How to Get Away with Murder
ABC
Thursdays, 9 p.m.

In a land of gray areas and webs of lies, How to Get Away with Murder lives up to its name. The season premiere introduces us to Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), a professor and practicing lawyer who uses her Criminal Law class to beef up her defense team. She entices them to work her current case, a woman is accused of poisoning her older lover, and the eager students come through in creative and surprising ways. One male student seduces an IT guy to get a damaging email; another witnesses an unexpected partnership between the mistress and the wife. She implores her students to pay attention, something that is a must for the audience as well. It’s fast pace and missing just one phrase or scene could mean missing an entire plot line, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

As the students strive to make an impact on the case, we quickly see which students will become the central characters on the show, and it’s not surprising when they join her legal team by the end of the episode. What was way more interesting was the mysterious secondary plot with these characters. As each of the five law students makes a discovery in the current case, a flash forward shows them working together to cover up a murder. The final scene reveals who was killed, a great twist that should hook many viewers to find out if they really do get away with murder.

This series is executively produced by Shonda Rhimes, the same person who created ABC’s other incredibly popular shows Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. And so far, How to Get Away with Murder is living up to the reputation. Immediately, viewers are caught up in the strands of the entangled web; hardly able to tell what’s true or not. Even though this is only the pilot, you are already emotionally invested with these characters and by the end you’re left begging for more.-Jordan Buie

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars