Netflix Is Officially Reviving 5-Season Sci-Fi Series With New Spinoff Show

Published Aug 28, 2026, 11:35 AM EDT Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Manifest has charted its return to the small screen. 2018's Manifest, which starred Josh Dallas, Melissa Roxburgh, J. R. Ramirez, Athena Karkanis, and Luna Blaise, followed the mysterious events surrounding a plane that lands completely normally, more than five years after disappearing out of the sky, although the passengers and crew didn't experience any time passing at all. The show ran for three seasons on NBC before being cancelled, leaving season 3's cliffhanger ending unresolved. However, when Netflix acquired the show, it got a boost in viewership, so the streaming service renewed it for a fourth and final season that ran from 2022 to 2023. Now Streaming · Press Play How Well Do You Know Netflix Originals? “Red light, green light.” 🌀StrangerThingsThe Upside Down 🎭SquidGamePlayer 456 👑TheCrownLong live the Queen 🕸WednesdayNevermore Academy 🌹BridgertonDearest readers PRESS PLAY → 01 Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number? A067 B218 C001 D456 ✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries. NEXT → 02 The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character? AJenna Ortega BMillie Bobby Brown CSadie Sink DMaya Hawke ✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022. NEXT → 03 In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it? AOrange Is the New Black BHouse of Cards CArrested Development (revival) DHemlock Grove ✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series. NEXT → 04 Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4? AImelda Staunton BOlivia Colman CHelena Bonham Carter DGillian Anderson ✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win. NEXT → 05 The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set? ADerry, Maine BHawkins, Indiana CHill Valley, California DTwin Peaks, Washington ✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder. NEXT → 06 Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner? AShonda Rhimes (Shondaland) BRyan Murphy CJulian Fellowes DJenji Kohan ✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal. NEXT → 07 La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure? AGuy Fawkes BSalvador Dalí CChe Guevara DPablo Picasso ✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits. NEXT → 08 Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth? AFlorence Pugh BAnya Taylor-Joy CSaoirse Ronan DDaisy Edgar-Jones ✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later. ✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller. REVEAL MY SCORE → Credits Rolling · Autoplay On Your Binge-Watcher Rank 🎬 / 8 Platinum subscriber — or still on the free trial? ⤴ PLAY NEXT EPISODE Netflix has officially announced that they are mounting a spinoff of Manifest, titled Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery. The show, which is being created by the original series' creator Jeff Rake alongside former co-executive producers Margaret Easley and Laura Putney, will present a new set of characters in a brand-new plot set in the universe of the original sci-fi series. The trio will also be co-showrunning the new series. Below, read comments on the new spinoff from Rake and Netflix's head of scripted series, US and Canada Jinny Howe: Jeff Rake: I’m delighted to be able to tell a new story for the Manifest fans out there and also for a brand-new audience. It’s been five long years since we showed up on Netflix, and there’s probably half a generation who has never heard of Manifest. We’ve tried to thread the needle in a way that’s rewarding for the OG Manifest fans, but also equally rewarding for people who are brand new to the show. Jinny Howe: We are thrilled to expand the Manifest universe with Arrivals, led by the original creative team of Jeff Rake, Margaret Easley, and Laura Putney. Their return ensures the creative continuity essential to this franchise, allowing us to honor what made the original a phenomenon while introducing a fresh perspective for fans worldwide. This announcement was made on August 28 in honor of the fact that the date is the unofficial Manifest Day, so chosen because the number of the flight that disappeared is 828. At the time of writing, there is no word about potential cast members or the production and release timeline for the upcoming spinoff series. It remains to be seen if any of the original stars from the Manifest cast return in the new series, either in cameos, as recurring characters, or even as series regulars. While the announcement makes it very clear that the majority of the show will present fresh material, Rake's comment that they are trying to "thread the needle" does indicate that they are keeping longtime fans in mind as they construct the new series. As for the production timeline, the precedent set by Netflix could offer some insight. The streamer's announcement that they would be making Manifest season 4 came on August 28, 2021. The season itself arrived in two parts, with the first debuting on the platform on November 4, 2022, roughly 14 months after the announcement. Should the timeline for the spinoff be similar, it could potentially debut sometime in the fall of 2027. Given the many twists and turns in the show and the way it plays with time, it remains to be seen if Arrivals takes place after the ending of Manifest season 4. It is entirely possible that it could take place before the events of the series, during the time when Flight 828 was missing, overlapping with the events of the original show's four seasons, or some combination of timelines. However, the title Arrivals does seem to indicate that the Manifest spinoff will have a storyline that deals with air travel in some fashion. While this could simply be an attempt to make the new show feel spiritually similar to the original, it offers ample opportunity for settings, timelines, and characters from the original show to appear in the spinoff. Release Date 2018 - 2023-00-00 Network NBC, Netflix Showrunner Michael Smith Directors Romeo Tirone, Michael Smith, Claudia Yarmy, Dean White, Marisol Adler, Craig Zisk, Joe Chappelle, Paul Holahan, Ramaa Mosley, SJ Main Muñoz, Sherwin Shilati, Andy Wolk, Bosede Williams, Cheryl Dunye, Constantine Makris, David Frankel, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Jean de Segonzac, Laura Belsey, Millicent Shelton, Nathan Hope, Nicole Rubio, Ruba Nadda, Tawnia McKiernan Writers Jeff Rake, Laura Putney, Margaret Easley, MW Cartozian Wilson, Simran Baidwan, Matthew Lau, Ezra W. Nachman, Bobak Esfarjani, Marta Gene Camps, Darika Fuhrmann, Matt K. Turner, Sumerah Srivastav, Jeannine Renshaw, Amanda Green, Ryan Martinez, Margaret Rose Lester, Eric Haywood Creator(s) Jeff Rake