How to Get Away with Murder is an American drama television series that premiered on ABC on September 25, 2014. The series was created by Peter Nowalk, and produced by Shonda Rhimes and ABC Studios. Viola Davis stars as Annalise Keating, a law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university who, with five of her students, becomes entwined in a murder plot. The series features an ensemble cast with Alfred Enoch, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, and Karla Souza as Keating's students, Charlie Weber and Liza Weil as her employees and Billy Brown as a detective with the Philadelphia Police Department, and Annalise's lover. From the third season onward, Conrad Ricamora was added to the main cast after recurring heavily in the previous two seasons. Following is a list of characters who have appeared over the various seasons since the drama's premiere.

Overview Actor Character Appearances 1 2 3 4 5 6Main charactersViola Davis Annalise Keating colspan=6 Billy Brown Nate Lahey colspan=6 Jack Falahee Connor Walsh colspan=6 Aja Naomi King Michaela Pratt colspan=6 Matt McGorry Asher Millstone colspan=6 Charlie Weber Frank Delfino colspan=6 Liza Weil Bonnie Winterbottom colspan=6 Karla Souza Laurel Castillo colspan=5 colspan=1 Alfred Enoch Wes Gibbins colspan=3 Katie Findlay Rebecca Sutter colspan=4 Conrad RicamoraOliver Hampton colspan=2 colspan=4 Amirah Vann Tegan Price colspan=3 colspan=2 Rome Flynn Gabriel Maddox colspan=3 colspan=2 Timothy Hutton Emmett Crawford colspan=4 colspan=1 colspan=1 Recurring charactersTom Verica Sam Keating colspan=2 colspan=3 Megan West Lila Stangard colspan=5 Alysia Reiner Wendy Parks colspan=5 Lenny Platt Griffin O'Reilly colspan=5 Lynn Whitfield Mary Walker colspan=5 Arjun Gupta Kan colspan=5 April Parker Jones Claire Bryce colspan=5 Marcia Gay Harden Hannah Keating colspan=4 Tamlyn Tomita Carol Morrow colspan=5 John Posey William Millstone colspan=4 Sarah Burns Emily Sinclair colspan=4 Esai Morales Jorge Castillo Cicely Tyson Ophelia Harkness colspan=5 Benito Martinez Todd Denver colspan=3 colspan=2 Kendrick Sampson Caleb Hapstall colspan=4 Amy Okuda Catherine Hapstall colspan=4 Matt Cohen Levi Wescott colspan=4 Jefferson White Philip Jessup colspan=4 Famke Janssen Eve Rothlo colspan=2 Adam Arkin Wallace Mahoney colspan=4 Kelsey Scott Rose Edmond colspan=3 Issac Ryan Brown Christophe Edmond colspan=3 Jennifer Parsons Lydia Millstone colspan=3 Corbin Reid Meggy Travers colspan=2 colspan=3 Milauna Jackson Renee Atwood colspan=2 colspan=3 Matthew Risch Thomas colspan=2 colspan=3 Dameon Clarke John Mumford colspan=2 colspan=3 Gloria Garayua Davis colspan=2 colspan=3 Lauren Vélez Soraya Hargrove colspan=2 colspan=2 L. Scott Caldwell Jasmine Bromelle colspan=2 colspan=2 Behzad Dabu Simon Drake colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 Nicholas Gonzalez Dominick Flores colspan=2 colspan=2 Jimmy Smits Isaac Roa colspan=3 colspan=2 Lolita Davidovich Sandrine Castillo colspan=3 colspan=2 John Hensley Ronald Miller colspan=3 colspan=2 Glynn Turman Nate Lahey Sr. colspan=3 colspan=2 Melinda Page Hamilton Claire Telesco colspan=3 Tamberla Perry Theresa Hoff colspan=4 Jessica Marie Garcia Rhonda Navarro colspan=4 Elizabeth Morton Julie Winterbottom colspan=4 Laura Innes Governor Lynne Birkhead colspan=4 colspan=2 Cynthia Stevenson Pam Walsh colspan=4 Terrell Clayton Jeffrey Sykes colspan=4 William R. Moses Special Agent Lanford colspan=4 colspan=2 Gerardo Celasco Xavier Castillo colspan=4 Marsha Stephanie Blake Vivian Maddox colspan=5 Jennifer Jalene Agent Avery Norris colspan=5 Ray Campbell Solomon Vick colspan=5 Kelen Coleman Chloe Millstone colspan=5 Mercedes Mason Cora Duncan colspan=5 Cas Anvar Robert Hsieh colspan=5 Quei Tann Peyton Osborn colspan=5 Deborah Levin Sara Gordon / Denise Pullock colspan=5 Lauren Bowles AUSA Deanna Montes colspan=5 Kathleen York Judge Martha Vitkay colspan=5 Guest charactersSteven Weber Max St. Vincent colspan=1 colspan=5 Ana Ortiz Paula Murphy colspan=1 colspan=5 Elliot Knight Aiden Walker colspan=1 colspan=5 Elizabeth Perkins Marren Trudeau colspan=1 colspan=5 Michelle Hurd Amanda Winthrop colspan=1 colspan=5 Tom Everett Scott Andrew Crawford colspan=1 colspan=5 Joan McMurtrey Helena Hapstall colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=4 Sherri Saum Tanya Randolph colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=4 Enuka Okuma Nia Lahey colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=4 Alexandra Billings Jill Hartford colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=4 Wilson Bethel Charles Mahoney colspan=1 colspan=2 colspan=3 Roxanne Hart Sylvia Mahoney colspan=1 colspan=2 colspan=3 Emily Swallow Lisa Cameron colspan=1 colspan=2 colspan=3 Roger Robinson Mac Harkness colspan=1 colspan=3 colspan=2 Gwendolyn Mulamba Celestine Harkness colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=1 colspan=1 Amy Madigan Irene Crawley colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=3 Brett Butler Trishelle Pratt colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=3 Mark L. Taylor Vince Levin colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=3 Mary J. Blige Ro colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=3 Brian Tyree Henry Frank's Police Defender colspan=2 colspan=1 colspan=3 Yolonda Ross Claudia colspan=2 colspan=2 colspan=2 Julius Tennon Desmond colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Stephanie Faracy Ellen Freeman colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Marianne Jean-Baptiste Virginia Cross colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Cristine Rose Wenona Sansbury colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Kathryn Erbe Jacqueline Roa colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Oded Fehr Chase colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Kerry Washington Olivia Pope colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Cornelius Smith Jr. Marcus Walker colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Tom Irwin Spivey colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 Sharon Lawrence Ingrid Egan colspan=3 colspan=1 colspan=2 D.W. Moffett Jeff Walsh colspan=3 colspan=3 Jim Abele Ted Walsh colspan=3 colspan=2 Mia Katigbak Joanna Hampton colspan=4 coslpan=1 Heidi Sulzman Molly Keener colspan=4 coslpan=1 Teya Patt Paula Gladden colspan=4 colspan=2 Dante Verica Young Gabriel Maddox colspan=4 colspan=2 Tess Harper Sheila Miller colspan=4 colspan=2 Emily Bergl Sally colspan=5 Kathleen Quinlan Britt colspan=5 Beverly Todd Donna Fitzgerald colspan=5 Sam Anderson Thomas Fitzgerald colspan=5 Natalia del Riego Marisol Diaz colspan=5 Oscar Daniel Reyez Hector Diaz colspan=5 Dijon Halton Ravi colspan=5 Anne-Marie Johnson Kendra Strauss colspan=5 Jamie McShane U.S. Attorney Lennox colspan=5 Marc Grapey Floyd Bishop colspan=5

Main characters Annalise Keating

Born Anna Mae Harkness, Annalise Keating (portrayed by Viola Davis) is a high-profile Philadelphia-based criminal defense attorney and law professor at the fictional Middleton University. Annalise is an emotionally troubled woman capable of anything to get what she wants and to protect those she loves. Annalise has been romantically involved with Nate Lahey — although she used him multiple times as a backup — and her college sweetheart Eve Rothlo. In the first season, Annalise selects a group of her best students to work at her firm. The body of a student who has been missing for months, Lila Stangard, is found in the water tank of her house by a repairman. Annalise eventually gets involved in the accidental murder of her husband Sam Keating, co-caused by four of her students. In the aftermath of Sam's death, the four students come together to burn Sam's body during a university party and throw his remains in the trash. Their plan is flawed, and the police end up finding the remains and an investigation is initiated.

The second season deals with Annalise's case of Caleb and Catherine Hapstall, and their alleged involvement in the death of their adoptive parents. In the mid-season finale, Emily Sinclair is murdered, and Annalise helps cover it up, at the expense of her being shot in the stomach by Wes. Wes Gibbins — who, during a while, was considered Annalise's favorite — starts an investigation around his mother's suicide ten years ago, and it is revealed from flashbacks how involved Annalise was with Wes' mother's suicide. The season ends with Annalise finding out that it was Frank that was responsible for her being in a car accident and losing her baby, and Annalise sends him away.

During the third season, Annalise restarts teaching Criminal Law in a pro bono clinic and her students being defense attorneys, each one proving their cases to be the representation. However, Annalise's position at the university is threatened, after an unknown person is targeting her with a series of flyers identifying her as a killer. Frank has also gone missing with Annalise and Nate trying to find him, while the murder of Wallace Mahoney is still under investigation. In the mid-season finale, Annalise is arrested after Wes' corpse has been retrieved from her burning house. However, Nate discovers that Wes was already dead before the fire started. The season later focuses on the investigation about Wes' death, and the identity of his murderer. While Annalise is having a hard time in jail, tensions rise within the remaining Keating 4, as they do not agree to consider if Annalise is really guilty or being framed. Soon, it appears the DA's office wants to keep Annalise in prison at any cost, so Bonnie and Frank team up to save her and eventually manage to get her free. She pins the murders on a deceased Wes thanks to a phone call he placed moments before his death. Days later, she writes recommendation letters to Connor, Michaela, Asher, Laurel, and Bonnie in order to let them go from her and the law clinic. She gets her license back after being caught with alcohol in her blood and also starts visiting a therapist, Isaac Roa.

During the sixth season, Annalise is investigated and tried for the various deaths that have happened around her, particularly Sam Keating's. In flash-forwards, Annalise is shown to have died under unknown circumstances with a funeral being held in her honor. Ultimately, Annalise is exonerated of all charges after an impassioned closing statement in which she confesses her faults and the crimes she did commit over her career and shows everyone who she truly is for the first time. It's shown that after her exoneration, Annalise lived a long life with Teagen before eventually dying of old age with many of her friends and former students attending her funeral. After Annalise's death, Christopher Castillo takes over her old law class at Middleton and renames it How to Get Away with Murder in Annalise's honor, seeing her amongst the students for a moment before she vanishes.

For her performance, Davis won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015. The role also won her two SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, and one NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, as well as two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Drama.

Nate Lahey Nathaniel Nate Lahey Jr. (portrayed by Billy Brown) is a shrewd, fair and entitled detective with the Philadelphia Police Department who is having an affair with Annalise. Nate is married to Nia, who was diagnosed with cancer prior to the series' beginning.

In the first season, Nate serves as strength for Annalise when the latter is having a hard time. He investigates the night Sam Keating left town for a conference—the same night Lila died—and discovers he went to Yale University and returned to Philadelphia during exactly the same time Lila was killed. Nate omits that fact from Annalise, but eventually reveals to her when they have a fight. By the end of the first season, Nate is charged for Sam's murder.

In the second season, Annalise arranges lawyer and her ex-lover Eve Rothlo to take Nate's case. Nia dies, not before having an awkward conversation with Annalise. Nate is released from his charges; however, he is accused of giving Nia pills so she can die the way she wanted to. He is once again represented by Rothlo. He is eventually released and helps Annalise with the murder of Emily Sinclair.