What is it? How to Get Away With Murder, Season 1, 15 episodes on four discs from ABC Studios
When? Now
How much? $39.99
Wait. That doesn't sound legal. It's perfectly legal. It's also fictional, so relax.
"How to get away with murder" is what Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) calls the criminal law course she teaches at Philadelphia's Middleton University Law School.
Annalise is not only super-smart and successful, she's also demanding, no-nonsense and strikes terror into the hearts of the students in her class. The best and brightest of those students are chosen to work as interns at her law firm, assisting on cases and getting firsthand lessons on how to defend a client (innocent or guilty).
This particular year, she selects five first-years: ruthless and confident Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee), idealistic Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza), know-it-all rich kid Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry), ambitious Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King) and naive outsider Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch), who got into the school at the last minute.
They pitch in with Annalise's loyal associate Bonnie Winterbottom (Liza Weil) and investigator Frank Delfino (Charlie Weber), helping to defend clients accused of various unsavory crimes.
That makes it sound like a typical law show. It's not. Because the first time we see four of those promising students, they're trying to dispose of a body and one of them might be the killer.
Working with Annalise will come in handy as the four try to solve the murder of a young co-ed and cover their own tracks. All of it is connected to Annalise's husband Sam (Tom Verica) and Wes's goth neighbor Rebecca Sutter (Katie Findlay). Annalise's lover, police detective Nate Lahey (Billy Brown), just adds more complications.
Who did it? What really happened? Exactly how much does Annalise know? There are a dozen questions raised as the series jumps back and forth in time showing the lead-up to and the aftermath of the murders. As it moves along, the layers are gradually peeled away not only on the events but also on the characters involved. Even the innocent-seeming people aren't as naive as they seem.
That sounds complicated and intense. It's complicated, but not too hard to follow as long as you're used to rapid-cut editing. This isn't really a show to have on in the background while you're folding laundry.
And it is intense. The story twists, turns and jumps in some surprising ways and lands a few big shockers, too.
The characters and their relationships are enough to keep viewers entertained, although it should be noted that these are, almost without exception, amoral people. Almost every one is capable of doing some pretty despicable things to get what he or she wants or needs.
It's all pretty over-the-top, not surprising coming from Shonda Rhimes, the woman behind Scandal and Grey's Anatomy.
Extras? There are nine deleted scenes, a three-minute blooper reel and a comically odd "Bye, Felicia," music video starring McGorry as Asher. The most content-rich is a 15-minute typical "how this show was made and cast" featurette called "First Year Law."
New this week: Criminal Minds, Season 10; Elementary, Season 3; The Good Wife, Season 6; King of the Hill, Season 11; The Mindy Project, Season 3; Portlandia, Season 5; Revenge, Season 4; The Walking Dead, Season 5.
Next week: Castle, Season 7; Chicago Fire, Season 3; Chicago PD, Season 2; The Cosby Show, Complete Series; Good Times, Complete Series; Hawaii Five-0, Season 5; The League, Season 6; Madam Secretary, Season 1; Nashville, Season 3; New Girl, Season 4; The Originals, Season 2; The Partridge Family, Complete Series; Scorpion, Season 1; The Vampire Diaries, Season 6.
Style on 08/23/2015