Manifest's early ending creates a big timeline problem for season 4, but details about the show's return reveal how this issue will be fixed.

The timeline problem created by Manifest’s early ending is already being solved. Manifest showrunner Jeff Rake said before NBC canceled the show that his intention was for it to run for six seasons. The show was ultimately saved by Netflix, but that doesn’t mean it’ll end in accordance with Rake’s original ideas.

Instead of wrapping up with season 6, Manifest will come to an early end with a 20-episode fourth season that is expected to be broken up into parts. When the show returns, it’ll have plenty of loose ends left to tie up, including the conflict with Angelina, Cal’s sudden aging, the season 3 finale’s Captain Daly mystery, and the fate of the Lifeboat. Right now, Ben and the others are under the impression that they have to find a way to keep all the Flight 828 passengers on the right path in order to “save the Lifeboat” and get everyone past the Death Date. Presumably, the story will draw to a close when the passengers are finally confronted with the Death Date on June 2, 2024.

Since Manifest season 3 took place in 2021, it was thought that the characters had plenty of time left, but an interview with Ben Stone actor Josh Dallas has confirmed that this won’t be the case after all. Dallas says that Manifest season 4 will pick up two years after the previous season ended [via YouTube]. The massive time skip feels like a necessary move, as it solves the issue of how Manifest can advance all the way to 2024 in a single season. Getting closer to the Death Date in just one huge jump should actually work better than the series being forced to deliver numerous, smaller time skips between episodes, which would slow down and disrupt the pace of the story.

The reveal that the passengers would have until 2024 to find a solution to the Death Date dilemma made sense for the show when considering what Rake’s plan was from the beginning. With six seasons, Manifest most likely would have ended around that time, which would have allowed the Flight 828 passengers' stories to progress naturally. But, the show taking that route was made impossible by the change to Rake’s Manifest plan. How the series was going to approach this situation was one of several questions about the show’s future, and now the answer is no longer a secret.

Unfortunately, the solution to Manifest’s timeline problem won’t come without issues of its own. In leaping forward by two years, the series risks skipping over some highly anticipated moments. How the Stones recover from Grace’s death, Ben’s reaction to Cal’s shocking return, and Eureka’s response to what happened with Captain Daly are all stories that Manifest may not be able to tell in great detail without heavy use of flashbacks.

More: Manifest Theory Explains How To Beat The Death Date (It's Not The Lifeboat)