Is ‘Manifest’ Inspired by a True Story?

Manifest’s success is much like its own storyline; it disappeared and then came back. The show lived on NBC for three seasons, starting in 2018, before being canceled despite high ratings. Luckily, the supernatural drama saw a new burst of success after being added to Netflix and was renewed for a fourth and final season on the streamer.

Created by Jeff Rake, the series follows a group of passengers on a flight that goes missing for five and a half years. Upon arrival, they find that their families and friends have moved on, sparking familial grief and storylines of regret and betrayal. But that’s not the craziest part. The passengers also begin to experience “callings” which give them visions into the future.

Given the revitalized energy surrounding the fan-favorite series, many are wondering if the series is based on a true story. We all know about plane crashes and malfunctions, but has a plane ever gone missing? Continue reading to find out the origins of Manifest.

Is Manifest Based By a True Story?

At San Diego Comic Con 2018, SYFY asked Rake if Manifest was based on the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370. The series creator shared that the real-life event has a “pivotal role” in the story (kind of… if you squint a little), but was mostly drawn from personal experiences.

He said, “The truth of the matter is, I thought of this idea almost 10 years ago, driving in the minivan with my family to the Grand Canyon, thinking about family togetherness and separation. The big idea hit me, I pitched it around. Nobody wanted it.”

Rake continued, “And then seven years later, Malaysian Airlines happened and suddenly this crazy idea felt a little more real and more relatable in the context of Malaysian Air. Suddenly, people were interested.”

What Do We Know About Malaysia Flight 370?

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to Beijing Capital International Airport in China. The flight was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, all of whom have been presumed dead.

The flight last communicated with air traffic control roughly 38 minutes after takeoff before disappearing from their radar.

In 2019, The Atlantic reported that proper protocols were not in place during the flight’s disappearance. They found that the controllers did not notify authorities in a timely matter after witnessing the flight disappear from their radar screens. Instead, they “tried repeatedly to contact the aircraft, to no avail.” The outlet further states that the rescue center wasn’t contacted until roughly 18 minutes after the flight’s disappeared from their radar, which they referred to as “an exercise in confusion and incompetence.” Due to continuing inefficiency, emergency response didn’t begin until roughly five hours later, when the plane was set to land.

To this day, the flight has not been recovered, but in 2022, British aeronautical engineer Richard Godfrey told BBC that new technology has been developed that could, hopefully, deliver “answers to the flying public and the aviation industry on exactly what happened with MH370 and how we prevent that in the future”. The professional believes that the flight crashed into the Indian Ocean, about 1000 miles west of Perth, Australia.

Several documentaries have explored the mystery behind the missing flight, including Lost: MH370 (available on Prime Video and VOD) and Discovery Channel’s Flight 370: The Missing Links. In addition, the History Channel acquired rights to a three-part docuseries in April 2022, however, a release date has yet to be announced.

Manifest Season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.