Josh Dallas: 'Manifest' is 'Lost' meets 'This is Us'

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Once Upon a Time alum Josh Dallas and Valor actress Melissa Roxburgh say they wanted to star in NBC's new series Manifest because it dares to mix genres.

"It's Lost meets This is Us. So it has the high-concept mystery, but it is all grounded by a very real, very emotional drama about a family who has been torn apart," Dallas told UPI in an interview ahead of Monday night's premiere.

Co-starring Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina and Parveen Kaur, the show tells the story of passengers aboard a Jamaica-to-New York flight who arrive at their destination five years after they left, even though it seems to them only a few hours passed.

As officials attempt to sort out what happened to the people onboard the plane, passengers return home to find their loved ones have moved on with their lives.

"At the end of the day, these are ordinary people in a very extraordinary situation and, so, the things that they are going through are not totally out of this world in their own personal lives -- the plane aspect, yes. Their personal lives? No, not so much," said Roxburgh, who plays Michaela.

Dallas, who plays Michaela's brother Ben, said the show has room to grow because of the number of characters on the plane.

"Not only do we have all the complexities of this family trying to reclaim their lives in some kind of way, but we have all the stories of all the other passengers that were on that plane with us," he said. "We are going to see as we go forward how they are connected to Ben and Michaela."

Even if viewers learn by the end of the season why or how the plane disappeared, there will still be countless questions that need answers, Roxburgh said.

"There are so many things that we can delve into that would last seasons and seasons and seasons," she said.

Manifest is to premiere on NBC Monday at 10 p.m.