the next chapter.
The first two seasons of the show quickly hit Netflix's Top 10 back in July 2021, and the arrival of Season 3 on the streamer later that year knocked Manifest back up into the Top 10 again. The streaming success ultimately resulted in a renewal for Season 4.
Will Jeff Rake have more to say for 828 Day 2026? A lot can happen in a year, and I hesitate to predict anything with certainty for a show that had to be cancelled twice to really seem to end for good. For now, fans can always revisit the four seasons of the original show streaming on Netflix, and come up with ideas for what they'd like to see in a potential spinoff.
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