Though Annalise Keating’s class has long been dismissed, its legacy of melodramatic mysteries and thrilling legal action lives on to inspire screenwriters looking to get away with murder — or at least help their characters do so.
While technically about a group of law students, like Annalise’s class itself, most of the action took place outside the classroom. The ambitious “Keating 5” didn’t just embark on a coveted internship with their criminal defense professor; they became entangled in murder themselves. Thus, for six bingeable seasons How to Get Away with Murder examined the moral implications of being a lawyer, usually one with a guilty conscience of one kind or another.
Everything, when it comes to How to Get Away with Murder. Creator and showrunner Peter Nowalk’s often scandalous drama took up residence in ABC’s Thank God It’s Thursday lineup in 2014, next to its Shondaland neighbors Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, on which Nowalk had also served as producer. The pilot introduced us to the twisted HTGAWM world in the midst of a body dump, which then becomes the in medias res timeline that was explained through flashback and flashforward. The show used these techniques effortlessly to enhance the tension and keep viewers on the hook. While newbie screenwriters are cautioned against writing flashbacks, HTGAWM is an excellent study in how it can make your action sizzle when done right.
The pilot episode also did an incredible job of setting up the entire first season story arc. When viewed in retrospect, the A story murder case in the very first episode is a veiled mirror of what Annalise and her interns go through with Sam’s murder over the course of the season. It’s a genius little technique that sets up both story and emotion, telling the audience how to feel from the get-go while simultaneously having them question everything. There is a constant push-pull between how we should feel about the events happening onscreen, and how we might actually feel about them.
Subsequent seasons of HTGAWM were each centered around a different murder until all of the questionable actions taken by Annalise, her acolytes, and co-workers are finally put on the metaphorical stand with each receiving the “justice” suited to their character. This is where HTGAWM shines: the gray area. It brought forth all ethical arguments and legalities for the viewer to consider, then skewered them with unbelievable twists that had you second-guessing the meaning of justice in that case. But a twist alone does not a good story make. Masterful characterization is why we cared so deeply about any of the characters’ outcomes.
Annalise Keating — her many facets embodied perfectly by Oscar® winner Viola Davis — leads the dramatic charge as HTGAWM’s North Star. She is an incredible force with a diamond-strong exterior while all of the intelligence, desire, self-doubt, strengths, and fears shimmer just below the surface. Her Emmy® for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (2015) made Davis the first Black woman to win in that category (while the series as a whole racked up multiple Emmy and Golden Globe® nominations and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series).
The chemistry between the original core cast, made up of the "Keating 5" — Wes (Alfred Enoch), Connor (Jack Falahee), Michaela (Aja Naomi King), Asher (Matt McGorry), and Laurel (Karla Souza) — and Annalise’s staff, Frank (Charlie Weber) and Bonnie (Liza Weil), also adds to the allure. These characters aren’t exactly all innocent when we meet them, yet because of their intricately created backgrounds and reasons for doing what they so questionably do sometimes, we’re often empathetic to the cause. Especially for shows like HTGAWM where twists and turns are par for the course, finding a balance between shock-value storytelling and relatable characters is key to keeping it on-air, and the humanity grounds the melodrama.
As wild as How to Get Away with Murder got, the most twisted was its honest depiction of the American criminal justice system. It took the ugliest sides head-on: racial discrimination and legal corruption. Both through the cases Annalise defended as well as through her own experience as a Black woman in the justice system, uncomfortable truths and viewpoints were openly discussed — see their season four crossover event with Scandal as one of the most epic examples. The more uncomfortable, the better when pointing the conversation toward change.
The same applies to Annalise and her associates’ methods — and the fact that they most often weren’t legal in any way. Yes, these characters were incredibly smart and often acted from a place of incredible fear, as is only human, but does that excuse their behavior as administers of justice? Thus, HTGAWM reflects some of the horrific flaws in the criminal justice system itself.
How to Get Away with Murder celebrated racial and LGBTQ diversity behind and in front of the camera. Women — complex, multidimensional female characters, at that — dominated the show. It was also just pure fun to watch at times, as storylines twisted along at breakneck speeds. TGI … on Netflix so you can binge all six seasons.