The 100 returns for Season 2 tonight on the CW, right after Arrow. If you’re already watching it, glad to hear it – isn’t it cool? But if you’re not, here’s where I try and sell you on the series.

It's Real Sci-Fi

Eliza Taylor as Clarke Griffin in The 100.

The Threats Feel Genuine

The Characters Evolve

Henry Ian Cusick as Kane and Paige Turco as Abby in The 100.

Marie Avgeropoulos as Octavia in The 100.

Few Easy Decisions

Ricky Whittle as Lincoln in The 100.

It Stands Out on Network TV

Lindsey Morgan as Raven and Paige Turco as Abby in The 100.

The 100: Season 1 was made available on Netflix streaming (in the US that is) today, so it’s very easy to binge-watch the 13 previous episodes now, which are also available on Blu-ray and DVD. But why should you want to? Glad you asked...Here are 5 reasons to watch The 100!(No, I'm not going with 100 reasons, as tempting as that was...)CW has leaned more and more into genre series in recent years, with their biggest hits including the likes of Arrow, Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries (and now The Flash).The 100 debuted alongside another CW show, the short-lived Star-Crossed, that felt much more manufactured in terms of putting a science fiction coat of paint on what was, in truth, a pretty sappy love story. But The 100 is the real deal. The show is set 97 years after a nuclear apocalypse wiped out most of mankind, and it quickly proved it wasn’t using that scenario as a mere backdrop. One of the show’s initial settings, the Ark, was the space station the survivors of humanity lived on and we got a look at just how harsh life was for a group whose numbers were precarious and whose situation was only getting worse, as their life support system began to fail.Meanwhile, the set up to the series saw 100 convicted juvenile delinquents -- in this world, you're executed for any crime if you're an adult, and automatically locked up if you're under 18 -- sent down to Earth to find out if it was livable; which was really mainly just a ruse to lower the population by sending away undesirable, convicted criminals, who were already deemed expendable.But while it turned out the Earth was inhabitable, there have been all sorts of dangerous groups they’ve encountered since; from the tribal warriors nicknamed “Grounders” to the barbaric cannibals, the Reapers – along with glimpses of some other, deformed entities, which looks like they'll be explored further in Season 2.In short, this is a show seeped in its sci-fi elements and all the "What if?" that opens the door to.Things can get very dangerous on The 100 and the series doesn’t back down from the threats that are constantly around every corner – and sometimes from within. A couple of deadly characters have emerged from within the group, one of whom was decidedly innocuous looking.And as for those Grounders, they certainly proved just how scary they could be when they felt provoked. This was especially true in an episode that felt like Predator meets Friday the 13th, as several of the 100 were taken out in shocking and “Ooooh!”-worthy ways.As Season 1 progressed, it became clear the 100 and the Grounders were heading to war – and nothing could stop it.When we saw the 100 and Grounders fight, they did so in big ways, including huge, highly explosive (literally) traps, hand to hand combat and via plenty of weaponry, of all shapes and sizes. And no one was holding back, that's for sure.I liked The 100 from the start, but it does take a few episodes to really click in. It almost reminds me of Spartacus as far as having the DNA there from the beginning to make a great show, but the need for a few episodes to become fully formed.However, not only did the show get better and better as the season progressed, so did the characters. A couple of characters introduced in the pilot as fairly one-note jerks, like Bellamy (Bob Morley) and Kane (Henry Ian Cusick), were revealed to be far more nuanced and layered than it initially seemed, in the process becoming some of the most interesting people on the show.The show’s protagonist, Clarke (Eliza Taylor) is a resourceful and admirable natural leader and the shifting dynamic between her and her rival for that leadership role, Bellamy, made for a lot of compelling drama. (And yes, I get why they have so many "shippers" - there is some great chemistry there)I would be remiss though to not warn you about the show’s biggest misstep – a love triangle between Clarke and the characters Finn (Thomas McDonell) and the otherwise awesome mechanic, Raven (Lindsey Morgan), that felt emotionally hollow and forced and never rung true. To those who scream, "The CW force love stories into everything!", I'd say relax - to act like love stories aren’t at least an aspect of most good drama is silly, but the love triangle here was the one place where The 100 seemed to be indulging in the clichés that those who scoff at its network like to evoke.Much better was the relationship between Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) and a Grounder named Lincoln (Ricky Whittle), which was easy to invest in and played a part in transforming Octavia into a much more fierce character in her own right, as she became changed by her surroundings and her new loyalties.There are definitely shades of Battlestar Galactica on The 100 and that was especially true for the Ark storylines in Season 1. No, it hasn’t risen to the considerable heights of BSG, but few shows have. However, The 100 isn’t taking the easy route either with the choices these characters have to make.As the season progressed, we saw more of the different approaches Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington) and Kane had to leadership -- mirroring Clarke and Bellamy -- with Clarke’s mother Abby (Paige Turco) also trying to do what she thought was right in the midst of daunting circumstances. But that became increasingly difficult as the threat of running out of air on the Ark approached and some horrific, yet darkly practical, suggestions were made on how to save what was thought to be the very last of mankind. The decisions made and the actions that followed were appropriately weighty ones and commendably didn’t back away from the consequences.While perhaps less monumental in scope, we also saw the kids make some very hard decisions in the midst of their Lord of the Flies-type scenario, including whether to torture a prisoner; which led to one notable turn of events after another on the part of several characters.This ties into the sci-fi setting, but The 100 stands out as something different on network TV. Yes, we have some post-apocalyptic dramas thriving on cable (most notably The Walking Dead of course, plus the likes of Falling Skies), but The 100 is succeeding in a way shows like Terra Nova and Revolution often struggled to.The 100 has a lot of cool elements that make it easy to invest in. Among a diverse group of interesting characters, there are several casually strong females, including many in leadership roles – from Clarke to the Grounder leader Anya (Dichen Lachman), with more on their way in Season 2. The action is a strong element, with exciting and commendably jolting moments. And the show packs a punch when it delves into some weighty and upsetting situations.Yes, The 100 has its bumps in the road, including the aforementioned love triangle and a villain on the Ark whose story didn’t get a satisfying end. But far more often than not, The 100 delivers. And having seen the first three episodes of Season 2, I’m happy to say it’s coming back very strong.The first three new episodes push forward at a breakneck speed, with our characters in some really intense new situations, in intriguingly different locations and pairings than they were before.So what are you waiting for? Turn on Netflix and get binging! Just don't forget to set your DVR for the new Season 2 episodes too...

The 100: Season 1 can now be seen on Netflix and is available on DVD and Blu-ray. The 100: Season 2 premieres Wednesday, October 22nd at 9:00pm ET/PT on the CW.Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter at @EricIGN , IGN at ericgoldman-ign and Facebook at Facebook.com/TheEricGoldman