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‘The 100’ Season 4 Premiere Date And Length: Will Season 4 Be Shorter?

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 08:16 PST, May 24, 2016

The 100 fans noticed when the show was not announced in the fall 2016 lineup for the CW. Unlike The Originals fans, the news wasn’t as big of a shock. Season 3 of the dystopian future series had been pushed to a January start, without too many adverse effects.

It looks like The 100 Season 4 will get the same treatment. There were rumors that the shows starting in January 2017 will also get shorter seasons, making fans of this show unhappy. The seasons are already short, with Season 1 getting 13 episodes and Seasons 2 and 3 getting 16, Movie News Guide reports.

So, what is the truth between the rumors? Is there a release date set? Does anyone know how long the season will be?

At the moment, there are no confirmations over anything. Season 3 has only just finished, and everyone will be on a summer break. They will likely return in June or July to start planning and discussing The 100 Season 4 and then wait for the CW to confirm a start date.

With Season 3 getting a January 21, 2016 start, it is likely that the show will get a similar one for 2017. The CW has confirmed that it wants a strong mid-season lineup, which is something that The 100 can offer after last season’s ratings. The mid-season programming usually starts around the end of January, despite the main shows taking a hiatus before Christmas.

The rumors of a shorter season can be ignored for the most part. It is unlikely that the show will get a shorter season just because of its January premiere date. There was enough time to fit all 16 episodes of Season 3 between the end of January and the middle of May. Fans even preferred this, as there were fewer breaks between the episodes. Fans of various shows have often complained about the shows taking breaks now and then just to fill out the nine months of the traditional air time.

Shows that run for 13-16 seasons have also become favorable with fans. Not only do they have fewer breaks, but they also have quicker storylines. Fans aren’t waiting months to find out whether an evil will be killed, or trying to think back months at a time to remember a character or a storyline. There are now many more popular shorter-seasoned shows, including American Horror Story and Game of Thrones.

The CW has definitely renewed The 100 for Season 4. It was given an early renewal, along with The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, The Originals, and the three DC comic book inspired shows. Eliza Taylor, who plays Clarke on the show, admitted that she was surprised but happy to hear the decision. Too many shows are canceled early, and she is glad that the team gets the chance to tell the full story for this show set 97 years into the future.

“I have no idea what Season 4 has in store for us, but I feel very grateful that we get to continue this story.”

Plotlines for Season 4 are currently unavailable, likely due to the writers not even sitting down and planning it all out yet. There are speculations that the world coming to an end will be something Sky Crew and the Grounders need to work out how to stop. While A.L.I.E was evil in her actions, it is likely that she as telling the truth about the power plants failing. Octavia is also expected to get a fuller storyline next season.

For now, fans will have to make do with repeats of their favorite show. This is a chance to watch from Season 1 again and catch up until The 100 Season 4 airs in 2017. No date has been confirmed yet, but the end of January 2017 is expected at this time.

[Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Images]

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