Retro-Cast: Casting Manifest In The 1990s

According to Netflixlife.com, the fourth and final season of the hit TV mystery series Manifest will not return until the spring of 2022 at the earliest. Following NBC’s controversial cancelation of the show in June of 2021, Netflix quickly snatched the property up and turned it into one of the most viewed titles of the year on its platform. The trend will likely continue in 2022.

As fans eagerly anticipate what could possibly transpire over the final 20 episodes of Manifest, the downtime between seasons provides ample opportunity to wonder how the show might look if it were made three decades prior.

Michaela Stone – Sarah Michelle Gellar

As everyone’s favorite 1990s vampire slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar would be ideally suited to play Michaela Stone (Melissa Roxburgh) in Manifest. The character is an independent and strong-willed NYPD detective who finds herself on the mysterious Flight 828.

Not only does Gellar fit the age and physical profile of Michaela, but through her time on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, she proved she could adroitly handle leading-lady status while also brilliantly playing comedy and drama from one moment to the next. It’s her magnetism that helps Buffy hold up today. Her precious command as a young performer at the time would be an absolute benefit if cast in a 90s version of Manifest.

Ben Stone – Kyle MacLachlan

By 1991, no TV actor was better suited to play an offbeat brand of mysterious drama than Kyle MacLachlan in David Lynch’s cult classic Twin Peaks. As such, he would be perfect for the role of Ben Stone, Michaela’s professorial brother also trapped on Flight 828.

Special agent Dale Cooper investigates the mysterious murder of Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks, and much like Stone, also gets thrust into a bizarre alternate reality known as the Black Lodge where he spends countless years wandering around with no answers. His time in the Lodge is among the scariest scenes in Twin Peaks. Beyond the plot parallels, MacLachlan’s top-notch acting would be a boon for a 90s Manifest.

Jared Vasquez – Mario Lopez

Before becoming police lieutenant on Manifest, Jared Vasquez (J.R. Ramirez) spent much of his time in a romantic triangle between Michaela and her best friend. Considering available acting talent in the 90s, the first name that leaps to mind is Saved By The Bell‘s Mario Lopez.

While he’s only continued to heighten his profile as a popular TV show host, Lopez demonstrated hilarity and heartfelt pathos as A.C. Slater, Zack Morris’ onetime rival-turned-best-friend on the beloved 90s high-school sitcom. For the soapy romance angle alone, Lopez would bolster Manfiest‘s cast if made in the 1990s.

Will Smith – Zeke Landon

As Michaela’s eventual new husband and the first character to outlive his expiration date, Zeke Landon requires a bona fide leading man quality. Who better in the 1990s than Will Smith, a rapper-turned-box-office-behemoth by the end of the decade?

After earning the memorable TV role of a lifetime as Will Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990, Smith’s raw charisma and onscreen magnetism led to his meteoric rise as one of the most bankable movie stars in the 90s, during which he showed tremendous acting range across a swath of cinematic genres. If Will Smith played Zeke in the 90s, the show may still be on the air.

Grace Stone – CCH Pounder

In Manifest, Grace Stone is played by Athena Karkanis. As Ben’s wife and Michaela’s in-law, she tries to run her catering business while mourning the loss of her family members on Flight 828. In terms of age demographics for a 90s TV actress who can credibly play drama, the great CCH Pounder is hard to beat.

From her recurring roles as Judge Robin in L.A. Law and Dr. Hicks in ER to her memorable turns as Sara Picket in Return to Lonesome Dove and Cheryl Andrews in Millennium, Pounder was one of the busiest and most versatile TV actors of the decade. She can play drama, sci-fi, comedy, and mystery with the best of them, all of which Manifest combines in each episode.

Dennis Franz – Robert Vance

As the elderly statesman of the cast, NSA Deputy Director Robert Vance (Daryl Edwards) uses his position of power to fake his death and advance his theories on the fate of Flight 828. For an ideally suited 90s counterpart, NYPD Blue‘s Dennis Franz has the upper hand.

The brilliant but cranky lead detective Andy Spicowitz (Franz) has the same sort of unscrupulous countenance to get the job done by any means as Vance, with Franz always finding the right note in toeing the moral side of the law. A super talented character actor who augments nearly every project he’s in, Franz as a shady 90s NSA operator is no stretch at all.

Alyssa Milano – Saanvi Bahl

Despite their mismatched heritage, Melrose Place and Charmed star Alyssa Milano would make a great addition as Saanvi Bahl in a 90s version of Manifest. The whip-smart young doctor later recruited by the NSA is tasked with uncovering her own disappearance on Flight 828, using her personal experience and medical expertise to find answers.

Following Who’s The Boss? in the 90s, Milano deftly portrayed a witch, a political spinster, an advertising exec on television, slowly increasing her dramatic arcs to go with her natural comedic timing. Seeing Milano play a doctor while working on the Eureka Task Force for the NSA would be pretty cool.

Olive Stone – Brandy Norwood

For the role of Ben and Athena’s daughter Olive (Luna Blaise), Moesha star Brandy Norwood would not only be a casting coup in terms of racial diversity as Brandy was one of the instrumental Black actors who defined 90s sitcoms, but it also surely draw in her ancillary music fans as well to increase ratings. To wit, Brandy’s electric onscreen persona would make the character even more entertaining.

The key challenge in Olive’s role is portraying the insurmountable grief over losing her family on Flight 828 and reconciling the sudden age gap of her siblings upon their return. If anyone knows how to credibly handle onscreen sibling drama, it’s Brandy.

Jonathan Taylor-Thomas – Cal Stone

Also known as The Holy Grail, young Cal Stone is a key component to the success of Manifest. Played by Jack Messina preflight and Ty Dornan postflight, the combined acting talents of one Jonathan Taylor Thomas would have Manifest fans in the 90s going berserk.

After winning the hearts of fans for his role as Randy Taylor in Home Improvement from 1991-1998, Taylor Thomas largely faded into obscurity after 2006, leaving a massive void in the TV world after becoming one of the most iconic TV stars of the decade. Even without the tinge of nostalgia, JTT  cast in a 90s Manifest would be must-see TV.

Neve Campbell – Angelina Meyer

The role of Angelina Meyer (Holly Taylor) is one of the tricker ones on Manifest that requires a superior acting caliber. Her warped mind state leads to unspeakable tragedy regarding Grace, necessitating an arc of shyness that evolves into harrowing violence. For that kind of intensity, Neve Campbell would be perfectly cast.

Beginning her TV career via the musical drama Catwalk in 1991, Campbell graduated to the YA drama Party of Five in 1994, on which she played the strong, independent character of Julia Salinger for over 140 episodes. It’s Campbell’s smoldering physical presence and ability to portray drama so credibly that would make Angelina’s arc even more convincing.