It's probably safe to say that most of us have already been watching Scandal, correct? Personally, I binge-watched the first three seasons this summer. It was a sick addiction, but I just needed to be caught up before the season 4 premiere.
Little did I know that the show to really catch my interest on that infamous fall premiere night was actually the series premiere of How to Get Away With Murder, immediately following Scandal (which in comparison, I found sub-par at best. Sorry, Olivia Pope).
There are numerous reasons as to why I was immediately enamored with this show. First, it combines two of my very things to watch play out on a screen: law and crime. One of the scenes in the premiere might as well be straight out of Legally Blonde, and the show continuously follows a "whodunit?" plot throughout the season thus far, as well as featuring different criminal cases every episode. With, of course, always stellar plot twists.
It's also another prime example of a beautiful, strong, incredibly smart woman of color kicking butt and taking names, and making everyone around her look like fools in comparison. In an interview with Hollywood Life, Davis says about her character, "Annalise is very much a 21st century woman...she has a tough exterior. That’s what gets her through life, that’s what makes her successful, that’s what gives her those leadership qualities."
I truly do still love Olivia Pope, but Professor Annalise Keating kinda blows her out of the water at this point. I become more and more aware of the inequalities in television and media every day, and it makes me so immensely happy that ABC now has not just one, but two awesome shows with leading ladies who aren't your stereotypical white skinny blonde.
Another way the show shows its diversity is with its character, Connor Walsh, played by Jack Falahee (oh, by the way, he's gorgeous). His character is revealed to be gay about halfway through the premiere, but what's awesome about the revelation is that it, well, isn't one. There's no big discussion, no huge coming-out with dissent from his classmates. It's just who he is, which shows an incredible display of self-confidence and assurance. Falahee has said in interviews that one of his favorite parts about the character is the fact that his being gay is not a storyline, but rather just a fact of life. On the show, it's Connor's ego and cunning way of finding information to help solves cases that makes his character, as it should be.
Finally, another reason you should love the show is Alfred Enoch. Aka, the kid actor from Harry Potter who played adorable Dean Thomas. He's back and he's hot, even sans the English accent. Sure, he looks perpetually confused, but he may have helped murder someone. So it kind of makes sense for him to always look mildly distraught.
Make sure to tune into How to Get Away With Murder at 10PM on ABC, right after Scandal, on Thursday nights. You won't regret it! Jump on the bandwagon before it takes off without you.
