Today's Entertainment

By Jacqueline Cutler © Zap2it It's 97 years since people managed to do the inevitable - detonate enough atomic bombs that life as we know it was obliterated. Earth's survivors exist in a hodgepodge of space sta- tions, and 100 miscreant youth are shot back to the home planet. What sort of world they will find and what sort they will create is the basis for The CW's "The 100," premiering Wednesday, March 19. The dystopian sci-fi show, which is pronounced "The Hundred," is believable. Set in the near-enough future that viewers are not required to suspend belief that aliens have taken over, the series begins inside the space sta- tions. After the nuclear apoca- lypse, 12 nations forged their space stations into one. It is a pretty grim existence. Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington, "Grey's Anato- my") is the tested leader, who makes very tough decisions that include sending his son down to Earth. "It is not a morality tale," Washington says. "It's a cau- tionary tale. Hey, we can com- ment on this show and what needs to change. To show the world we have to take a look at how we treat one another, and if we don't, this is what can happen." "It doesn't mean it will pre- vail, but without it you have nothing but chaos," he says. This show, Washington says, "is a drama pretending to be a science fiction." When you have a bunch of teenagers and a few in their early 20s creating a new so- ciety, comparisons to "Lord of the Flies" are inevitable. "I was actually looking to do a 'Lord of the Flies'-like story at the time that this studio sent 'The 100' my way," executive producer Jason Rothenberg says at a press conference. "And it sort of touched all those creative erogenous zones. I love 'Lord of the Flies.' It was one of those books that I could blame for the fact I'm a writer." The pilot sets up two camps: Clarke versus Bel- lamy, and they need to figure out how they are going to live. Clarke (Eliza Taylor, "Neigh- bours") is an artist, tough and in juvenile detention, though COVER STORY "The 100" premieres Wednesday on The CW. 'Hunger Games' meets 'Lost in Space' on CW's 'The 100' 2 x 4" ad 2 – MARCH 16 - 22, 2014 – BRAINERD, MN/DISPATCH it's not clear why. It seems no one has to commit too great a transgression to be consid- ered a threat. And punishments are fast and final: People are ejected from the space station, in- stantly killed in deep space. Clarke is skilled in many areas; she seems to have learned healing arts from her mother, a doctor, and exudes a natural sense of leadership. She believes in a more struc- tured society. "She's got it going on," Taylor says of her character. "She's smarter than me, and I'm 25. She is such a cool character to play." 1 x 4" ad

• Cover