Kriti Mehrotra
Crime Dramas are one of the most popular and in-demand genres when it comes to tv. With the three dimensional characters, the suspense involved, and the twists that seem to be there at every corner, audiences, more often than not, are hooked to a crime drama series from the get-go.
‘How to Get Away with Murder’ is one such series. Revolving around Professor Annalise Keating, a law teacher and a partner at an established law firm – portrayed by Viola Davis – who gets caught up in an anomalous murder plot along with some of her students, this series has managed to leave its audience speechless with intrigue at the end of every single episode.
Set in Philadelphia, ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ follows one of the most inspirational fictional characters – played by Viola Davis – and how she uses her intellect and law expertise to solve cases as well as cover up the crimes committed. Although the initial episodes seem a bit confusing due to timeline jumps, things become very clear as the series progresses and each episode is bound to have you hooked.
Is ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ Based on a True Story?
No, ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ is not based on a true story. Created by Peter Nowalk and produced by Shonda Rhymes (also known for Grey’s Anatomy), the series and Annalise Keating are completely fictional. In fact, Nowalk has even said that Viola Davis is also his collaborator, as she has helped him in creating the character of Annalise and formulating her backstory. However, the inspiration for several things depicted in the show is very real.
Although Annalise Keating isn’t a real person, she is a criminal law professor, and a criminal defense attorney, meaning that she is the one whose job it is to convince the jury that when someone has committed a crime, they aren’t really guilty. Her profession really does come handy in the series. Her bold personality and the way she carries herself in her professional environment is something that we can see in real-life when we look at successful lawyers.
Even the way Annalise teaches her students has a real-world inspiration. While putting them into high-stress level situations that they might face as lawyers make for an interesting scene, you have to look no further than a law classroom at a nearby college campus to see it happen first hand.
The only way a law student can actually become a lawyer is by practicing law. Yes, they need to study for hours and go through a lot of material of past cases, but they can only be good lawyers if they learn first hand what it is like in a courtroom. Of course, real-life law students are not going to the extremes that Annalise’s students do, but her way of teaching and the students sitting around discussing cases and scenarios are completely normal.
So, even though the series is not particularly based on a true story, it does give us a sneak peek into the lives of lawyers and law students and even has a lot of aspects from which we can learn from. If nothing, it is an amazing series that should be on everyone’s watch list.
Read More: Shows like How to Get Away With Murder
