Posted in: NBC, Netflix, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: jeff rake, manifest, nbc, netflix, season 4

Manifest Saved? WBTV Reportedly Negotiating with Series Cast, Writers

Did you hear the one about the #SaveManifest campaign that actually ended up saving the series? Okay, while that may not be a great start to a joke it's apparently getting one step closer to becoming a reality. Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Warner Bros. TV is nearing the end of negotiations with Netflix for a fourth season of the Jeff Rake-created mystery-drama series Manifest. To prepare for production to resume, the WBTV has reportedly "started negotiations with the cast and has been making 'if-come' offers to writers" for the new season (writers who've written for the series as well as new writers). NBCUniversal is reportedly no longer in negotiations (for either Peacock or an NBC return), though representatives for WBTV, Netflix, and NBCU declined to comment for Deadline's reporting.

For Netflix, making a play for Manifest makes perfect sense considering how well the previous seasons continue to perform even weeks out from their debut on the streamer. One sticking point? International distribution for the series, which Netflix would normally want to control but WBTV has brokered global market-by-market deals. That said, Netflix and WBTV do have the Lucifer role model to look to when it comes to smoothing over global market issues. Here's a look at Rake's most recent tweet update from earlier this week:

For NBC, the change of heart came after the show's success on streaming, some unexpected holes in the network's primetime line-up, and apparently finding enough loose change in the couch cushions to be able to afford the fourth season. First, a deal that would've brought back Good Girls for an 8-episode fifth season fell apart last month over reported cast/deal issues. Following that came the surprise news that the network wasn't moving ahead with the previously-announced "Law & Order" spinoff Law & Order: For the Defense (with the James Spader-starring The Blacklist making the move to Thursday nights). Apparently, those two moves freed up much more than spots on the schedule, with NBC having more funds on hand for a fourth-season return than expected.

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