5 reasons to watch ‘How to get away with Murder’

The possibility of binge watching TV Series on the recently launched Netflix in India is a recipe for days of wasted time, with exceptions. The first season of How to Get Away with Murder (HGAM) is now on Netflix, and is it worth your time or what. With a fantastic female lead, which is in no way a stock character, a fast paced story line and effective supporting cast, this is a show you don’t want to miss if you like crime dramas.

Here are 5 reasons to convince you to give the series a try:

#1. Crime Drama at its best: Once you watch HGAM, a lot of other crime dramas will pale by comparison. With an IMDB rating of 8.3/10, the true hero of this series is its fantastic plotline. It follows the occurrences in the life of criminal lawyer and law professor, Annalise Keating, along with a group of her students/colleagues. The set of characters make their way through multiple cases and a very twisted underlying theme piece through the series at a fast pace.

#2. Strong female lead: Viola Davis’s Annalise Keating is the main lead of the story. The character often gets a lot of spotlight either as the professor with a sharp style of delivering lectures or as a lawyer in court arguing her case. And on her part, the character is completely comfortable with the focus being on her. No wallflower, this. Moreover, Keating’s character is far from being a stock one. The benefit of a TV series is that it allows the slow reveal of a complex personality in each succeeding episode. So if you think that you have Keating’s character resolved in one episode, another facet is revealed to her in the next episode, which keeps you at seat’s edge.

#3. Viola Davis in a powerhouse performance: Davis is a deeply talented actress in any case – check her quietly seething role in The Help – and this series gives her room and opportunity to display her mastery over her craft in all its glory. Her Annalise Keating, at once has a strong maternal instinct to protect those in her care and ruthlessly dispose with anyone who comes in their way. She is tough as nails and very verbally gifted; all the time being extremely vulnerable to the point of cracking up from within. These contradictions in her character make her hardly an easy role to play, but Davis brings it out so very naturally.

#4. Good supporting cast: The supporting cast has some very well fleshed out characters, which are also played quite well by each of the actors. So whether it is the unassuming Wes Gibbins, or the rebellious Rebecca Sutter, each character is given a unique identity and even story line, which makes the show more involved. Even the ones who pretty much fade into the background in the beginning, turn out fairly interesting as the series advances.

#5. Daringly dark: HGAM is unafraid of showing the dark side of human psyche, even if it is talking about otherwise normal people. It is an interesting look at how people would react if they are truly pushed to the edge. Even in terms of the settings, many parts of the series are shot in a semi-darkness, which also serves a metaphorical purpose.