By now, everyone knows whatShonda Rhimesbrings to the table with her thrilling and exciting shows. Millions of people have binge-watchedBridgerton,andGrey’s Anatomyis still going strong after an astonishing 20 seasons. About 10 years ago, fans were already in on the secret thatRhimes' shows were must-watch TV. Her series likeAnatomy,Private Practice,andScandalwere already winning over audiences with their steamy romances and emphasis on the drama. And then a new show debuted (in September 2014) that cemented Rhimes' status as a producing genius.How To Get Away With Murderran on ABC for six seasons, butyou’ll only need to watch a few episodes before you’ll be completely sucked into the world of Annalise Keating(Viola Davis) and her trouble-making crew of law students.
While it was airing, the series became well-knownfor a tour-de-force performance by Davisand for a stand-out supporting cast of actors that includeAja Naomi King(as ruthlessly ambitious Michaela Pratt),Jack Falahee(as the smart, but arrogant Connor Walsh), andKarla Souza(as the enigmatic Laurel Castillo). But the show’s ability to carve out intriguing mysteries and jaw-dropping twists makeHow To Get Away With Murdera necessary binge to this day. Although the series is leaving Netflix at the end of the month,there is still plenty of time to get drawn into the wild (fictional) world of Middleton University.
Viola Davis Is the Number One Reason To Watch ‘How To Get Away With Murder’
Although there are many side characters in the series, the show is clearly a vehicle for Davis' immense talents. By this time in her career, she had alreadyearned two Oscar nominationsfor her roles inDoubtandThe Help, and was known for playing strong, determined characters. Annalise is no different. She’s incredibly driven, but there’s alsoan intriguing darkness that manifests in her ability to manipulate the people around her. She has experienced a lot of trauma in her life, which means that most of her relationships are fairly toxic (and always extremely complicated). Annalise is a talented and well-known criminal defense attorney, and she teaches at Middleton as a respected law professor. In the first season of the series, she selects five of her first-year students to intern at her firm, setting up a super competitive vibe between all of them. Annalisedoesn’t mind playing games with them, especially as she gets to know their weaknesses.
Throughout the series' run,Davis brings complexity and passion to this role, but her ability to be authentic and offer unvarnished realism made her an icon. In Season 1, Annalise discovers that her husband, Sam (Tom Verica), has been cheating on her with a college student, who has just turned up dead. The scene starts with Davis carefully removing her armor: her fake eyelashes, makeup, and most shockingly, her wig. She then goes to confront Sam about a picture she’s found, without all the trappings of glamor that she typically hides behind, and utters perhaps the most memorable line of any Rhimes' show: “Why is your penis on a dead girl’s phone?” It is an outrageous moment that proves that Davis is willing to get down and dirty to provide the audience with some serious drama and suspense.Davis would go on to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama,making her the first Black woman to win in this category. No one else could have pulled off this tough-as-nails, but also sort of broken woman, better than Davis herself.
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There Are Plenty of Twists and Turns in ‘How To Get Away With Murder’
Season 1 goes back and forth with both flashback and flash-forward sequences, and two murders are revealed right away. The woman Sam is having an affair with, Lila Stangard (Megan West), is found dead, and then in the show’s biggest twist, Sam also ends up dead. But the question remains: how did Annalise’s students get involved in his death? The season unfolds with explorations into both deaths and how the students work to cover up Sam’s demise. The episodes also dig into the cases that Annalise and her students are working on (which provide fascinatingcase-of-the-week side plots). From the very beginning, it is clear that every character on this show is hiding something. Annalise also has a hot, cop boyfriend named Nate (Billy Brown) that she hides from Sam, and she employs the very serious Bonnie Winterbottom (Liza Weil) and Frank Delfino (Charlie Weber), who’s a quasi-fixer/investigator. Annalise also has a mysterious connection to her student, Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch).
Because it’sset in the cutthroat world of being a lawyer, drama is always at a premium. Whether it’s the students backstabbing in order to get ahead, Annalise playing mind games with each of them, or clients who will do anything to get out of being sent to prison, the suspense withinHow To Get Away With Murderis always top-notch. The show’s usage of time jumps offersmuch more interesting storytelling choices than typical crime procedurals. It’s not always a question of whodunnit, but more, how did this actually come about? There’s always plenty of murder and mayhem, plus a tiny bit of comic relief from silly, frat boy Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry), who helps the show avoid falling into a too-serious tone.
Each season of the show presents a new mystery that keeps things interesting, but any scene with Davis crackles with intensity. Episodes featuring the legendaryCicely Tyson(as Annalise’s mother) helpedearn her five Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Emmy nominations; every one of her scenes demonstrates two actors at the top of their game, playing brilliantly off each other. Not only do we learn more about all the characters as the seasons unfold, but the series always manages to step up the suspense, the action, and the twists. The best part is that the final season’s finale completely wrapped up each of the characters' storieswith a totally satisfying ending. If you decide to check out the show,you’ll never guess what’s going to happen next during all of its six seasons, except that Davis will be astoundingly good in every single episode.
Seasons 1-6 ofHow To Get Away With Murderare available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
How to Get Away With Murder
Watch on Netflix
