This Is When Manifest Season 4 Will Start Production

Fans of "Manifest" got great news over the weekend, when Netflix announced that the science fiction drama series would be returning for a fourth and final season. Original network NBC canceled "Manifest" back in June, but it performed so well on Netflix (it tied "Tiger King" for the record of second-most days in the top spot on Netflix's Daily Top 10 ranking with 27 days at #1, according to TV Line) that the streaming service struck a deal to bring it back for 20 more episodes — just enough to complete the story of Flight 828 and its passengers.

Creator and showrunner Jeff Rake originally wanted the show to run for six seasons, but now with the Season 4 renewal it will simply be a matter of reworking his plan to fit 20 episodes. But that's definitely doable, compared to outright cancellation, and with the arc of the show already sketched out, the episodes should be ready before we know it. 

Rake and his writers are getting going on crafting the next batch of episodes so that cameras can start rolling soon and "Manifest" fans won't have to wait too long to find out what happens next. He told Entertainment Weekly that if all goes according to plan, Season 4 will start shooting pretty soon.

"We certainly expect to be in production this calendar year," Jeff Rake told Entertainment Weekly. "I'm hopeful that cameras are rolling in November or December latest. We're going to work as fast as we can while still keeping an eye on quality control, because we want to get episodes to everyone as soon as possible. We also want them to be excellent. It might take a minute for a brand-new batch of episodes to show up in people's homes, but it's going to be worth the wait."

If the show starts filming in late fall of this year, that means "Manifest" Season 4 would most likely start streaming on Netflix in the summer of 2022, based on how streaming TV production calendars usually run. However, we'll see what happens. Rake said the writers' room is opening back up this week, so production is still a little ways away. Not all the actors have signed back on yet, but at the moment, Rake is "cautiously optimistic" that they will all return.

In any case, if you live in the New York City area, start looking for "Manifest" filming locations this fall.