camera. When the dogs are found, Jared brings Michaela to the facility to return them. She hears the same voice, eventually finding the two abducted girls. Jared apprehends the owner of the facility. Later, twenty-one passengers hear a voice calling them to the plane. When they arrive, the plane explodes. Production Development On August 23, 2017, it was announced that NBC had given Manifest a put pilot commitment, to be written by Jeff Rake and produced by Rake, Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, and Jackie Levine. On January 23, 2018, it was reported that NBC had given the production a formal pilot order. The pilot was directed by David Frankel, who also executive produced. Manifest was ordered to series in May 2018. Casting In February 2018, Josh Dallas, Melissa Roxburgh and J. R. Ramirez were cast as series regulars. In March 2018, Athena Karkanis, Parveen Kaur and Luna Blaise joined the main cast as well. Broadcast and reception A premiere date of September 24, 2018, was announced in June 2018. Ratings The episode was seen by 10.40 million viewers, and received a 2.2/9 rating/share. Critical response Verne Gay of Newsday praised the cast, and noted that "Manifest wants to be This Is Us with a taste of Lost." Lorraine Ali of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the pilot "initially captivates with Lost-like puzzles ... But once on the ground, rote themes of redemption and faith dilute an otherwise intriguing supernatural occurrence". Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe called the episode "soapy", but praised the setup of the primary mystery. References External links 2018 American television episodes Manifest