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How to Get Away with Murder (henceforth HTGAWM) Season 6 has gone out with an explosive midseason finale that (spoiler alert) saw Asher (Matt McGorry) become the latest character on the ABC series to die. Fans who want to see what the aftermath of the shocking events of the episode will be, however, have a while to wait before the release date of the next episode.

According to Deadline, the final episodes of HTGAWM are not airing on ABC until April 2020, with the remaining six episodes due to start airing on Thursday, April 2 in the series' usual time slot at 10 p.m. / 9 p.m. If ABC airs the show weekly after this date, this means that the series finale of the Shonda Rhimes show will air on Thursday, May 7.

'How to Get Away with Murder' Season 6 Release Date, Cast, Trailer, Plot

After Season 6, Episode 9 revealed that Tegan (Amirah Vann) was working with Laurel (Karla Souza), How to Get Away with Murder showrunner Pete Nowalk said to TVLine that in the final episodes: "You'll find out why Tegan helped Laurel, and also why Tegan kept it a secret for so long, especially from Annalise [ Viola Davis]...it's also going to be fun to see how Frank [Charlie Weber] reacts when he hears this." He also hinted that the return of Wes (Alfred Enoch) was key as he "definitely factors into our series ending in a big way."

Nowalk has been understandably tight-lipped about the events of the HTGAWM finale, but he did tell TVLine in another piece that the show would provide answers to most of fans' burning questions. He said: "There will be certain things where I want people's imaginations to do the work...But I like a good murder mystery. I want to know what happened. The people who have stuck with us have been so patient, and they're like, 'Ugh! I got an answer, but here's another question.' I really just want to give an answer."

As Asher's death suggests, not everyone will get a happy ending when Episode 10 and the series finale comes around next spring. When asked by Hollywood Life if things will work out for every character, Nowalk said: "I can answer that very easily. No."

He also hinted at what fans will see in the last six episodes of the series: "Really what I want is for each character to be faced with a 'Sophie's choice' of their own life. Who do they want to be? I think they are all moral people in the end, and so they never planned on becoming murderers and terrible people. I think they're each going to decide what type of person they want to be at the end of the show and that might surprise people."

How to Get Away with Murder Season 6 returns on April 2, 2020 on ABC.

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When will 'How to Get Away with Murder' return?

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How to Get Away with Murder (henceforth HTGAWM) Season 6 has gone out with an explosive midseason finale that (spoiler alert) saw Asher (Matt McGorry) become the latest character on the ABC series to die.

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for the How to Get Away With Murder season 6 fall finale, "Are You the Mole?"
The time has come to say goodbye to another member of the original Keating Five. Wes (Alfred Enoch) seemingly met his end in season 3 of How to Get Away With Murder - though he made a strange reappearance at Annalise's ( Viola Davis) funeral this week - and Laurel (Karla Souza) remained M.I.A. until a brief FaceTime from an unknown number confirmed she was alive on Thursday's fall finale. But the latest to fall is our favorite frat boy: entitled-bro-turned-compassionate lawyer Asher Millstone ( Matt McGorry).

The HTGAWM fall finale was full of Asher shockers, including a marriage proposal to Michaela (Aja Naomi King) and the revelation that he's been working as an FBI informant. It's okay, though (sorta), because he hardly gave the feds anything and was blackmailed into it with a threat to send his mom to jail.

High on mushrooms, Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) responded to the news of this betrayal by bludgeoning Asher with a fire poker, knocking him unconscious. But Asher recovered, long enough to run to Bonnie (Liza Weil). Whatever solace or advice she offered was short-lived, because only hours later, Asher was lying in the hallway of his apartment building, struggling for breath and bleeding out from a head wound.

With Michaela and Connor (Jack Falahee) in FBI custody for Asher's murder, we were treated to our last glimpse of Asher, a close-up on his lifeless eyes. The moment leaves more questions than answers. Who killed him, and why? How do Xavier Castillo (Gerardo Celasco) and Governor Birkhead (Laura Innes) factor into this? And will we see any more of Asher in the final six episodes of the series?

To get answers to these questions and a bit of that signature Asher Millstone comic relief, we called up McGorry. So let's put that fire poker down, look into spousal immunity, pick up a pinwheel at the convenience store, and dive in to this murky, murderous episode.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How does it feel to join Alfred Enoch, Tom Verica, and Katie Findlay on the list of the deceased on this show? Were you shocked when you got the script?
MATT MCGORRY: It's good company to be in - aside from the fact that they're all dead. But other than that, the people are really wonderful, and the actors are great as well. [Series creator] Pete Nowalk and I had talked about this idea towards the end of last season. In the beginning of the season, Pete let me know that indeed this would be the case. So it didn't come as a shock in that way. But of course there's different levels of processing and realizing what that means.

What was going through your head when he first brought that up to you?
There's a lot of different things. I was partly thinking about how the audience would respond. Knowing that Asher is the mole as well. [I am] curious to see if people will be angry or will understand, or maybe there's going to be a healthy mix, which actually is probably a good sign, if people are conflicted about that. But for me, just thinking about getting to finish the show out in a very strong way is also really appealing, and knowing that the show was ending in any case. I might have felt differently if I knew that we had more seasons or this came earlier, but I feel like I've really gotten to play to the end. And I will be in more episodes as well for flashbacks. So it feels like a nice sense of closure a little bit, even though it is certainly sad in some ways, both witnessing and playing Asher as he is dying. Also, just making my peace with the end of the show. The show that has been my home for the last six years, which is a really long time in the world of television. There's a swirl of mixed emotions.

From the facts at hand, fans will probably have several theories. It could be that Asher collapsed and bled out from the blow Oliver dealt earlier. There's also some suggestion that Gabriel (Rome Flynn) attacked him in the hall. Which is the more plausible? Or is it none of the above?
I know that the writers on the show have succeeded in continually making me keep guessing about all the different plot points in the last six years. I know well enough now than to try and actually spend too much mental energy predicting. Even as I play that scene, I do not know who killed Asher either.

Pete said from the beginning of the season not everyone was going to get out alive. But in some ways, Asher's a little more innocent than the rest - or at least, he was at first. Do you feel like maybe he deserves this fate the least of all of them?
[ Laughs] I'd like to think that no one deserves it. That's my original operating standpoint. It will probably surprise people in some ways too because he's actually provided probably the bulk of the comedic relief throughout the six seasons on the show. I know a lot of fans find that really important, especially because the show is often so heavy and so tense. It'll be interesting to see how people respond, and it is nice as an actor to be able to get to play the range - to go from getting to be the silly, goofy guy for a long time to also having story lines that have more depth and nuance. It really is a nice blend.

How early on this season did you know that you were the informant? And did you have to keep it a secret from other people in the cast?
I don't remember how early I found out. I don't think I knew initially going into it. It's not particularly essential for how I play it. Because I don't want to be tipping the audience off, even unconsciously early on... But once I knew I was, I told people, including the death thing, actually. To be honest, it was kind of funny. It became a funny running joke at times too. In the middle of a scene or at the end of the scene, I'd be like, "And I'm gonna be murdered..." It was a nice way of breaking the tension and including some laughs too.

We got a sense of how it went down that he became the mole. It seems like he was essentially blackmailed into it. But are we going to get more pieces of that puzzle - and more justification for that?
I don't even know, to be honest. I'd be interested in seeing that, though. I've really liked doing scenes with Asher's family. I feel like it adds a really nice dynamic.

In his most desperate hour, Asher goes to Bonnie. Are there maybe some latent romantic feelings there? Another secret we're unaware of? How do we interpret that moment, because it's a strange choice?
They have a deep connection that's been built over time. Asher has felt a romantic connection since the end of their relationship. I think we've seen that. And also, as much as Asher has an affinity for the other students, next to Michaela, Bonnie and Asher have shared a lot of history in particular. She's always taken this role of looking out for him and, frankly, taking on his burden, in addition to almost everyone else's burden on the show.

That proposal to Michaela really came out of nowhere. Did it surprise you? Do you feel like he really meant it from a place of love, especially since this turned out to be one of your last scenes with Aja?
I think the main driving force behind it was the spousal immunity, wanting to make sure that there were protections in place. But he definitely has really strong feelings still for Michaela romantically. Or I guess I have to talk about him in the past tense now, which is kind of sad, but he did have very strong feelings about her when he was alive.

Can you tease the final six episodes and how much we might see of you?
You'll definitely be seeing more of Asher. There's going to be pieces of the mystery that are going to be filled in over the course of time. Asher may be dead, but he will also be present.
Related content:
Episode Recaps

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'How to Get Away With Murder' star Matt McGorry talks Asher's fate in the fall finale

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Warning: This article contains spoilers for the How to Get Away With Murder season 6 fall finale, "Are You the Mole?" The time has come to say goodbye to another member of the original Keating Five.

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A suspense-driven legal thriller about a defense attorney named Professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) and the five students from her class that she calls "How to Get Away with Murder," who begin working together in her legal office. It doesn't take long for them to get wrapped up in a world of sex, secrets, lies, drugs, and a murder plot that will begin to shake the very ground on which they stand.

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A suspense-driven legal thriller about a defense attorney named Professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) and the five students from her class that she calls "How to Get Away with Murder," who begin working together in her legal office.

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Synopsis:A law professor and a group of her best students are drawn into a real-life murder conspiracy.

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A law professor gives her students a shot at some real-world cases. Too bad that includes embroiling them in murder. Watch trailers & learn more.

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The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network is slowly but surely paving the way to diversified television. Sex, murder, infidelity, and an endless supply of mystery are just a few elements found in ABC's new hit series How to Get Away with Murder. The cherry on top of it all? The show is led by a powerful, unapologetic, black woman - something prime time television has not seen in over forty years. How to Get Away with Murder is a show that is willing to take risks and go there with real societal issues. In doing so, they are ultimately presenting a more realistic depiction of the world and aspects of life that go far beyond the generic, white-washed version of it that television is so used to.

Pop culture has an effortless way of pushing the inherently political to the forefront and with that comes a great deal of responsibility to produce content that actually reflects the world as it truly is. As Andi Zeisler says in Feminism and Pop Culture, "Pop culture informs our understanding of political issues that on first glance seem to have nothing to do with pop culture; it also makes us see how something meant as pure entertainment can have everything to do with politics" (7).

Television is so ideologically charged, relying solely on conventional "realist" forms of image constructions. Rhetorically, the show is doing wonders in highlighting aspects of real life that are often masked by the predominating white discourse of television. Considering the capacity pop culture holds to marginalize, silence, and neglect people who go beyond the mass-mediated norm, it is both refreshing and deserving of admiration to see two prominent producers in television entertainment creating something that provides mirrors for those in society who fall into categories beyond the white men and women that are represented on screen.

Peter Nowalk, a prominent and an openly gay producer in Hollywood, is the creator of How to Get Away with Murder, with Shonda Rhimes as an executive producer. This series, in addition to Rhimes' other shows like Grey's Anatomy, or Scandal, is changing the, quite frankly, boring formula of TV dramas. Rhimes is praised for pioneering her way through television - pushing back the threshold responsible for silencing and marginalizing minorities (from race to ethnicity, gender, to sexuality) on television and in the entertainment industry as a whole. Because pop culture plays a huge role in many people's lives, it is imperative, even in the midst of all of the fiction, that creators, directors, producers and writers produce content responsibly - taking the initiative to create something that accurately depicts and reflects the world we live in.

Regardless of a viewer's gender, sexual preferences, race, ethnicity, etc. they should be able to turn on the TV and see a realistic representation of him or herself in one form or another. Nowalk and Rhimes provide authentic perspectives and voices for those who have been silenced within various mediums of pop culture. Together they are defying the dominant systemic and structural forces that have played a key role in the oppression of the "others" in society ("other," referring to women - especially women of color, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, gays, bisexuals, transgender - to name a few). Shonda Rhimes and Peter Nowalk are taking advantage of the platform they have been granted and are changing the landscape of television one character and one series at a time.

How to Get Away with Murder (HTGAWM) made its debut on television screens in 2014. The show's age demographic ranges between 18-49 and is aimed primarily at young adults (How To Get Away With Murder TV Show on ABC: Ratings (Cancel or Renew?)). HTGAWM provides both realistic and accountable mirrors reflecting real groups in society - especially minority and misrepresented and underrepresented sociocultural groups.

They are accomplishing this through the diverse cast and through the writing and content of the show. HTGAWM follows the pursuits of the powerful, successful law professor and defense attorney named Annalise Keating, played by Viola Davis. The show also follows the pursuits of five of Keating's star law students, otherwise referred to as the Keating Five. The Keating Five consists of Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King), a young black woman who is fiercely ambitious and only outshined in her ruthlessness by Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee). Connor is a gay male who is extremely resourceful and willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, exploiting anyone and everyone, using his charming good looks or even sex to climb to the top. Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza) is the witty "Latin-American" princess, who is quiet but sharp.

Asher is a pompous white male, nicknamed "douche-face," who embodies and represents the notion of white privilege. Rounding out the bunch is Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch), a young black male, also referred to as "waitlist," who is the more reserved of the bunch. Despite being constantly underestimated by the rest of the Keating Five, he is equally as savvy and cunning as the rest of the group. Nowalk and Rhimes defy gender norms, in addition to gender and racial stereotypes with this elaborate, complicated, culturally, racially, and sexually diverse group of characters. While each character possesses unique strengths and weaknesses, they are not inherently tied or related to their gender and race. The beauty of the characters of HTGAWM is that every single viewer can find a piece of themselves in, at the very least, one of the characters of the show.

In William Hoynes and David Croteau's book, Media/Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences, Hoynes and Croteau discuss the ideology of media. They define ideology as "[referring] not only to the beliefs held about the world but to the basic ways in which the world is defined" (Hoynes and Croteau 160). The ideological work of pop culture is embedded in the patterns of media texts, and in television specifically, the ideological works lies in the way it defines and orders its pictures of "reality." With pop culture being dominated by the same, repetitive images on screen, one must wonder how that directly influences viewers.

In examining the ideology of media, it is important to look into "the broader system of meaning of which these depictions are a part. For ideological analysis, the key is to fit between the images and words in a specific media text and ways of thinking about, even defining social and cultural issues" (161). The depiction of diversity, and especially the depiction of a black woman in a high position of power on How to Get Away with Murder, is truly a part of a much larger system of meaning - one that goes far beyond skin-deep visuals and imagery. The show provides a new lens through which issues such as narrow beauty standards, sexuality, sexual orientation, privilege, and race can be viewed and understood. Hoynes and Croteau argue, "Media texts can be seen as key sites where basic social norms are articulated."

Television is arguably one of, if not the most, influential mediums of pop culture simply due to its repetitive nature and the role it plays in everyone's day-to-day life. Television thus possesses the responsibility to provide realistic depictions of both social interactions and social institutions, as they contribute to "shaping broad social definitions." By suggesting what is "normal" and what is "deviant," television shows shape their viewers' understandings of the world they live in.

Until fairly recently, the images that have dominated pop culture, and more specifically television screens, have primarily been of whites, particularly situating white males in positions synonymous with power and authority. Murder mysteries in particular are typically a male-dominated sphere on television; however, Norwalk and Rhimes have flipped the script entirely. Recognized for casting women and racial minorities as leading roles, they challenge the normative representations of black women in the media and the way they are positioned and situated within the hierarchical gender order. They are able to do so by presenting the characters of the show on a relatively equal ground, all while placing a strong emphasis on female agency.

Typically, white women can turn on the TV and see themselves represented in ads, TV shows, films and nearly every other form of pop culture media, whereas minority women are underrepresented entirely. While the representation of women has evolved, to an extent, over the past couple of decades, women have remained heavily sexualized and situated in limiting roles: mother, wife, and girlfriend - essentially serving merely as extensions of the male fantasy. Zeisler mentions that during the early years of the 1970's, "the not-normally-political TV Guide repeatedly wagged its finger at the industry for refusing to rise above characterizations of women as pretty, skinny, dopey, hapless housewives or housewife wannabes [on network shows]" (75).

She goes on to say that, "75 percent of 120,000 women polled by Rebook magazine in 1972 agreed that the media degrades women by portraying them as mindless dolls" (75). Although this took place during the 1970's, it is still very relevant to the landscape of television today and the types of roles that are available to women, and especially black women.

Some of the greatest female heroines and femme fatales have been contrived and born in the minds of men. The beauty of a character such as How to Get Away with Murder's Annalise Keating is that she have been influenced by a real powerful black woman herself and someone who is ultimately able to provide an authentic voice to such a character. The fact that white men are still writing for and about women, in addition to other marginalized groups, is troubling and prompts one to consider when and where empowerment and disempowerment come about and the ways privilege and power are maintained.

Zeisler prompts her audience to ponder the question, "So what could a feminist reclamation of-or just an improvement on-pop culture look like?" immediately following up with: "Well, let's start with Hollywood: With more feminist directors, producers, screenwriters, and network heads, perhaps women would stop being relegated to wife-and-girlfriend roles in actions movies. Perhaps parts created for women of color would be only more plentiful but also less stereotypical" (20). The character of Annalise Keating does just that, defying stereotypes and pre-molded archetypes of the role of black women in the media.

The audience is introduced to Annalise Keating during the first episode of the show entering her Criminal Law 100 class, showing no sign of mercy to her eager law students. From the way that she dresses, to the strong tone of her voice, to her relentless attitude, and to the overall way she carries her self, it is evident from the very beginning that Annalise is not one to be messed with. The great thing about Annalise is that she is the further thing from a static, one-dimensional character: she is multifaceted with a great deal of depth. She is complex, complicated, fearsome, sexually empowered, flawed and everything in between, pushing boundaries in every possible.

Arguably, one of the most powerful scenes to grace television screens in recent times occurs during the episode "Let's Go To Scooping" (Season one, episode four), where Annalise discovers that her husband, Sam Keating (Tom Verica), is directly linked to the murder, possibly even the murderer of, and had an affair with his college student Lila Standgard. Annalise, who up until this point has been depicted as an unbreakable force, finally reveals her vulnerable side. In this scene specifically, the camera shifts between close-ups of Annalise and shots positioned from behind as she faces a mirror and slowly removes her weave, eye-lashes, and takes a make-up removing tissue to wipe everything off.

This notion of putting on a "mask,' both literally and figuratively, before stepping out into and facing the world is a common practice for women everywhere. This scene depicts a reality for women, and especially women of color in a natural un-madeup state. The natural look on Annalise's face perfectly complements the raw emotion of the scene. During an interview on The Ellen Show, Ellen praises the scene, to which Viola Davis responds saying that she was adamant of having it included in the show. Her reasoning behind such a bold and daring scene was that "[Annalise] can't go to bed with a wig on. She cannot be in that bedroom with that wig on because women don't go to bed with their wigs on.

A whole portion of women is marginalized. I'm a real woman!" The decision to include such a powerful scene into the show is an aspect of womanhood that many women, especially women of color can relate to. While she is unforgiving, tough and displays characteristics traditionally believed to be "masculine," Annalise is also incredibly vulnerable. In such a raw, real, and chilling moment, as a viewer it feels as if Annalise has finally removed her armor, unveiling her core in a sense, and stripping herself of the things that are traditionally considered beautiful. The scene depicts the type of private moment that displays a reality, and it does so through a very public persona. It is without question that women are constantly made to feel insecure due to the impossibly narrow beauty standards to which they are held.

With popular culture filled with images of size two, dolled-up, unobtainable women, many women are made to feel off-balance and lesser. The reason they feel this way is because, often times, the types of images of women that are depicted within the media have come to be accepted as normal. When a woman sees a specific type of look that is depicted as being synonymous as beauty, that shares absolutely no physical resemblance to herself, she is made to feel less beautiful, less of a woman, or that something is wrong with her. During Viola Davis' SAG awards Acceptance speech for "Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Drama Series, she says, "so I'd like to thank [Peter Nowalk and Shona Rhimes] for thinking that a sexualized, messy, mysterious woman, could be a 49 year old dark-skinned woman that looks like me."

This powerful statement says a lot about the current state of television and it is depiction of beauty. During Viola Davis' Emmy acceptance speech, she dedicates her award to the writers and producers of the show for, "redefining what it means to be beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, to be black."

To dive even deeper into the complexity of Annalise Keating, her character, in addition to other character on the show (like Connor, for example) push past the hetero-normativity dominating television. During the very first episode, Annalise is caught with another man's head in her lap - one that is not her husbands. She is sexually empowered and is not ashamed of it. During the middle season one, the audience discovered that Annalise was involved with a woman in college.

"Involved" might even be a bit of an understatement - Annalise had a full-blown lover with her collogues, Eve Rothlo (Famke Janssen), who re-enters and becomes re-involved with Annalise throughout the show. Annalise never explicitly identifies with, or is ever tied to, a specific sexual orientation. Annalise's "queerness," if you will, never becomes something the the producers seem overly eager to explain, rather, her sexuality is treated in the same way heterosexuality is in the media - not something that producers feel overwhelmed or consumed to explain. The way Annalise's sexuality is dealt with is normalized - as it should be.

In Barry Brummett's "Rhetoric and Popular Culture, he states that artifacts (a TV show in this case), "represent groups to us, [showing] us what it is like to be a part of or to identify those groups, or they remind us of those groups and of what we are committed to by our identification with them." (55). The way HTGAWM depicts Connor's sexuality and especially his relationship with Oliver Hampton (Conrad Ricamura) in addition to Annalise's sexuality and her relationship with Eve, the show speak directly to the reality of a group of people who are misrepresented and underrepresented on telvision. After certain episodes that show intimate and steamy scenes between the gay lovers on the show, there seems to be a great deal of backlash from viewers, expressing their disgust on places like Twitter.

Why is it that something as natural as sex - whether it is heterosexual, but especially homosexual treated as such a taboo? One could obviously argue that it is because the apparent lack of representation of gays within the media. When sex between two men or two women is depicted on screen, it causes uproar because, while it is becoming more common to see on screen, it still has not been completely normalized within pop culture, therefore making it hard for people to digest.

"Popular media [has the] tendency to display a remarkably narrow range of behaviors and lifestyles," (Hoynes and Croteou 162) and in doing so, the media perpetuates images and depictions that associate certain characteristics with what is considered both normal and accepted in society. Prior to this decade, the depiction of gay relationships, marriages, and sex were heavily treated as a taboo, and in a sense, still very much is. However, shows like HTGAWM are pushing past the powerful forces within the entertainment industry that are responsible for maintaining certain images of society that marginalize those who do not fit into the narrow ideas of reality.

Hegemony, as defined in by Sharon Crowley in Toward A Civil Dicourse: Rhetoric and Fundamentalism, "any set of signifiers and practices, that achieves a powerful, near-exclusive hold on a community's actions and beliefs" (63). The notion of hegemony connects questions of culture, power, and ideology. "Hegemony operates at a level of common sense in the assumptions we make about social life and on the terrain of things we accept as 'natural,' or 'the way things are." (Hoynes and Croteau 166). When audiences and viewers do not feel the need to critically evaluate the content they are being exposed to, hegemony is ultimately at play, because at this point, the messages and images have been accepted. Nowalk and Rhimes are redefining what is "normal," and instead are breaking past the significanty limited portrayals of the "other" on television.

As Zeisler says, "there needs to be a push for women to be unapologetic, and more determined to make spaces in pop culture that represent all the dimensions of the lives of women." Because pop culture plays a key role in people situating themselves and understanding themselves within the world, it even more so is essential that Rhimes and Nowalk are slowly changing the dialogue within society through a show as powerfully charged as How to Get Away with Murder.

There absolutely needs to be a push for diversity both behind and in front of the camera - again, something that HTGAWM is accomplishing through the unique team of producers and diverse cast. In creating content that depicts more accurate representations of society today, it enhances out ability to not only understand us, and shape our identities, but to also understand those who come from different walks of life - those with different ethnic, sexual, and social backgrounds.
Work Cited
Blacktreemedia. "SAG Awards Viola Davis Gives Moving Victory Speech." YouTube. YouTube, 27 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 April 2016.

Brummett, Barry. "Rhetoric and Popular Culture." Rhetoric in Popular Culture. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2015. N. pag. Print.

Croteau, David, and William Hoynes. "Media and Ideology." Media Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge, 2003. N. pag. Print.

Crowley, Sharon. "Belief and Passionate Commitment." Toward a Civil Discourse: Rhetoric and Fundamentalism. N.p.: U of Pittsburgh, 2006. N. pag. Print.

D'Elia, Bill, and Betsy Beers. "How to Get Away with Murder." How to Get Away With Murder. Prod. Peter Nowalk and Shonda Rhimes. American Broadcasting Company. 25 Sept. 2014. Television.

"How To Get Away With Murder TV Show on ABC: Ratings (Cancel or Renew?)." TV Series Finale. N.p., 25 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 April 2016.

PrimetimeEmmys. "Viola Davis Gives Powerful Speech About Diversity and Opportunity | Emmys 2015." YouTube. YouTube, 20 Sept. 2015. Web. 25 April 2016.

Zeisler, Andi. Feminism and Pop Culture. Berkeley, CA: Seal, 2008. Print.

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How to Get Away with Murder Is Defying Hollywood "Norms"

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The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) television network is slowly but surely paving the way to diversified television. Sex, murder, infidelity, and an endless supply of mystery are just a few elements found in ABC's new hit series How to Get Away with Murder. The cherry on top of it all?

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One of the fall's most anticipated new dramas is the third installment of Shonda Rhimes' Thursday dominance, "How to Get Away With Murder." Airing back-to-back-to-back with "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal," the Shondaland show stars Viola Davis in a drama sure to delight fans with outrageous twists and turns.

Also read: 'How to Get Away With Murder' Review: Split Verdict on Shonda Rhimes Legal Drama

Created by Peter Nowalk, an alum of both "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal," "Murder" shares a rapid cadence and energy with those shows, creating a fairly consistent tone to ABC's Thursday night block.

Davis leads the ensemble as tough-as-nails law professor Annalise Keating. Her dream team of students are made up of Alfred Enoch, Matt McGorry, Aja Naomi King, Karla Souza and Jack Falahee.

See photos: 45 Fall TV Actresses Ranked by Popularity

Critics' overall impressions with the show were somewhat mixed, but they all agreed that Davis absolutely stole the show. Some thought it was the best new show of the fall season, while others thought everything other than Davis was a bit boring.

TheWrap's own Diane Bennett had split feelings about the premiere, heaping praise on Davis' powerhouse performance, but was left less impressed with the student characters.

I just hope that the students become more interesting and the action less disjointed in coming episodes. The drama didn't quite jell in the pilot, but that may come with time. 'Scandal,' after all, took a while to hit its stride. As a devoted fan of 'Grey's Anatomy' (still watching, thank you) and 'Scandal,' I was ready to embrace 'How to Get Away With Murder.' That didn't happen with the pilot.

Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly was mesmerized by Davis' performance as well, but she enjoyed the rest of the show surrounding it, emphasizing that "'Murder' is supposed to be fun."

Thanks to Davis' powerfully layered performance, it's impossible to read Keating (Davis). When Wes (Alfred Enoch) finds her cheating on her husband, she lays a hand on Wes' chest, tearfully confessing that she's having trouble conceiving. Later, she gives him special treatment in class. Is she flirting? Blackmailing him? Just acting motherly, because she sees potential in him that we don't? Or are those all loaded questions? When someone quips that Wes could be Keating's son, Michaela scoffs, 'Because all black people are related?' 'Murder' wants us to reevaluate our assumptions about people, and because it's a show about a brilliant, complicated woman of color, that's especially important.

Also read: NY Times' Top Editor Questions Newsroom Diversity After Shonda Rhimes Fallout

People's Patrick Gomez took his praise a step further, suggesting that "Murder" maybe the best new show of the fall season.

"TGAWM" bears all the signatures of a Rhimes-produced show. A strong, female character at the top of her game? Check. A diverse cast of unique supporting characters? Double check. But "HTGAWM" doesn't stop there. It actually improves upon the successful formula by downplaying any romantic entanglements, which, at times, have weighed down the leads of Rhimes's other shows.

Over at The Guardian, Brian Moylan called what he dubbed Rhimes' take on a procedural a beautiful disaster, but wasn't sure if it would turn into a "delightful train wreck or a tortuous inferno."

Much has been made about this show in a New York Times essay about angry black women and Shonda Rhimes specifically. To call Annalise (Davis) angry is to totally miss the point of her character. Annalise is tough and determined, but she's the kind of teacher that rides her students hard so she can get results. When she yells it's not always to express her displeasure, but also as a motivational too, like a personal trainer for these students' minds. And in moments like a tough confrontation with her husband, there is a tampered passivity that is far more complicated and exciting to watch than simple anger.

Also read: NY Times Critic Unapologetic Over Shonda Rhimes 'Angry Black Woman' Remark

Laura Stampler of Time wrote that "How to Get Away With Murder" combines the best of all of our favorite shows and movies into one hour, drawing comparisons to Rhimes' other shows, as well as "Pretty Little Liars," "House," "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and even "Legally Blonde."

The law school/court room/inside-the-criminal-mind drama is built to succeed: it's an amalgam of the most addictive television out there in one, hour-long segment. That's not to say that the show is derivative - it isn't. Rather, Murder hones in on some of the best elements of shows - and movies - we love.

Vulture's Matt Seitz echoed his fellow critics in praising Davis' performance in the lead, but worries that the show isn't as clever as it tries to put on.

It often tries too hard to wow us, when it might have been better off just telling its story and developing its characters. The pilot's intricate flash-forward structure, which very briefly confuses the audience into thinking that a group of students are something they aren't, seems needlessly fancy, and there are moments where the episode tries too hard to sell the heroine as a brilliantly awesome badass, layering a courtroom moment with rah-rah music, as if commanding us to cheer her. I hope they bring this sort of thing down a notch, preferably several notches.

Also read: 'How to Get Away With Murder' Creator on Shonda Rhimes: 'She's Such a Genius'

The Los Angeles Times' Mary McNamara pointed out the differences between this and its companion shows that Rhimes did create, while echoing the power of Davis' "magnetic and intimidating" performance.

While the show has certain Rhimes' accents - a strong female lead, a large and diverse ensemble, a willingness to pile on complications - it is very different from any of the series she has written. Annalise wears neither a white hat nor her heart on her sleeve; she keeps her own counsel, as do most of the characters in the pilot, as does, indeed, the show itself. The first episode sets many things in motion while revealing little in terms of tone or intent.

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix actually sees Viola Davis ' powerful screen presence as a detriment to the rest of the show, and hopes that it turns its full attention to her. He describes two shows in one battling for attention.

One is a formulaic legal procedure in which yet another brilliant, inscrutable master of the profession with questionable social skills mentors a group of impressionable young students, each week closing a new case and imparting a new lesson. The other is a complicated serialized mystery with a fractured timeline designed to keep the audience on its toes as to who did what, and why, and whether we should be pulling for any of them to live up to the show's title ... the first show has the great and powerful Viola Davis, and the second show (at least in the pilot) has a whole bunch of people who mainly remind you of all the ways in which they are not Viola Davis.

New episodes of "How to Get Away With Murder" air every Thursday night at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

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'How to Get Away With Murder' Reviews: At Least Critics Can Agree Viola Davis Is Fantastic

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One of the fall's most anticipated new dramas is the third installment of Shonda Rhimes' Thursday dominance, "How to Get Away With Murder." Airing back-to-back-to-back with "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal," the Shondaland show stars Viola Davis in a drama sure to delight fans with outrageous twists and turns.

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Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal," the show features plenty of diverting case-of-the-week plots. But it really shines in its continuing examination of Annalise, her acolytes and the dark secrets they share. - Judy Berman

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Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal," the show features plenty of diverting case-of-the-week plots. But it really shines in its continuing examination of Annalise, her acolytes and the dark secrets they share. - Judy Berman

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The upcoming sixth season of " How to Get Away With Murder " will be its last.

The news comes only a day after it was revealed that the first Shondaland series under Shonda Rhimes' colossal Netflix deal will debut in 2020. Rhimes left ABC for the streamer last year after more than a decade with the studio.

However, the mega producer will still have ties with the Disney-owned network for at least another year, as ABC handed out a two-season renewal to "Grey's Anatomy" back in May. Rhimes also has "Grey's" spinoff "Station 19" still going at ABC, and although that series was renewed for a third season at the same time, it remains to be seen how much longer it lasts past the 2019-2020 season as Rhimes continues to reign back her ABC properties. A couple other ABC-Shondaland collaborations, namely "Scandal" and "For the People," ended their runs last year.

The fifth season of " How to Get Away With Murder " concluded with yet another twist - Laurel (Karla Souza) and her infant son went missing - but also some answers to the season-long questions about who was behind the murder of Nate's father, as well as the true identity of the new student worming his way into Annalise's (Viola Davis) class and life.

The series stars Davis, Billy Brown, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, Souza, Charlie Weber, Liza Weil, Conrad Ricamora, Rome Flynn, Amirah Vann and Timothy Hutton.

Pete Nowalk created the series and serves as showrunner. Rhimes, Beers and Stephen Cragg also serve as executive producers. " How to Get Away With Murder " averaged 2.8 million total viewers during its fifth season, earning a 0.67 in the 18-49 demographic.

Rhimes revealed last year that she already has eight projects, including the Julie Andrews-starring "Bridgerton," set up at Netflix as part of her initial development slate under her new overall deal with the company. Others include a drama about New York con artist Anna Delvey and the comedy "Sunshine Scouts."

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'How to Get Away With Murder' to End With Season 6 on ABC

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The upcoming sixth season of " How to Get Away With Murder " will be its last. The news comes only a day after it was revealed that the first Shondaland series under Shonda Rhimes' colossal Netflix deal will debut in 2020. Rhimes left ABC for the streamer last year after more than a decade with the studio.

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Watch This Video of a Real Lawyer Reacting To HTGAWM

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Watch This Video of a Real Lawyer Reacting To HTGAWM

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Real Lawyer Reacts to How to Get Away With Murder (Episode 1)

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Annalise Keating is an unorthodox law professor. Instead of being a "good" law professor or actually "teaching" she makes her students unpaid interns for her criminal defense law firm. Drama! Mystery! Legal technicalities! Today we're going to review How to Get Away With Murder. Stay until the end for my Legal Realism Grade!

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How to Get Away with Murder is a television show that I decided to critique because of its mysterious episodes. View the different aspects of this show.