History Series / HowToGetAwayWithMurder

->I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point, but clearly your kharma's out of balance to get assigned to my class. I'm Professor Annalise Keating and this is Criminal Law 100 or, as I prefer to call it, how to get away with ''' murder'''.''

* [[FemmeFatale Homme Fatal]]: Connor seduces an IT employee to get confidential e-mails for the first case. [[CaptainObvious And also for sex]].

* SadistTeacher: Annalise has this reputation and encourages it with her speech about placement in her class being the result of the students' bad karma, but she's actually quite reasonable (though naturally firm) and only releases any serious venom when Laurel "steals a learning opportunity" from Wes.

Davis stars as Professor Annalise Keating, a law professor and practicing attorney. She has a notorious reputation for being a very strict, very cruel teacher among her students. Unlike other professors, she teaches her students how to practice the law and defend their client [[AmoralAttorney no matter what you need to do]]. Along with teaching the class, she also brings in four [[spoiler: five in the series premiere]] new law students to her firm to work with her on cases - students who are subsequently involved in a murder. The story is told with parallel story lines from the present day and the months previous to show the beginnings of the murder plot.

->I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point, but clearly your kharma's out of balance to get assigned to my class. I'm Professor Annalise Keating and this is Criminal Law 100 or, as I prefer to call it, [[TitleDrop how to get away with]] '''[[TitleDrop murder]]'''.''

* AmoralAttorney: Connor sleeps with an IT employee to get emails about a witness in a case. Michaela lies to several optometrists to uncover another witness's incriminating color blindness. Basically, all the students except Wes and Laurel have internalized this and Annalise certainly encourages it.

->I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point, but clearly your kharam's out of balance to get assigned to my class. I'm Professor Annalise Keating and this is Criminal Law 100 or, as I prefer to call it, [[TitleDrop how to get away with]] '''[[TitleDrop murder]]'''.''

Davis stars as Professor Annalise Keating, a law professor and practicing attorney. She has a notorious reputation for being a very strict, very cruel teacher among her students. Unlike other professors, she teaches her students how to practice the law and defend their client [[AmoralAttorney no matter what you need to do]]. Along with teaching the class, she also brings in four [[spoiler: five in the series premiere]] new law students to her firm to work with her on cases-students who are subsequently involved in a murder plot. The story is told with parallel story lines from the present day and the months previous to show the beginnings of the murder plot.

* KarmaHoudini: Due to our heroes being not-necessary-on-the-up-and-up defense attorneys (and their students), Annalise winning the first case of the series means that an attempted murderer and her co-conspirator go free.

* SurpriseWitness: Annalise calls in a detective at the last minute to counter testimony from the prosecution. Especially surprising for Wes- Detective Nate Lahey is the man Annalise is cheating on her husband with. It's a surprise for Nate too- he has no idea what she's trying to do until he realizes she wants him to cast doubt on the incriminating surveillance footage of her client.

* TrailersAlwaysLie: The line "Are you colorblind?" in the trailer seemed like a racially charged question based on the little context it was presented with. In the pilot, Annalise is asking if the woman is ''literally'' colorblind. The witnesses aggressive "Yes" in response wasn't a defensive reaction but an angry admission.

* SurpriseWitness: Annalise calls in a detective at the last minute to counter testimony from the prosecution. Especially surprising for Wes-Detective Lahey is the man Annalise is cheating on her husband with. It's a surprise for Nate too- he has no idea what she's trying to do until he realizes she wants him to cast doubt on the incriminating surveillance footage of her client.

* SurpriseWitness: Annalise calls in a detective at the last minute to counter testimony from the prosecution. Especially surprising for Wes-the detective is the man Annalise is cheating on her husband with. It's a surprise for him too-he has no idea what she's trying to do until he realizes she wants him to cast doubt on the incriminating surveillance footage of her client.

Shares a similar soapy focus with ''Series/Scandal'' and ''Series/GreysAnatomy'', which is reasonable considering they are all produced by Creator/ShondaRhimes.

Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''HowToGetAwayWithMurder'' is a legal drama starring Viola Davis.

Davis stars as Professor Annalise Keating, a law professor and practicing attorney. She has a notorious reputation for being a very strict, very cruel teacher amongst the res tot her students. Unlike other professors, she teaches her students how to practice the law and defend their client [[AmoralAttorney no matter what you need to do]]. Along with teaching the class, she also brings in four [[spoiler: five in the series premier]] new law students to her firm to work with her on cases - students who are subsequently involved in a murder plot. The story is told with parallel story lines from the present day and the months previous to show the beginnings of the murder plot.

* {{Jerkass}}: Frank is a misogynistic ass who sleeps with Laurel (and other students, it's implied) and mocks her attempt at helping with the case.

* SurpriseWitness: Annalise calls in a detective at the last minute to counter testimony from the prosecution. Especially surprising for Wes - the detective is the man Annalise is cheating on her husband with. It's a surprise for him too - he has no idea what she's trying to do until he realizes she wants him to cast doubt on the incriminating surveillance footage of her client.

* TrailersAlwaysLie: The line "Are you colourblind?" in the trailer seemed like a racially charged question based on the little context it was presented with. In the pilot, Annalise is asking if the woman is ''literally'' colourblind. The witnesses aggressive "Yes" in response wasn't a defensive reaction but an angry admission.

* YourCheatingHeart: Wes accidentally walks in on Keating having sex but she seems surprisingly cool about it. When he later meets Keating's husband, it is a different man than he saw Keating with. Keating is having an affair and wants Wes to keep quiet about what he saw. Wes getting an internship with Keating's firm is implied to be a reward/bribe for his silence.

->I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point, but clearly your kharam's out of balance to get assigned to my class. I'm Professor Annalise Keating and this is Criminal Law 100, or as prefer to call it, [[TitleDrop how to get away with murder]].''

* GuileHeroe[=/=]ManipulativeBastard: As a matter of course with defense attorneys (and their students), several characters are or aspire to this. Michaela and Connor use lies and sex (respectively) to help Annalise with the first case; in the flash forward, Michaela also manipulates a cop out of investigating the suspicious rolled up rug hiding a body the four were transporting.

* KarmaHoudini: Due to our heroes being not-necessary-on-the-up-and-up defense attorneys (and their students), Annalise winning the first case of the series means that am attempted murderer and her co-conspirator go free.

* DrivingQuestion: Who killed Lila Stangard?

* YourCheatingHeart: Wes accidentally walks in on Keating having sex but she seems surprisingly cool about it. When he later meets Keating's husband, it is a different man than he saw Keating with. Keating is having an affair and wants Wes to keep quiet about what he saw. Wes getting an internship with Keating's firm is implied to be a reward/bribe for his silence.

Creator/{{ABC}}'s ''HowToGetAwayWithMurder'' is a legal drama, starring Viola Davis.

Davis stars as Professor Annalise Keating, a law professor and practicing attorney. She brings in several new law students to her firm who are subsequently involved in a murder plot. The story is told with parallel story lines from the present day and the months previous to show the beginnings of the murder plot.

Shares a similar soapy focus with Scandal and Grey's Anatomy.

* [[FemmeFatale Homme Fatal]]: Connor seduces an IT employee to get confidential e-mails for the first case. [[CaptainObvious And also for sex]].

* SurpriseWitness: Annalise calls in a detective at the last minute to counter testimony from the prosecution. Especially surprising for Wes - the detective is the man Annalise is cheating on her husband with.

* [[FemmeFatale Homme Fatal]]: Connor seduces an IT employee to get confidential e-mails for the first case. [[CaptionObvious And also for sex]].

* AmoralAttorney: One attorney sleeps with an IT employee to get emails about a witness in a case.

* SurpriseWitness: Annalise calls in a detective at the last minute to counter testimony from the prosecution.

* ''AmoralAttorney'': One attorney sleeps with an IT employee to get emails about a witness in a case.
* ''HelloAttorney'': Very attractive cast.
* ''NaiveNewcomer'': Wes and Laurel
* ''SurpriseWitness'': Annalise calls in a detective at the last minute to counter testimony from the prosecution

* ''SurpriseWitness''