9 TV Shows To Watch If ‘The 100’ Broke Your Heart

The 100 has broken a lot of hearts over the course of its seven-season run, and with the series finally coming to an end, very few fans, if any, have left the series unscathed.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve watched The 100 take your favorite character and either violently murder them or destroy all of the development that they had up to that point. Even the characters still breathing, in the end, are pale imitations of what they once were.

The 100 is an easy show to binge and become obsessed with, but by the time you come out the other side of it, you’re left disappointed and yearning for a show to fill that void. If The 100 broke your heart, here are 9 shows you can watch to heal it.

If you want sci-fi that doesn’t let you down…

LOST

It’s no secret that The 100 showrunner, Jason Rothenberg, was inspired by J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof’s LOST, especially in the early seasons. If you loved the survivalist found family aspects of the first seasons of The 100, then LOST is a perfect fit for you.

LOST is about a group of people whose plane crashes on a mysterious island seemingly in the middle of nowhere. From there, the survivors fight to stay alive, figure out where they are and why they’re there, and in the process find love, meaning, and purpose.

LOST has all the elements that the early seasons of The 100 were trying to capture and they carry through the whole series with intention.

The characters are consistent and compelling as they move through their own journeys and build connections with one another. The final season brings everything together in a way that leaves the audience filled with hope even in the face of death and loss. 

Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica is another a big inspiration for the early seasons of The 100; it’s also the series that turned me into a sci-fi fan. If you’re a big fan of the storyline on The Ark from Season 1 or the ALIE origin story from Season 3 of The 100, then you’ll love Battlestar Galactica.

The show follows a fleet of starships that must escape from their own star system after a race of cybernetic people rise up and carry out a nuclear apocalypse with the end goal of destroying all human life. The “Cylons” were created by humans to make life easier, but they rebelled and now they’re out for revenge.

The human survivors band together after the apocalypse for a journey across the stars in search of a fabled planet called Earth, which is their only hope for survival. All the while, they’re still running from the Cylons who are determined to wipe them out.

Battlestar Galactica deals in survivalist politics, warfare, and what we find meaning in at the end of the world. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation

The final season of The 100 focuses on “the last war,” or a final test that Clarke Griffin must pass to determine the fate of all of humanity. Similarly, Star Trek: The Next Generation begins with an all-powerful being putting humanity on trial for our transgressions against each other and the universe.

Star Trek: TNG is best summed up by this tweet:

anyway if you want to watch a show where the whole series is secretly a test to see if humanity is worthy, BUT the message is that relationships are sacred, love is beautiful, and hope is the most important thing in the universe…may i recommend star trek: the next generation? pic.twitter.com/GowojYmE6Q

— brittany (@brittania_) September 17, 2020

Instead of the ultimate takeaway being that there are no good guys and eventually we all die alone, the key themes of Star Trek: TNG (and most other Star Trek series) is that love and hope are essential components of the human experience, and that relationships are how we survive. Through these elements, we become worthy of connection and meaning.

Star Trek: TNG is more episodic than most of the other recommendations, which makes it a great show to have on in the background or as you get ready for bed at night. The characters all have different strengths, and the relationships that they build with each other are the core of the series.

The Expanse

The Expanse is a story about love. Equal parts political drama and epic science fiction thriller, The Expanse keeps fans coming back for more through complex characters, compelling relationships, and so much love at the center of its story. 

The 100 wishes it had what The Expanse has.

Unlike The 100, this show knows that the characters are one-hundred percent of the show’s heart. The characters are the story.

The Expanse also values the stories of BIPOC by placing them at the forefront of the narrative. Instead of being performative with its representation, The Expanse is intentional in a way that comes off completely organic.

Did you know every leading lady on The Expanse is a BIPOC? Now you do!

After being canceled by SyFy, The Expanse moved to Amazon, and the show has only grown into something even more wonderful since. Seasons 1-4 are on Amazon Prime, and a fifth season is on the way. If you’re looking for an edge of your seat science fiction epic rooted in character-driven stories and emotional connections, check out The Expanse.

Killjoys

Killjoys ended in 2019 after 5 delightful seasons.

Much like The 100, the Killjoys writers knew ahead of time that their final season had come. Unlike The 100, Killjoys gives its characters and fans an absolutely incredible send-off.

Killjoys Season 5 is one of the series’ best seasons, and it left fans with a feeling of satisfaction in spite of not wanting to say goodbye to these amazing characters. The show follows three bounty hunters working for the Reclamation Apprehension Coalition in a space system called The Quad.

If you’re looking for a sci-fi series filled with action and adventure, as well as a lot of heart and found family energy, and a viewer experience that’s just an all-out good time, check out Killjoys.

If you want sci-fi where LGBTQ+ characters and their relationships are celebrated…

Wynonna Earp

A huge chunk of The 100‘s LGBTQ+ audience left after Lexa was killed, reinvigorating a fight against the “bury your gays” trope and raising thousands of dollars for queer outreach organizations. Some fans held on and continued to root for Clarke as network television’s first bisexual protagonist.

These characters are beloved to LGBTQ+ fans in spite of the sour turn that the quality of their representation took in the storytelling.

Over on Wynonna Earp, Waverly and Nicole have a beautiful love story that keeps them both breathing, celebrates their love, and keeps both characters and their relationship central to the overall narrative.

Showrunner Emily Andras puts intention and depth into this relationship, reflecting the way that the creative team values their LGBTQ+ fans in the storytelling.

Wynonna Earp follows Wynonna and her sister Waverly in the town of Purgatory, where they are tasked with sending demons back to hell. If you’re into badass female protagonists, quality bisexual and lesbian representation, and found families, Wynonna Earp has something for you.

If you want a show that balances multiple storylines consistently…

Stranger Things 

Stranger Things is a sci-fi show set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana that follows a group of kids, teens, and their parents who encounter a gruesome monster from a parallel dimension.

When Will Byers goes missing and a mysterious girl with seemingly magical powers appear in his absence, Will’s friends, his mother, and the local sheriff all begin a search that will uncover more than they bargained for.

Each season Stranger Things balances three separate storylines between its various character groupings. By the end of the season, all of the narrative threads come together seamlessly to face that year’s big villain.

Each of the show’s characters is fleshed out, funny, and engaging. And no matter what combination they end up in, each group remains compelling and each character plays an important role in the story.

If you’re looking for a show with a variety of characters that are each valued and needed in the story, then check out Stranger Things. The 80s soundtrack and pop culture references are also a pretty sweet bonus.

If you want a show where death means something and every loss matters…

The Haunting of House

I am late to the party on The Haunting of Hill House, but I cannot recommend it enough. This Netflix Original came out in 2018, and it tells the story of the Crain family and how their lives were forever changed by their time at Hill House.

All too often, The 100 treats death like a tool for shock value and envelope-pushing, instead of taking the time to carefully execute a character death in a way that holds meaning for the story and the other characters left behind.

The show is actually pretty infamous for the deaths that it gets wrong, of which there are many (Lexa, Lincoln, and Bellamy to name a few.)

On The Haunting of Hill House, every single death is written with intention and each loss has ramifications that echo through every other character and their actions afterward. The story is also told in a really beautiful way that builds into a crescendo in the season finale that will leave you in tears (good ones).

Each episode focuses on a single member of the Crain family, weaving their stories together and showing how each of them deals with loss, love, trauma, and more. We dance between the present and the past as their experiences at Hill House inform who these characters have become 20 years later.

This is a horror series, but in my opinion, the fright factor is pretty low and a few jump scares are completely worth it for the emotional catharsis of the story the Crain family has to tell. If you’re looking for a show where death has meaning, that will leave you more hopeful than when you started it check out The Haunting of Hill House.

If you want a show where you’re in on the joke…

Riverdale

I cannot stress enough how much fun it is to watch Riverdale. Riverdale is far from a perfect show, but that is at least 85% of its charm.

In its final season, The 100 reached a point of insanity in its storytelling where almost every big narrative moment feels like a joke, except no one is laughing out of joy.

The 100 takes itself far too seriously for what the story has evolved into, and the thrill and happiness derived from watching an exciting episode has evaporated for most fans. It has become a chore to continue watching.

I often describe Riverdale as the junk food of television; you know it’s not the best thing for you to consume, but it’s absolutely delicious, and it makes you happy.

Even when Riverdale is bad, it’s good. Whether you’re cheering on the characters or yelling at them because whatever they’re doing is so utterly insane, you’re going to have a good time watching. Riverdale is never laughing at you, it’s always laughing with you.

The series follows the residents of a small town in the wake of the murder of teenager Jason Blossom. As the mystery of who killed Jason unfolds secrets are revealed, love grows, and drama is guaranteed. If you’re looking for a binge-worthy drama on The CW that doesn’t take itself too seriously, check out Riverdale.

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What shows fill The 100 shaped hole in your heart? Did your favorite make our list? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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