How to Get Away with Murder

How to Get Away with Murder
source
Title	How to Get Away with Murder
Genre	Legal drama
Created by	Peter Nowalk
Starring	Viola Davis, Billy Brown, Liza Weil, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, Karla Souza, Charlie Weber, Jack Falahee
Narrated by	Viola Davis
Country	United States
Language	English language
Num episodes	90
Executive producer	Shonda Rhimes, Peter Nowalk, Viola Davis
Producer	ShondaLand
Network	ABC
Release date	2014–2020

How to Get Away with Murder

How to Get Away with Murder is an American legal drama television series centered on a prominent criminal defense attorney and law professor and her students navigating complex criminal cases. The series features ensemble performances and intertwines courtroom strategy, ethical dilemmas, and serialized mystery elements set against institutions and cultural backdrops. It drew attention for its lead performance, ensemble cast, production by a major television figure, and engagement with high-profile legal themes that resonate with contemporary Supreme Court rulings and media portrayals of law.

Overview

The series stars Viola Davis as Annalise Keating, a law professor at Fitzgerald University (fictional) who teaches a class called "How to Get Away with Murder," and follows a group of students entangled in homicides and conspiracies. It debuted on ABC in 2014 during a television season alongside shows produced by Shonda Rhimes's Shondaland, and ran through 2020, overlapping with cultural moments involving the American Bar Association and televised legal commentary from outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. Critical reception highlighted Davis's historic Emmy win and discussions in publications including The New York Times, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Legal and Ethical Implications

Plotlines engage with ethical frameworks shaped by landmark decisions from the Supreme Court—for example, issues paralleling Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Brady v. Maryland—and professional standards overseen by the American Bar Association. Characters confront conflicts implicating statutes, rules of evidence influenced by precedents such as Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael, and prosecutorial discretion debated in cases involving actors from institutions like the Department of Justice and state Attorney General offices. The series interrogates attorney conduct subject to licensing boards such as the State Bar of California and ethical codes discussed in texts from Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School.

Historical Cases and Precedents

Writers draw thematic inspiration from notorious real-world trials and criminal events, evoking echoes of cases like O. J. Simpson murder case, Clara Harris, Amanda Knox, and Sacco and Vanzetti in their dramatization of evidence handling, and resonating with investigative methods used in matters such as Watergate scandal-era probes and the Iraq War–era legal controversies. Story arcs reference investigative journalism traditions from organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and ProPublica, which have historically reshaped public perceptions of high-profile prosecutions such as United States v. Nixon and civil rights prosecutions tied to figures associated with Martin Luther King Jr. and cases invoking Brown v. Board of Education implications.

Investigative Techniques and Forensic Countermeasures

The series showcases forensic science methodologies paralleling practices in institutions like the FBI, Scotland Yard, National Crime Information Center, and academic laboratories at Johns Hopkins University and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), including DNA analysis, ballistics, toxicology, and digital forensics. Episodes dramatize chain-of-custody issues and evidentiary challenges akin to procedures codified by organizations such as the International Association for Identification and debated in standards set by the National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Storylines also portray attempts at obfuscation that mirror real-world countermeasures scrutinized in legal scholarship from Stanford Law School and policy critiques in The Marshall Project and Human Rights Watch.

Detection, Prosecution, and Convictions

Courtroom sequences depict prosecutorial strategies and defense tactics comparable to those used by offices like the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, and the Eastern District of New York. Conviction dynamics echo procedural components from federal and state systems overseen by the United States District Courts, appellate review by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Supreme Court, and sentencing practices informed by guidelines from the United States Sentencing Commission. Media coverage and jury perception in the show reflect real interactions with outlets such as Reuters, Associated Press, and Bloomberg News, while appeals and habeas corpus petition motifs reference institutions like the Federal Public Defender and advocacy by groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union.

Prevention, Policy, and Public Safety

Themes address policy responses involving law enforcement reform, bail practices, and criminal justice reform initiatives championed by organizations like the Sentencing Project, Vera Institute of Justice, and legislative bodies including the United States Congress and various state legislatures. Public safety debates in the series touch on policing policies influenced by departments such as the New York City Police Department and reform campaigns led by coalitions that include Black Lives Matter and civil liberties advocates at Human Rights Watch. Broader civic discussions link to academic research from University of Chicago Law School, New York University School of Law, and think tanks like the Brookings Institution and The Heritage Foundation.

Category:American television dramas