The CW has a show unlike anything else in its lineup with The 100. The post-apocalyptic series has more in common with shows like The Walking Dead and even Game of Thrones than any of The CW's superhero or supernatural programs. Characters are covered in blood and grime on a regular basis, major players can be killed at any given moment, good guys often do very bad things, and radiation has mutated familiar animals into all sorts of unrecognizable beasts. Now, The CW has good news for those of us who like a weekly dose of grim and grime in our lives. The 100 has officially been renewed for Season 5.
The 100 typically has a shorter run per season than many of The CW's other series. Seasons 2 and 3 were ordered for 16 episodes each, and Seasons 1 and 4 were only ordered for 13 episodes each. The CW has not confirmed how many episodes will air for Season 5. With only one exception, seasons debut in winter and run into late spring or early summer, so we can count on Season 5 probably premiering at some point in early 2018. Deadline reports that current showrunner Jason Rothenberg is expected to stick around into Season 5.
The long hiatus is often kind of a bummer for fans, especially considering that we're usually left with a crazy cliffhanger of sorts. That said, at least the early renewal for Season 5 means that we don't have to worry about whether or not the characters will all be irradiated to death at the end of Season 4. Sure, some of them will probably die, but we can bet that many of the familiar faces will be back.
Depending on how the radiation problem is addressed, the characters may be stuck back in political squabbling in Season 5. The infighting has died down somewhat in Season 4 as everybody needs to worry about the radiation threatening to poison the entire planet; if the good guys find a way to stop the radiation, they may be back at square one. After all, Skaikru still isn't the most popular group of folks on the ground, and they lost a lot of their advantages with the recent destruction of Arkadia.
The renewal does make me curious about how the show can possibly wrap up the radiation plot without rendering the planet uninhabitable. The radiation is contaminating the entire world, including the plant and animal species that the humans use as their food sources. Even if Skaikru figures out a cure that will allow humans to survive radiation poisoning, they'll still need to find a way to build a food supply that won't make them all sick again. They're not exactly working on a cure for the fish at this point.
Luckily, we still have plenty of Season 4 to go before we worry about how the radiation will affect Season 5. You can catch new episodes of The 100 on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET. The show is better than ever this year, so it's definitely worth the watch. Take a look at our midseason TV premiere schedule to find all your other primetime viewing options.
