15 Reasons You Need To Start Watching 'The 100'

If you haven't started watching one of the best television shows on the air yet, you need to change that right now. The 100 has become one of the most intense and diverse shows ever, filled with cliffhangers, incredible story writing, and characters that will make you marvel at human nature. You will quickly fall head over heels for the powerful female leads and the compelling male characters as a post-apocalyptic world tests their human capacities for good and evil. The show is filled with mythology, and you will be put through some real emotional turmoil thanks to the plethora of cliffhangers and the depth of the show. Those things make it impossible to stop watching. This show is truly something that you have never seen before, which is exactly why you need it in your life right now. Here are 15 reasons you need to start watching The 100. You'll be addicted before you even know it!

15 There's Never A Dull Moment

You never get a chance to catch your breath when you're watching this show… which is just what the characters are experiencing as they try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The show completely immerses you in a world that could very well be our future. You live their wonder when they step foot on earth for the first time, unsure if it will be too radioactive for them to survive or not. You feel their shock when they realize everything they thought they knew was wrong… because they're not alone when they land back on earth. From that point forward, there isn't an episode where sanity lingers for long because the struggle of being human and surviving is tested at every given moment. At what point can they still live with themselves after everything they've done? From the domineering leadership of Bellamy and the cutthroat logic of Clarke, there will never be a dull moment.

14 The Cliffhangers

Whether it's the very first episode of the entire show, a midseason finale, or halfway through an episode, there are cliffhangers everywhere. It makes it impossible not to watch the next episode, so once you're in, you're hooked. The writers of the show know how to keep the audience guessing because when they steer you in one direction to make you think another thing, they'll end up showing you later on that everything you thought you knew was wrong. You experience the life-altering revelations with the characters as the story takes dramatic turns and your most beloved character is forced to do awful things. You can guarantee that sometimes you'll be left guessing if somebody survived or not for months after a season finale, but it's those cliff hangers that keep your heart racing. If you want your world to be turned upside down by an action-packed series filled with cliffhangers, you need to start watching this show.

13 The Beautiful Settings

This show is filmed in Vancouver so the beautiful scenery is capable of taking your breath away in every shot. The unforgiving landscape is a theme throughout the series since it tests the people of the Ark, which is a massive space station that humans made to sustain themselves in space while they waited for the radiation to dilute from the world. As they've spent most of their life in space, the towering rain forests and even the harsh deserts challenge them in ways they never could have imagined. It engulfs in the beauty, and even during the most violent wars that commence throughout the series, they're surrounded by the pure beauty of nature. It's a dichotomy that creates an element to this show that most shows have, and even when this show can be ugly from the ridiculous violence that tends to take place, the beauty of the settings makes up for it.

12 The Complex Storyline

With a combination of the cliffhangers and endless action, this show has a complicated storyline that fills you with intrigue, and you're pretty much begging to know more. Waiting for the next episode is frustrating AF because you want the answers right now. You believe one thing… and the next thing you know, you figure out that you're totally wrong. You experience the shock with the characters you quickly grow to love as a mythology begins to emerge. From discovering what the City of Light is, to Polis, to meeting the Commander of the Grounders, the plotlines are super intense and have a depth that many shows struggle to achieve. But this is totally effortless for The 100. You're probably dying to know more, which is exactly why you need to start watching The 100 for yourself. We can't give away too many spoilers, but it will quickly become your most favorite show ever.

11 The Emotional Turmoil

Be prepared to cry once you get into this show because it seriously plays with your emotions. It can be ruthless with its storylines, killing off some of the most beloved characters simply because the storyline demands it. Yup, nobody is safe, and it's why the emotional turmoil can make watching this show a blessing in disguise. You can't wait to watch it while simultaneously hating it, and that's exactly how you know it's your favorite show. It's impossible not to love The 100, but there will definitely be moments when you're cursing it while trying to watch through your tears. You want to see the characters who you quickly begin to adore succeed, but it can be difficult when the world is literally working against them. It makes you question the human capacity for good and evil while you watch them fall through the lines of love and hate, which is precisely why you need to start watching this show.

10 There's Character Development

The characters you meet in the first episode are not the same characters you'll see four seasons down the road. Some shows have basically no character development at all but that's not true of The 100. You witness some serious character development on this show. The people that first stepped foot on earth a long time ago go from reckless and fearless to noble and mature, and they learn that the right decisions are often the hardest. And sometimes, there might not be a right choice at all. The character you might hate immediately could become one of the most selfless as the earth shapes who they become, and the characters that seem to have the most golden of hearts will quickly be broken down to a shell of their former selves as they're forced to endure the challenges that earth brings. This show differs itself from the others in the progression of their characters, and it makes it impossible to stop watching.

9 The Relationships

This makes it one of the most progressive shows on television because there is a lot going on and even more problems to face, especially while you're in the midst of falling in love. The queer relationships are approached as normally as the heterosexual ones are: natural and emotional, and no one calls attention to it. There are more pressing matters than who is crushing on what gender. One of the most sensational romances in the series is a complicated relationship between two of the most powerful women on the show, and they quickly became a fan favorite. While there are a lot of shows that have yet to feature same gendered couples, The 100 took charge and intertwined them into the story as seamlessly as all the other storylines, and it even takes the center stage throughout parts of the series. If you're looking for a show with beautiful queer relationships, The 100 is the show for you. It will overwhelm you to watch two people love each other so passionately in such a dire situation.

8 The Diversity

This show treats diversity like race, gender, and preference more progressively and delicately than most shows on television. There are many examples of them trying to portray all facets as equal, such as when the Ark council was exactly fifty percent men, fifty percent women. When Raven becomes disabled, she becomes one of the few well written and complex disabled characters on television, and she's just as powerful as she was before. Clarke is a beautiful blonde girl with pragmatic leadership capabilities and bravery, slamming the stereotypes surrounding female leadership. There is zero discrimination between race. Oh, and there's also a bisexual female lead, not to mention a lot of male vulnerability, which we rarely see on television. There's probably been more male emotional breakdowns than female. This show is diverse in ways that other shows will never try to be, and it's one of the reasons you need to start watching it right now.

7 The Love Stories Are Harrowing

The love stories throughout this show are filled with hope and grief, as some meet their bitter end long before you wish they would. From love triangles to forbidden love, the romance becomes absolutely harrowing through much of the tale, but it is also the pinnacle of beauty. Watching your favorite characters find light in the darkness when they fall in love can bring tears to your eyes, and it can also put you in a panic when their lives are constantly in danger. All you want is for them to find happiness and peace, but with raging wars and the elements of nature conspiring against the people from the Ark, and even the people from the Earth, the hope can be crushed unexpectedly. It can certainly be crushing, but love continues to blossom even when it seems everything else is wilting, which makes you keep watching the show.

6 It's Depressing Yet Uplifting

This show gives you hope for the future of mankind one moment… and then obliterates it. It makes you cringe at human nature when you witness it at its worst, and then you feel your heart fly when you're uplifted by one of the sweeter moments of the show. It's arguably the perfect mix of depressing and uplifting, giving you enough faith to believe the show could have a happy ending, but it's grim enough to make you continue watching in horror as well. It can feel like a beautiful story as much as it feels like a train wreck at times, but that's why you love it so much. It's found one of the most perfect harmonies on television, which is why it's quietly become one of the best series on the air. Be prepared to have your heart ripped out and stitched back together in a never ending cycle of sorrow and joy, but that's why this show is revolutionary.

5 The Intense Moral Ambiguity

This show leaves you questioning what's right and what's wrong like no other show would do. The moral ambiguity is thick enough to cut with a knife and twice as murky, and you'll be left confused and conflicted. Can you really judge the characters for the horrible things they do when they're just trying to survive or save the people they love? Be prepared to have your moral compass spun around until you don't know what direction it's facing because this show makes you think about life in a seriously hardcore way. What would you do if you were in Clarke's shoes? That's what you'll be asking yourself almost every episode as the influential young leader is forced to make the hardest decisions of her life, simply to save her people. You need to watch this show because it makes you think and question your morals in a way that could enlighten yourself.

4 The Expansive Mythology

From the language of the Grounders to how a new Commander is able to ascend, this show quickly transforms into a revolutionary science fiction show to one dappled with folklore and mythology of people forced to survive on a planet trying to kill them. A little radiation can seriously alter how humans function, but the new world that the Grounders create will totally astonish you, as you witness it first hand with the people from the Ark. Their language is complete and fascinating, and you'll find yourself learning it too as you listen and come to love the new characters that never stepped foot in space. It creates a component to the show that you didn't know you needed because it fascinates you and thrills you like no other show can do. While it can be intense since it asks you to question your humanity, it also makes you lose yourself in another world.

3 The Beautiful Men

Everyone in this show is astonishingly beautiful, some more on the outside than the inside, but you'll quickly fall head over heels for some of the main characters. You watch Bellamy Blake transition from a domineering and reckless leader to something completely unexpected, and he's dreamy to top it all off. Finn Collins is a criminal with a selfless secret, and he shows Clarke the depth of his feelings as the first season progresses on, and characters like John Murphy and Marcus Kane completely transform before your very eyes as time goes on. These characters are dynamic and complete, showing their human capacity as they grow and change along with the planet that's shaping them, and it makes you love them in a way you didn't know was possible. Lincoln is one of the most complicated and lovable characters on the show, and his beauty will make it hard for you to take your eyes off the screen.

2 The Beautiful Women

All the women on the show are so diverse, different, and flawless that it's impossible not to have a favorite. They're strikingly beautiful, and all you want to do all day is stare at their gorgeous faces, but their powerful personalities are what make the show remarkable. From Clarke, who quickly rises to leadership because of her natural diplomacy and fearlessness to sacrifice herself, to Raven, a fiercely intelligent and determined young engineer, and even Octavia, a spitfire with a harrowing backstory that ascends to become one of the most interesting characters on the show, the women in this series are unreal. As the first seasons pass, you come to meet even more women that you'll come to love more, such as Lexa, Indra, and even Maya, all these women are stunningly beautiful, but even more powerful. There are a lot of reasons to fall in love with this show, but this one might be the best one yet because the characters truly make the show.

1 The Powerful Female Roles

It's been said that The 100 owns some of the best female roles on television right now, and it's no lie. As Clarke changes over the show, she becomes a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional leader, and she's smart, tough, vulnerable, and owns who she is. She's not the only one because there are more female characters in leadership roles than men. Abby, Clarke's mother, takes over the role of Chancellor, and Raven is probably the only reason everyone is still alive with her technical genius. The show does this without calling attention to it, and one way they do this is by creating romance storylines without making it the single facet of a woman's storyline, such as how Octavia's forbidden love commences her transition into a warrior. The 100 takes on females in powerful roles as casually as it has a bisexual character in a leadership position. They don't call attention to it, they deliver it as naturally as it should be, and that's why this is a show you need to watch ASAP.