‘Manifest’ takes off on Netflix for fourth and final season

LOS ANGELES

When NBC canceled the sci-fi family drama “Manifest” last year after three seasons, fans were devastated: The central mystery about a commercial plane that disappeared for more than five years - only to land with crew and passengers that hadn’t aged a day - was nowhere near solved.

The cancellation following several cliffhangers also left the cast, led by Josh Dallas and Melissa Roxburgh, bereft. The actors and crew had grown close and were invested in the story, in addition to being reliant on a steady job.

Enter Netflix, where the first half of a 20-episode final season is set to start streaming Nov. 4. Dallas said the opportunity to give the fans an ending to the story is nothing short of a blessing.

“It would have been cruel to leave these characters hanging the way they were at the end of season three and cruel for the fans of the show” the actor who plays Ben Stone, the unofficial leader of his fellow passengers, said. “It’s enormously satisfying to be able to complete their journeys.”

Right around the same time as the cancellation, the first two seasons began streaming on Netflix. It quickly rose to the top of its most watched list and stayed there.

“We were all kind of watching with one eye open to see like how long it would last,” said Roxburgh, who plays Michaela Stone, a former cop who was a passenger on that mysterious plane ride along with her brother, Ben, and nephew.

The cast says filming the series’ end was fascinating because of all the loose ends along the way that were suddenly tied up.

“We actually started filming the final episode before we got the script,” said Roxburgh. “It was interesting because you’re acting things you have no idea about. We were all a little lost. But then when we finally sat down and read that final episode, it’s just so rich.”

For a show with myriad twist and turns, the final season will have answers.

“There are so many surprising and unbelievable things that happened along the way,” Dallas said. “But by the time we get there, you think, ‘This makes sense.’”