How To Get Away With Murder - Pilot - Review: "Stunning"

At SpoilerTV, we see a lot of series pilots from many networks. There's often some great discussion between the team that you readers never see surrounding those pilots.

SpoilerTV's Babar Suhail was the only team member to get an early look at the pilot for How To Get Away With Murder. Cue the jealousy from myself and others, who, like almost everyone else, saw the pilot for the first time last night on ABC.

But boy, was the wait worth it or what? Last night's stunning premiere episode ranks among the top series premieres I've ever seen, and that seems to be the consensus among you readers who shared their thoughts on the episode's opinion poll.

Right from the start, ABC leveraged the reputation of Academy Award nominee Viola Davis in selling the series to audiences. ABC even altered their flagship Thursday night lineup to give How To Get Away With Murder the best possible start. But, as many other series have proven in the past, all the promotion and scheduling in the world will not retain and add viewers unless the series itself is up to scratch.

I think it's safe to say that the initial signs are very much in the green. The pilot had everything and more I require to hook me, line and sinker included. The casting was excellent, as was the writing, directing, acting and storyline. We got a surprisingly revealing glimpse into the characters and the backstory - something you rarely see until the first few episodes, or, in many cases, not until a season finale.

But things get even better. It's becoming increasingly prevalent in the serialized drama genre to integrate a deep backstory and/or timeshifing into a storyline. How To Get Away With Murder absolutely nailed both aspects. The flash forwards and flashbacks were executed with a degree of precision I haven't seen before. Moreover, revealing so much so early using timeshifing leaves the viewer with a plentiful supply of intriguing unanswered questions to carry them over the following 167 hours. At least, that's what it's like in my case.

Back to the cast and characters. Viola Davis leads the series playing Annalise Keating. Her performance in the pilot has cemented her among television's best female actors, but on top of that is her sheer presence on screen. The only other actor that meets that level of presence on screen is The Blacklist's James Spader. Davis did a stellar job portraying the emotions and vulnerabilities required of the character, but called on a completely different skill set in the classroom and courtroom scenes.

There is plenty of youth among the other lead roles. Alfred Enoch leads the students as Wes Gibbins in a very promising performance. The fellow student cast members, Karla Souza, Matt McGorry, and Aja Naomi King also bought their A game, and combined with Enoch, are a young cast who work really well together. Given last night's episode was just a series premiere, you'd be silly not to expect this group to improve further. The characters are very different, but share the resolve to do what's needed alongside some sort of moral compass. That's an enticing pair of traits.

As much as I'd love to, speculating on the direction of the storyline is very difficult. We do have two dead bodies, we know who they are, where they were hidden, and we know who disposed of one of them. I don't know about you, but that's plenty to ponder for now!

But one thing is for certain. A pilot of this caliber cannot be ignored. How To Get Away With Murder has lived up to the hype ABC gave it, and all the signs look very promising. Sit down, buckle up, and hold on tight!

Thanks a lot for reading. Be sure to share your thoughts and theories from the premiere of How To Get Away With Murder in the comments below. You can also keep an eye on How To Get Away With Murder's ratings on my television ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com/howtogetawaywithmurder.

Jimmy.

About the Author - Jimmy Ryan

Jimmy Ryan lives in New Zealand. He is an avid follower of drama television and has a keen interest for television ratings and statistics. Some of his favorite shows right now are Person of Interest, Scandal, House of Cards, Orphan Black, The Blacklist, The 100, and Castle. You can visit his television ratings website, www.seriesmonitor.com or follow him on Twitter, @SeriesMonitor.

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