The mystery of Manifest will continue to unspool in 2019-20.


NBC has picked up the drama for a second season — not much of a surprise, as Manifest was the top-rated new scripted series of the season. The show centers on passengers of a plane that disappeared five years earlier and were presumed dead — only to reappear with no time having passed for them.


"In just its first season, Manifest has answered many questions about the mystery of Flight 828 and, smartly, asks many more," said Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, co-presidents scripted programming at NBC Entertainment. "Congratulations to [creator] Jeff Rake, our producers, cast and crew who have created an incredibly addictive series with compelling characters and complex relationships."


Manifest started strong in the ratings, drawing the best premiere numbers for any new series in the fall. It faded in the back half of its 16-episode season but never lost its place as the top first-year scripted show in adults 18-49. With a week of delayed viewing, the series averaged a 2.8 rating in the demographic — more than double its same-day ratings — and 12.61 million viewers. Its total-viewer average is second among rookie series to the 12.78 million for CBS' FBI.


The show is also a strong performer on NBC's digital platforms: The network says Manifest grows to a 4.86 rating in adults 18-49 after 35 days of multi-platform viewing.


Warner Bros. TV, Universal TV and Compari Entertainment produce Manifest. Rake executive produces with Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Jackie Levine and Len Goldstein.


Manifest is the 12th scripted series NBC has renewed for 2019-20 — and only the second, following Sony/Universal TV co-production The Blacklist — not wholly produced by UTV. The network has also renewed dramas Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago PD, Good Girls, Law & Order: SVU and New Amsterdam and comedies Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, Superstore and Will & Grace.