10 TV Shows To Watch Like 'Manifest' (original) (raw)
Justin Theroux in The Leftovers, Anna Torv in Fringe, and Jamie Clayton in Sense8
Image by Federico Napoli
Updated Jun 17, 2023, 9:15 PM EDT
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The popular ABC series Manifest, about a flight that mysteriously lands five years after take-off, has continued to gain popularity well after its original cancellation. Fans rallied together to save it somehow and Netflix saved the show by giving it a fourth and final season. But if you've completely binged the final season, and you're still hungry for more twisty mysteries, there are plenty of great shows worth checking out that are in the same wheelhouse as Manifest, even if they don’t fill the void completely.
Not sure where to start? As a genre-blending series, Manifest is all about the mystery of what really happened on the plane, with the characters fighting for answers as they face the troubles of jumping five years into the future. Add to that supernatural visions and strange deaths, and you’ve got an exciting, action-packed show on your hands. Many fans fell in love with the characters in particular, like the sibling relationship between Michaela and Ben Stone, played by Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas respectively. But luckily for you, there are many television series out there that can draw you in with the same intensity, and while there are obvious picks like Lost, we’ve got some more underrated recommendations that Manifest fans are sure to love.
'Travelers' (2016-2018)
A co-production between Canada’s Showcase and Netflix, Travelers is a science fiction series that ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2018. The show stars Eric McCormack as Grant MacLaren, also known as Traveler 2468, a man who is sent back in time with a team of other “travelers,” to our present, to hopefully change the future and prevent an apocalyptic breakdown of society. The people from the future enter the present by taking over the bodies of people who are on the verge of death — for moral reasons, of course, and to minimize the impact of their actions on the future they hope to change. Through many calculations, their missions are dictated to have a minimal yet impactful effect on the world they left behind.
Each mission is planned by the Director, an AI system that maps out the future and makes calculations to figure out the best actions to create the best results. Meanwhile, the travelers must blend in with their new identities and follow a strict set of rules to ensure that they don’t make unnecessary changes to time. A few specific rules of the travelers include “leave the future in the past” and “do not interfere,” even if someone’s dying. Along with McCormack, Travelers stars MacKenzie Porter, Nesta Cooper, Jared Abrahamson, and Reilly Dolman as the fellow travelers on his team. The series is a comedic crime procedural wrapped up in a science fiction drama that has plenty of action to intrigue any viewer. With puzzling questions about the structure of time alongside emotional character arcs, this series is the perfect next watch after Manifest. — Devin Forward
'Sense8' (2015-2018)
The Cast of Sense8
Image via Netflix
Created by the Wachowskis, the filmmaking team behind the Matrix movies and Cloud Atlas, Sense8 is about a group of eight people connected around the world who develop the ability to see, hear, and feel everything the others in the group do, known as “sensates.” As the group is finally starting to understand their empathic new situation, they learn that there’s an organization after them that’s hunting and killing sensates across the world. Sense8 stars Jamie Clayton, Brian J. Smith, Tuppence Middleton, Bae Doona, Tina Desai, Max Riemelt, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, and Toby Onwumere as the main eight sensates, while other talents like Daryl Hannah and Freema Agyeman play supporting roles.
Through the relationships between the sensates, Sense8 tells an extremely heartfelt story that shines a light on the diversity of culture, gender, sexuality, personality, and more. The Wachowskis prove that they are some of the top talents in the industry with their use of unique cinematography and design in their filmmaking, making this show a joy for all of your senses. Unfortunately, Netflix cancelled Sense8 after two seasons, but thanks to one of the first instances of fans rallying to save a beloved TV show, Netflix granted the Wachowskis a two-hour film to wrap up all the storylines into a concrete end. While fans obviously preferred another season, the resulting film is a beautiful and satisfying finish to one of Netflix’s best shows. — Devin Forward
'Fringe' (2008-2013)
Fringe is definitely a must-watch for Manifest fans, as the series is five seasons of mystery, supernatural science fiction, and crime procedural, with a well-designed mythology that those who watch long-running, in-depth genre shows like Doctor Who will love. Starring Anna Torv as FBI agent Olivia Dunham, John Noble as a brilliant but slightly out of it scientist Walter Bishop, and Joshua Jackson as Walter’s estranged, cynical son, Fringe is centered around a fictional branch of the FBI called the Fringe Division. As you might guess, the department covers all unexplained, possibly supernatural events, or anything one might consider fringe science, similar to The X-Files.
The show initially has a traditional episodic, case-by-case structure, but that changes over the seasons to be more serialized, as the plot becomes more intricate and focused on the main characters’ personal stories. Fringe has developed a cult following over the years, and with good reason, as the show excels at crafting emotionally deep relationships, particularly with Olivia and Peter, along with making sure that the mystery and supernatural details actually make some sort of sense. With Olivia as the straight-laced, by-the-book agent taking the lead, Peter helps out on cases after being reconnected with his estranged father thanks to the FBI. Soon enough, the Fringe Division finds pushback from a group of rogue scientists who intend to take control of time and travel to a parallel universe. No big deal, right? — Devin Forward
'The Leftovers' (2014-2017)
Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon in 'The Leftovers'
Image via Max
Created by Damon Lindelof, HBO’s The Leftovers is a criminally underrated series about a world in which two percent of the population disappeared three years earlier, randomly and without explanation. But surprisingly, the show doesn’t focus on the missing. Instead, The Leftovers centers around those left behind as they try to reconcile with their new reality in the face of a massive, unanswerable question: where did they go?. Some find religion, some hold on tight to what they know, and others wonder if they simply aren’t good enough to be taken. At the center of the story is the Garvey family, led by the pragmatic chief of police Kevin, played by Justin Theroux. His wife Laurie (Amy Brenneman) leaves them for a silent cult called the Guilty Remnant, while the two kids, Jill (Margaret Qualley) and Tommy (Chris Zylka), are acting out in their own ways.
Honestly, if that introduction doesn’t sway you, the cast should bring you around, as Theroux, Carrie Coon, Christopher Eccleston, Regina King, Ann Dowd, and more lead the series. A truly philosophical drama, The Leftovers spends a lot of time questioning faith and the unexplainable, leaving a lot up to interpretation, with fantastic writing and pitch-perfect performances. Although the show was shamefully ignored by most awards bodies as it aired, The Leftovers has many fans and is regarded by many critics as one of the best shows in recent memory, up there with hits like The Wire. — Devin Forward
'Under The Dome' (2013-2015)
Dean Norris in Under the Dome
Image via CBS
If you want to watch something with a solid central mystery like Manifest, Under the Dome is a great choice. Based on Stephen King’s 2009 novel of the same name, the CBS series focuses on a small town called Chester’s Mill where a mysterious dome suddenly encloses the town and its citizens one day, cutting them off from the rest of the world. Over the course of three seasons, the show explores how and why the dome is there, who’s responsible, and what happens when a bunch of people are stuck together in a small, trapped place, with resources scarce and relationships tested. Just when you think you’ve figured out what’s really behind the dome, the show throws you for a loop with a twist you never see coming.
But in case you’re worried, this series does have a planned ending, answering most, if not all, of the questions you have by the third and final season. Under the Dome stars a supremely talented cast as well, with Mike Vogel, Britt Robertson, Dean Norris, and Eddie Cahill just a few names on the list. An extremely fun binge that you’re bound to get sucked into after the first episode, Under the Dome is a great watch. — Devin Forward
'The Wilds' (2020-2022)
The Cast of The Wilds
Image via Amazon
One of the newer shows on the list, The Wilds ran for two seasons before being cancelled. The Amazon original series is about a group of teenage girls whose plane crashes on a seemingly deserted island. Unbeknownst to them, they are actually the subjects of an experiment known as the Dawn of Eve program and are being watched and studied the whole time. The story flashes between the girls’ time on the island, flashbacks to life before the trip, and flashforwards to after they are “rescued” and are being interviewed about their experience. The cast of young women starring in The Wilds features many up-and-coming actors including Helena Howard, whose breakout role was 2018’s Madeline’s Madeline, while Rachel Griffiths plays the woman behind the curtain, Gretchen Klein. The show was well-received by critics and audiences, with many praising the performances and complicated interpersonal relationships between the characters. — Devin Forward
The OA (2016-2019)
Image via Netflix
The OA, created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij for Netflix, is another show that ended prematurely, getting cancelled after Season 2 with an intense cliffhanger. It’s a major loss, as The OA is a strange and inspiring show unlike anything else on television. The series stars Marling as Prairie Johnson, a woman who reappears after having been missing for seven years. While before she was blind as a result of an accident in her childhood, Prairie has somehow regained her sight. Shortly after returning to her family a thoroughly changed person, Prairie starts secretly gathering together five locals, telling them her story and asking for help saving other missing people who she claims are trapped in another dimension.
Along with Marling, The OA stars Emory Cohen, the late Scott Wilson, Phyllis Smith, Alice Krige, and Jason Isaacs as the power hungry Hap, along with a bunch of other fantastic young talents. Like Sense8, the series developed a cult following, and many people appreciated the show’s diversity and the many worldly, mystical, and personal questions about the human experience that it tries to answer. Simply put, if you want to watch a show that you won’t be able to stop thinking about months after you’ve finished watching, this is it. Though fair warning, once you finish Season 2, you’re going to be just as angry as the rest of us at Netflix for cancelling such a unique show before the story could be completed. — Devin Forward
Severance (2022-)
Adam Scott in a promotional image from Apple TV's Severance, with the top half of his head replaced by a smaller version of himself working in a cubicle.
Image via Apple TV+
From its opening moments all the way to its stunning finale, Severance is one of those series that never misses a step with every twist and turn it throws your way. The central mystery of the story stems from the idea that a group of workers will “sever” every day from their outside selves when they go into an odd office. The outside versions have no idea what happens inside, and the inside version has no idea what happens outside. To be completely candid, even those inside are not entirely sure what it is that they are working on each day. All they know is that they will never know the outside world and that all they have to look forward to is the occasional office party. There is no future outside their confined cubicles buried deep underground.
This science fiction premise is then used to explore ideas of isolation, identity, and, as we come to discover, the importance of solidarity. There is nothing quite as engaging as seeing all these disparate characters facing down a seemingly insurmountable challenge and facing it head-on. With each new discovery they make about the nature of their existence, the more they come together to look out for each other. The less that is known the better, as there are some rather significant narrative gut punches, but it is the characters who really make this series shine. — Chase Hutchinson
From (2022-)
Harold Perrineau in From Season 2
Image via MGM+
While this is a series that very much exists in the shadows of those that have come before it, FROMstill has plenty of potential as it moves into its second season. The basics of the story are that there is a town where all who pass through it are never able to leave. Even if you drive as quickly as you can, it will just redirect you right back to where you started. Sounds bad, right? Well, it gets much worse than that. Not only are all who live there cut off from the outside world, but there are murderous beings that roam the night. They look like people you know, but they will tear you to pieces if you were to ever let them in. The only thing protecting those alive are seemingly magical items that serve as a protective barrier for any enclosed space you can find.
The series then looks at the people just trying to make it to the next day without being destroyed and with little hope for escape. There are separate communities that have formed, but neither of them are ever fully safe from the forces lurking just outside their doors. Though there are hints of what exactly brought them here and what is preventing them from leaving, most of the characters remain in the dark about their predicament. It makes for an experience where the terror of what is known is just as potent as all that is known. Whether it will reveal itself in the road ahead remains to be seen, but there is still much that is worth getting swept up in. — Chase Hutchinson
'The X-Files' (1993-2002)
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files
Image via Twentieth Century Fox
The original mystery show, The X-Files wasn't just about the weekly mysteries that Fox Mulder and Dana Scully encountered but larger government conspiracy and mystery that haunted the FBI. While it doesn't have the same expansive cast and world-bending storylines like Manifest, those that enjoy a weekly mystery and the shifting dynamics of two characters are sure to find that in the classic sci-fi series. Investigating everything from cryptids to aliens to monsters, the serialized nature of The X-Files means it's a show that you can pick up and put down without too much issue. However, the slow-burn between Mulder and Scully is what brought most fans back for more and no one has chemistry like David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson do. — Therese Lacson