The 100 type TV Show network The CW genre Sci-fi

The CW’s often surprisingly hardcore sci-fi thriller The 100 may only be on its third season, but showrunner Jason Rothenberg already has an ending in mind — and it’s one he could use sooner than you think.

“I know where I want the show to end,” Rothenberg told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour in Beverly Hills on Sunday. “I know what I want the final story to be, and where I want these people to end up at the end. I don’t know how long that’s going to take. I’m not going to say I want to do the show for as long as I can do it. I want do the show for as long as it’s interesting to me and where we’re creatively not repeating ourselves.”

Having said that, Rothenberg’s finale idea is pliable enough to be rolled out as soon as next season, should The CW not be interested in a fifth round. “Good lord willing, we get to season 4, we have a good idea of what we want that story to be,” Rothenberg said. “And by the way, if [The CW] said, ‘This is it, wrap it up,’ we could make my idea for the wrap-up happen in season 4. Or five. Or eight.”

Couple things about this: It’s interesting that Rothenberg repeatedly said he has a good idea of where the ending will happen, suggesting that perhaps a certain new location in his world is revealed, not just character moves. And while he’s sounding less-than-certain about his modestly rated show perhaps not getting a season four, The CW’s entertainment president Mark Pedowitz was bullish on The 100 during his TCA executive session, noting that he delayed the third season to midseason so the first two seasons could get some viewing on Netflix. “I just was told before I got onstage, [The 100 is doing] very, very well in terms of binging for Seasons 1 and 2,” Pedowitz said.

So probably not eight seasons, but maybe not just four either.