The recently cancelled Manifest seemingly set a flight plan for breaking a record for Netflix popularity… but ultimately had to settle for a very honorable mention.
Shortly after the release of its first two (of three) seasons to the streaming service, the supernatural-tinged family drama debuted on Netflix’s daily “Top 10” module at No. 2, then soon enough rose to the top spot. There, Manifest remained for 27 straight days — but said streak ended on Saturday morning, when Netflix’s own Virgin River, on the heels of its Season 3 release, bumped the NBC castoff down a peg.
Manifest thus ties Netflix’s Tiger King for the second-longest run at No. 1; only Netflix’s own Ginny & Georgia has proven (a bit) more consistently popular, having spent a record 29 straight days at No. 1.
Also of note: Manifest is the only third-party series to spend more than a week in the Top 10 since Lucifer, which was cancelled by Fox and has lived on Netflix since Season 4.
Netflix’s Top 10 module was launched in February 2020, as a way of letting users see “what is most popular on Netflix in your country.” Manifest fans had been keeping a close eye on the possibly broken record, weeks after it was reported that the streaming giant (among others) had passed on the chance to offer the show a new home (as it had done in the increasingly distant past with cancelled broadcast shows such as Lucifer and Designated Survivor).
Nonetheless, Manifest showrunner Jeff Rake is resolved to finding financing for, at the very least, a two-hour movie to bring some sort of closure to the rest of his six-season plan and, in success, also find a place that would air/stream it.
As reported this week, Manifest‘s first two seasons placed second on Nielsen’s U.S. streaming ranking for the week of June 3, amassing 1.11 billion minutes viewed (trailing only Netflix‘s Sweet Tooth adaptation).
