How to Get Away with Murder is an American legal drama thriller television series that premiered on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 25, 2014, and concluded on May 14, 2020. The series was created by Peter Nowalk and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios, airing as part of a night of programming under Rhimes' Shondaland production company.
The show stars Viola Davis as Annalise Keating, a defense attorney and law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university, who, along with five of her students, becomes involved in a complex murder plot. The series features an ensemble cast including Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, and Karla Souza as Annalise's students, Charlie Weber and Liza Weil as her employees, and Billy Brown as a detective with the Philadelphia Police Department and Annalise's lover. Beginning with the third season, Conrad Ricamora was promoted to the main cast after recurring in the first two seasons, while Rome Flynn, Amirah Vann and Timothy Hutton were promoted to the main cast in the fifth season.
Davis received widespread critical acclaim for her performance in the series: she became the first Black woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, also winning two Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and the Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. Davis also received nominations from the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series, the Critics' Choice Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and the Television Critics Association at the TCA Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama.
Other cast members also received recognition for their performances, with Enoch and King receiving nominations from the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 2014 NAACP Image Awards ceremony. The series also received a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series.
Series overview
Season 1 (2014–15)
Annalise Keating is a prominent criminal defense attorney and law professor at Middleton University in Philadelphia. She selects five of her first year students to intern at her firm: Wes Gibbins, Connor Walsh, Michaela Pratt, Asher Millstone, and Laurel Castillo (The Keating 5). They work with Annalise's employees, Frank Delfino and Bonnie Winterbottom, an associate lawyer. As the first season introduces occasional clients for Keating, it explores two related murders through both flashback and flashforward sequences: Lila Stangard, mistress of Annalise's husband and a student at Middleton, and then Sam Keating, Annalise's husband, who was killed by Annalise's interns.
The first nine episodes alternate between the present-day timeline in medias res, depicting Wes, Connor, Michaela, and Laurel covering up Sam's murder by disposing of his body, and flashbacks detailing the course of events leading up to Sam's death, including Annalise's becoming involved in the Lila Stangard investigation, at Wes' urging, leading her to discover Sam's affair and creating suspicion that he killed Lila. The final six episodes explore Annalise's attempt to help her interns cover up Sam's murder and legally implicate Sam in Lila's death, and flashbacks to Lila's final moments before her murder.
Season 2 (2015–16)
The first nine episodes focus on Annalise's defense of Caleb and Catherine Hapstall, who are accused of torturing and murdering their adoptive parents. Wes, in the meantime, teams up with Rebecca's foster brother to try and find Rebecca. Connor struggles with his relationship with Oliver, while Asher works with assistant district attorney Emily Sinclair, in order to protect his secrets. In the mid-season finale, Sinclair is murdered by Asher, and Annalise helps cover it up, at the expense of her being shot in the stomach by Wes.
The second part of the season focuses on Wes' investigation of his mother's suicide ten years prior; flashbacks reveal Annalise's involvement with Wes' mother's suicide. The season ends with Annalise's finding out that Frank was responsible for the car accident that killed her baby, and Annalise sending him away. Michaela and Asher hook up, and Wes meets with his biological father right before the latter is shot dead by an unknown shooter.
Season 3 (2016–17)
In the aftermath of Wallace Mahoney's death, all five of the students attempt to move on. A new mystery arises around the burning down of Annalise's house and who was found dead inside. The events leading up to it involve Annalise's starting a free legal clinic and struggling with alcoholism. Oliver starts working for Annalise, and he leaves Connor when becoming disgusted with himself for rejecting Connor's Stanford acceptance. Michaela and Asher's romantic relationship starts to progress, as does Wes and Laurel's, and Frank starts working to atone for the death of Annalise's child. Ultimately, it is revealed that it was Wes who died, and that he was killed before the fire. Annalise is arrested for Wes' death. Frank attempts to help Annalise by confessing to killing Wes. It is further revealed that Wes is killed by Dominic, an enforcer working for Laurel's father. It is hinted that her father disapproved of the relationship between his daughter and Wes.
Season 4 (2017–18)
In the fourth season, Annalise works with a therapist, Dr. Isaac Roa, to see through her recovery from alcoholism. She initially cuts ties with Bonnie (who moves to the DA's office as an assistant district attorney reporting to DA Todd Denver) and the interns, gets a woman with a long rap sheet freed from jail, and then commits to a major class action against the state for miscarriages of justice caused by an underfunded public defender's office. Laurel deduces that her father, Jorge Castillo, is responsible for Wes' murder and hatches a scheme to steal incriminating evidence from his law firm with the help of Michaela, Oliver, Frank, and Asher. During the data heist, their classmate Simon (Behzad Dabu) accidentally shoots himself with Laurel's gun, leading to Asher's arrest, and Laurel goes into premature labor after being accidentally struck by Frank. Annalise successfully saves the baby. However, Jorge claims custody of his grandchild by submitting evidence of Laurel's past addictions and history of mental illness to a judge. Laurel's mother arrives unexpectedly to "help" Laurel fight against her father, and Frank and Bonnie uncover a mysterious link between Laurel's mother and both Wes and his killer, Dominic. Meanwhile, Annalise searches for alternative ways to win her class action lawsuit. On January 3, 2018, a crossover with Scandal was announced, which aired on March 1, 2018, related with the presentation of the class action lawsuit by Annalise to the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., with the help of the Scandal characters.
Season 5 (2018–19)
On May 11, 2018, ABC renewed the series for a fifth season, which premiered on September 27, 2018.
After Annalise's class-action victory in the Supreme Court, she and her associates seek to start a new chapter in their lives. Annalise starts working at Caplan & Gold so she can use their resources for her class-action cases, while also working back at Middleton. Connor, Michaela, Asher and Laurel begin their third year at law school, and a new student, Gabriel Maddox joins the group in Annalise's class. Meanwhile, Frank tries to find out the real reason Maddox came to Middleton in the first place, and Asher joins Bonnie at the DA's office as he gets an internship there. At the same time, Connor and Oliver also start planning their wedding, which is seen through new flashforwards that reveal a new murder committed. Governor Birkhead is behind the witch-hunt against Annalise.
Season 6 (2019–20)
In May 2019, ABC ordered a sixth season of How to Get Away with Murder. In July, it was announced the sixth season would be the last. Season 6 premiered on September 26, 2019.
Following Laurel and Christopher's disappearances and the death of Emmett Crawford at the previous season's end, Annalise goes on a bender and disappears into rehab out of guilt. After coming to terms with her past misdeeds, she returns just in time to help her remaining star students push through their final semester of law school and try and find Laurel and Christopher. Meanwhile, Michaela, Connor, and Asher continue to search for their friend and her son while preparing for graduation and the real world. However, everyone comes on high alert when the FBI, at behest of Governor Birkhead, open an investigation into Annalise, her students, and her associates, and every murder and misdeed over the last six seasons is put out in the open, forcing them to make drastic choices for survival that will change their lives, relationships, and futures forever.
Cast and characters
Viola Davis as Annalise Keating, a prominent criminal defense attorney and law professor at Middleton University, whose life has been filled with trauma. Billy Brown as Nate Lahey, a Philadelphia police detective who at the beginning of the series is having an affair with Annalise. Alfred Enoch as Wes Gibbins (seasons 1–3; guest seasons 4 & 6), a law student and a member of Annalise's group of favored studentsthe so-called Keating 5and about whom she feels especially protective. Enoch also played Christopher Castillo, Wes and Laurel's son, in the series finale. Jack Falahee as Connor Walsh, a cunning and hard-working member of the Keating 5 whose confident and seductive "alpha gay" exterior obscures his insecurities. Katie Findlay as Rebecca Sutter (season 1; guest season 2), Wes' neighbor. Aja Naomi King as Michaela Pratt, a high-flying overachiever and a member of the Keating 5 who is determined to make a success of her life. Matt McGorry as Asher Millstone, a member of the Keating 5 from a privileged WASP background who feels left out of the group. Karla Souza as Laurel Castillo (seasons 1–5; recurring season 6), a resourceful Keating 5 member whose distant, wealthy father is the kingpin of an organized crime empire. Charlie Weber as Frank Delfino, Annalise's fixer and private detective. Liza Weil as Bonnie Winterbottom, Annalise's associate and right-hand woman, whose childhood and early adulthood were filled with horrifying events. Conrad Ricamora as Oliver Hampton (seasons 3–6; recurring seasons 1–2), a talented computer hacker whom Connor seduces and later marries. Rome Flynn as Gabriel Maddox (seasons 5–6; guest season 4), a mysterious young man and aspiring civil rights lawyer who arrives at Middleton University eager to investigate Annalise and the Keating 5. Amirah Vann as Tegan Price (seasons 5–6; recurring season 4), a powerful attorney at Caplan & Gold, the firm representing Laurel's father, who develops feelings for Annalise. Timothy Hutton as Emmett Crawford (season 5), a managing partner at Caplan & Gold who develops an attraction towards Annalise.
Production Development
On August 19, 2013, ABC bought from Shondaland Productions the original concept, produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. The script for the pilot episode was written by Grey's Anatomy supervising producer Peter Nowalk. ABC ordered the pilot on December 19, 2013. On May 8, 2014, ABC picked up the pilot to series for the 2014–15 television season. At the Television Critics Association Press Tour in July 2014, it was announced that How to Get Away with Murder would be a limited series with only 15 or 16 episodes per season. The smaller size of episode count stems from the deal for the series star Viola Davis. On October 9, 2014, ABC picked up the series for a full season of 15 episodes.