How To Get Away With Murder is one of many detective shows following what should now be a familiar formula. It is a detective show that pretends to be another genre, lead by asshole genius personality Annalise ("analyse", geddit?) who acts as the big armchair detective - one who is so good at getting results that they have no real oversight or accountability, despite everyone pointing out this plot hole all the time. She also has a group of juniors in training who divide their time between doing all the leg work, and standing around waiting to be insulted, exploited or asked to break the law. It's Ironside, it's House, it's any series that is Sherlock Holmes by way of stealth.
Except it also isn't. What makes Murder a fresh show is its B plot. Besides the Case of the week routine, we have this ongoing murder intrigue that is incrementally expanded upon each episode. The show regularly flashes forward to a murder that is going to involve all the juniors, showing another side to them beyond being Annalise's whipping boys.
And that's really what makes it stand out from the pack. Without this slowly unwrapping plot which threatens to destroy the status quo, we'd have a boilerplate House clone in which we have no choice but to observe the weaknesses of the format. You know, like the fact that this is supposed to be a law school and yet the whole time, Annalise the lecturer/lawyer keeps cancelling classes, shamelessly bullying the pupils and showing blatant favouritism to her five interns - all of which would quickly result in many a disciplinary. Then there is the fact that Annalise is so ruthless and renegade it would be impossible for no one to have not caught on to often she breaks the law and have her thrown in jail. This apparently hasn't yet happened despite behaving this way for more than a decade.
No, the premise shouldn't make any sense at all, but you can easily let your self be distracted from that by this twin plot design. I like that, and I also like how this show has more than two black characters, and better still, that they get to have the main parts. To see that in a genre show that isn't explicitly set in a black neighbourhood is quite uncommon. So yes, give it a chance. It is better than your average one of these shows.
A Familiar Formula with Something Extra
How To Get Away With Murder is one of many detective shows following what should now be a familiar formula. It is a detective show that pretends to be another genre, lead by asshole genius personality Annalise ("analyse", geddit?) who acts as the big armchair detective - one who is so good at getting results that they have no real oversight or accountability, despite everyone pointing out this plot hole all the time. She also has a group of juniors in training who divide their time between doing all the leg work, and standing around waiting to be insulted, exploited or asked to break the law. It's Ironside, it's House, it's any series that is Sherlock Holmes by way of stealth.
Except it also isn't. What makes Murder a fresh show is its B plot. Besides the Case of the week routine, we have this ongoing murder intrigue that is incrementally expanded upon each episode. The show regularly flashes forward to a murder that is going to involve all the juniors, showing another side to them beyond being Annalise's whipping boys.
And that's really what makes it stand out from the pack. Without this slowly unwrapping plot which threatens to destroy the status quo, we'd have a boilerplate House clone in which we have no choice but to observe the weaknesses of the format. You know, like the fact that this is supposed to be a law school and yet the whole time, Annalise the lecturer/lawyer keeps cancelling classes, shamelessly bullying the pupils and showing blatant favouritism to her five interns - all of which would quickly result in many a disciplinary. Then there is the fact that Annalise is so ruthless and renegade it would be impossible for no one to have not caught on to often she breaks the law and have her thrown in jail. This apparently hasn't yet happened despite behaving this way for more than a decade.
No, the premise shouldn't make any sense at all, but you can easily let your self be distracted from that by this twin plot design. I like that, and I also like how this show has more than two black characters, and better still, that they get to have the main parts. To see that in a genre show that isn't explicitly set in a black neighbourhood is quite uncommon. So yes, give it a chance. It is better than your average one of these shows.