The 100 (pronounced "The Hundred") is an American post-apocalyptic science fiction drama television series that premiered on March 19, 2014, on the CW network, and ended on September 30, 2020. Developed by Jason Rothenberg, the series is based on the young adult novel series The 100 by Kass Morgan. The 100 follows descendants of post-apocalyptic survivors from a space habitat, the Ark, who return to Earth nearly a century after a devastating nuclear apocalypse; the first people sent to Earth are a group of juvenile delinquents who encounter another group of survivors on the ground.

The juvenile delinquents include Clarke Griffin (Eliza Taylor), Finn Collins (Thomas McDonell), Bellamy Blake (Bob Morley), Octavia Blake (Marie Avgeropoulos), Jasper Jordan (Devon Bostick), Monty Green (Christopher Larkin), and John Murphy (Richard Harmon). Other lead characters include Clarke's mother Dr. Abby Griffin (Paige Turco), Marcus Kane (Henry Ian Cusick), and Chancellor Thelonious Jaha (Isaiah Washington), all of whom are council members on the Ark, and Raven Reyes (Lindsey Morgan), a mechanic aboard the Ark.

Plot

Ninety-seven years after a devastating nuclear apocalypse wipes out most human life on Earth, thousands of people now live in a space station orbiting Earth, which they call the Ark. Three generations have been born in space, but when life-support systems on the Ark begin to fail, one hundred juvenile detainees are sent to Earth in a last attempt to determine whether it is habitable, or at least save resources for the remaining residents of the Ark. They discover that some humans survived the apocalypse: the Grounders, who live in clans locked in a power struggle; the Reapers, another group of grounders who have been turned into cannibals by the Mountain Men; and the Mountain Men, who live in Mount Weather, descended from those who locked themselves away before the apocalypse. Under the leadership of Clarke and Bellamy, the juveniles attempt to survive the harsh surface conditions, battle hostile grounders and establish communication with the Ark.

In the second season, the survivors face a new threat from the Mountain Men, who harvest their bone marrow to survive the radiation. Clarke and the others form a fragile alliance with the grounders to rescue their people. The season ends with Clarke making a devastating choice to save them all.

In season three, power struggles erupt between the Arkadians and the grounders after a controversial new leader takes charge. Meanwhile, an AI named A.L.I.E., responsible for the original apocalypse, begins taking control of people's minds. Clarke destroys A.L.I.E. but learns another disaster is imminent.

In the fourth season, nuclear reactors are melting down, threatening to wipe out life again. Clarke and her friends search for ways to survive, including experimenting with radiation-resistant blood and finding an underground bunker. As time runs out, only a select few are able to take shelter.

The fifth season picks up six years later, when Earth is left largely uninhabitable except for one green valley, where new enemies arrive. Clarke protects her adopted daughter Madi while former survivors return from space and underground, triggering another war. The battle ends with the valley destroyed and the group entering cryosleep to find a new home.

In season six, the group awakens 125 years later on a new planet called Sanctum, ruled by powerful families known as the Primes. Clarke fights to stop body-snatching rituals and protect her people from new threats, including a rebel group and a dangerous AI influence. The season ends with major losses and the destruction of the Primes' rule.

In the seventh and final season, the survivors face unrest on Sanctum and clash with a mysterious group called the Disciples, who believe Clarke is key to saving humanity. A wormhole network reveals multiple planets and a final "test" that determines the fate of the species. All of humanity transcends into a higher consciousness, but when Clarke cannot transcend, her friends choose to return to Earth and live out the rest of their lives with her.

Cast and characters

Eliza Taylor as Clarke Griffin Paige Turco as Abigail "Abby" Griffin (seasons 1–6; guest season 7) Thomas McDonell as Finn Collins (seasons 1–2) Eli Goree as Wells Jaha (season 1; guest season 2) Marie Avgeropoulos as Octavia Blake Bob Morley as Bellamy Blake Kelly Hu as Callie "Cece" Cartwig (season 1) Christopher Larkin as Monty Green (seasons 1–5; guest season 6) Devon Bostick as Jasper Jordan (seasons 1–4) Isaiah Washington as Thelonious Jaha (seasons 1–5) Henry Ian Cusick as Marcus Kane (seasons 1–6) Lindsey Morgan as Raven Reyes (seasons 2–7; recurring season 1) Ricky Whittle as Lincoln (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1) Richard Harmon as John Murphy (seasons 3–7; recurring seasons 1–2) Zach McGowan as Roan (season 4; recurring season 3; guest season 7) Tasya Teles as Echo / Ash (seasons 5–7; guest seasons 2–3; recurring season 4) Shannon Kook as Jordan Green (seasons 6–7; guest season 5) JR Bourne as Russell Lightbourne / Malachi / Sheidheda (season 7; recurring season 6) Chuku Modu as Gabriel Santiago (season 7; recurring season 6) Shelby Flannery as Hope Diyoza (season 7; guest season 6)

Notes

Episodes

The 100 premiered on March 19, 2014. On May 8, 2014, the CW renewed The 100 for a second season, which premiered on October 22, 2014. On January 11, 2015, the CW renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on January 21, 2016. On March 12, 2016, The 100 was renewed for a fourth season of 13 episodes, which premiered on February 1, 2017. On March 10, 2017, the CW renewed the series for a fifth season, which premiered on April 24, 2018. On May 9, 2018, The 100 was renewed for a sixth season, which premiered on April 30, 2019. On April 24, 2019, the CW renewed the series for a seventh season, that would consist of 16 episodes and premiered on May 20, 2020. In August 2019, it was announced the seventh season would serve as the final season of the series, concluding the show with a total of 100 episodes across all seven seasons. The series concluded on September 30, 2020.

Production

Filming Filming for the series took place in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Production on the pilot occurred during the second quarter of 2013. After the show received a series order, filming for the first season occurred between August 2013 and January 2014. Filming for the second season began on July 7, 2014, and concluded on January 23, 2015. The third season was filmed between July 15, 2015, and February 2, 2016. Filming for the fourth season began on August 2, 2016, and concluded on January 18, 2017. Filming for the fifth season began on August 14, 2017, and finished on January 27, 2018. Filming for the sixth season began on August 27, 2018, and concluded on February 8, 2019. Filming for the seventh season began on August 26, 2019, and concluded on March 14, 2020.

Post-production work, including ADR recording for the series, was done at the Cherry Beach Sound recording studio. David J. Peterson, who created Dothraki and Valyrian for Game of Thrones, developed the Trigedasleng language for The Grounders. Jason Rothenberg said it was similar to Creole English. The language is called "Trig" on the show. After his constructed language work on Star-Crossed, Peterson was contacted by the producers of The 100 to create a language for the Grounders, an evolution of English. In the setting, 97 years have passed since the apocalypse, which is a very short time for significant language change. Because of this, Peterson posited an accelerated evolution in which the early Grounders used a cant specifically to obfuscate their speech and to differentiate between friend or foe. Trigedasleng derives from that cant and evolved over several short generations of survivors of the apocalypse.

On March 12, 2020, Warner Bros. Television shut down production on all of their shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, writer Kim Shumway confirmed they were able to complete filming for their seventh season.

Casting In late February 2013, Bob Morley and Eli Goree were cast as Bellamy Blake and Wells Jaha, respectively, followed a day later by the casting of Henry Ian Cusick as Marcus Kane. Less than a week later, Eliza Taylor and Marie Avgeropoulos were cast in co-starring roles as Clarke Griffin and Octavia Blake, respectively. Throughout March, the rest of the cast was filled out, with Paige Turco cast as Abigail Walters (now Abigail Griffin), Isaiah Washington as Chancellor Jaha, Thomas McDonnell as Finn Collins, Kelly Hu as Callie Cartwig, and Christopher Larkin as Monty Green. For the second season, Adina Porter and Raymond J. Barry were cast in recurring roles as Indra and Dante Wallace, respectively, along with Alycia Debnam-Carey as Lexa.

Broadcast In Canada, Season 1 of The 100 was licensed exclusively to Netflix. The series premiered on March 20, 2014, the day after the mid-season premiere of Season 1 on the CW.

In New Zealand, the series premiered on TVNZ's on-demand video streaming service on March 21, 2014.

In the UK and Ireland, The 100 premiered on E4 on July 7, 2014. The first episode was viewed by an average audience of 1.39million, making it the channel's biggest ever program launch. Season 2 premiered on January 6, 2015, and averaged 1,118,000 viewers. Season 3 premiered on February 17, 2016.

In Australia, The 100 was originally scheduled to premiere on Go! but instead premiered on Fox8 on September 4, 2014. Season 2 premiered on January 8, 2015.

Home media Warner Home Entertainment released the first five seasons' DVDs, and the first season's Blu-ray while the remaining five seasons' Blu-rays were released through Warner Archive Collection who also released a manufacture-on-demand DVD for the sixth and seventh seasons.

+Home media releases of The 100 Season Episodes DVD Blu-ray Features Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 Region A Region B 1 13 September 23, 2014 September 29, 2014 December 3, 2014 September 23, 2014 December 3, 2014 Creating the World of The 100 Commentary on "We Are Grounders, Part 2" 2 16 October 13, 2015 October 12, 2015 October 14, 2015 October 13, 2015 October 14, 2015 The 100: Unlocking the Mountain The 100 Pre-Viz Stunts featurette 3 16 July 19, 2016 September 26, 2016 September 28, 2016 July 19, 2016 September 28, 2016 A Short Lived Victory: Unlocking the Season 3 Finale Arkadia: From Wreckage to Salvation Ice Nation: Brutal and Fierce Wanheda: Clarke's Journey Polis: Capital of the Grounders The 100 Pre-Viz Stunts Season 3 4 13 July 19, 2017 July 24, 2017 October 4, 2017 July 18, 2017 October 4, 2017 Deleted Scenes, From Outcasts to Leaders, Creating a Post-Apocalyptic World The 100: Jasper's Journey Battle Tested: The 100 Season 4 Stunts, Gag Reel The 100: 2016 Comic-Con Panel 5 13 October 9, 2018 October 8, 2018 October 10, 2018 November 27, 2018 October 10, 2018Redemption and Rebirth 2018 WonderCon Panel Gag Reel 6 13 November 12, 2019 November 25, 2019 November 27, 2019 November 12, 2019 November 27, 2019 The 100 Season 6: Highlights from 2019 WonderCon7 16January 5, 2021May 6, 2021January 6, 2021January 5, 2021January 6, 2021None

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a 93 percent average approval rating across its seven seasons.