Viola Davis
Billy Brown
Alfred Enoch
Jack Falahee
Katie Findlay
Aja Naomi King
Matt McGorry
Karla Souza
Charlie Weber
Liza Weil

Created by:
Peter Nowalk

2014-
Crime, Drama, Mystery
ABC
TV-14

“How to Get Away With Murder” actually gets away with a bunch of nonsense due to its star, Viola Davis. In its first episode, she proves why she’s so watchable: She owns her role as a criminal law professor and defense attorney, regardless of the quality of the writing. (Kerry Washington can’t say the same, unfortunately.) I didn’t mind the pilot solely because of her; she makes it work much better than it should. In the first episode, when she decided to yell (once), she immediately pulled it back afterward; when she decided to cry (once), she immediately went through the process of gathering herself afterward. She just knows how to craft a performance. Essentially, she puts all of the craziness on display in check.

Overall, this episode suggests that, instead of just telling a compelling story, its creator and executive producer (Shonda Rhimes) are desperate to make this show as addictive as possible. The use of a flashback/flashforward structure is a poor choice to introduce a new show. I don’t know these people, so I don’t care if they’re in some mysterious dilemma. The events start right in the middle of that dilemma, and so what? Ultimately, that structure leads to a convoluted mess of plot strands that aren’t effectively woven together to give the audience a reason to want to get to know these people. TV shows enter people’s homes once a week. So why should we invite these people into our homes that often? I know that every TV show needs time to develop its characters, but this show wastes its first episode on thrusting its audience into a crisis instead of thrusting its audience into who these people are. I’m sure that we’ll get to know the characters better in time, but that should have started from the beginning. The premise’s believability (or lack thereof) doesn’t matter to me; it’s the lack of character development (or the lack of a proper introduction to the characters) that bothers me.

On the plus side, “How to Get Away With Murder” has pacing that’s upbeat yet unrushed: No one rushes the lines. (“Scandal” can’t always say the same.) Also, the classroom scenes are actually enjoyable. Those scenes allow Davis to own the room, and the actors playing her students provide adequate support.

So, my point is this: The reason to watch “How to Get Away With Murder” is to see Davis do her job. If the writers find the right balance between the events inside of and outside of the classroom (that’s a big “if”), then she will make this show worthwhile all by herself. …

Well, by the end of its first season, the writers don’t find the right balance to make “How to Get Away With Murder” work. Actually, things get worse as the show progresses. (What happened to all of the classroom scenes? Ugh.) It’s just a big ole balloon that’s full of hot air.

Verdict: OK

About: (Source: howtoget)

Annalise Keating (Academy-Award Nominee Viola Davis) is everything you hope your Criminal Law professor will be – brilliant, passionate, creative and charismatic. She’s also everything you don’t expect – sexy, glamorous, unpredictable and dangerous. As fearless in the courtroom as she is in the classroom, Annalise is a defense attorney who represents the most hardened, violent criminals – people who’ve committed everything from fraud to arson to murder – and she’ll do almost anything to win their freedom. On the surface, Annalise seems like she has it all – a successful career and loving husband, Sam (Tom Verica) – but her relationship with a local Philadelphia detective, Nate (Billy Brown), will force her to confront secrets about her life she never saw coming.