Since its debut on ABC in 2014, How to Get Away With Murder has been captivating audiences with its evocative storytelling and characters. Some viewers are intrigued by the drama, others by the precise writing. Some may even just be looking for an instructional video on how to get away with murder. If you’re in the latter group, don’t put up your hand – it’ll blow your cover.
The issue of today’s modern addiction to binge-watching a show in its entirety is that you’re sometimes left without any more episodes, and itching for more content. You have two choices: you can either find another program to satiate your desires, or rewatch the whole thing in French. We’ve got a list of a few substitutes for the first option. Should you opt for the latter, we say simply, je nes comprends pas.
Scandal
6 Shows Like How to Get Away With Murder
If you’re in the market for a similar program to How to Get Away with Murder, it is definitely worth delving deeper into the catalog of Shonda Rhimes, the show’s producer, who was also responsible for such hits as Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. In Scandal, Kerry Washington plays Olivia Pope, former White House staffer and head of the crisis management firm, Olivia Pope & Associates (you may also recognize her from her recent guest appearance).
With her previous experience working for the President, she keeps a finger on the pulse of D.C.’s elite, and has dirt on absolutely everyone, whether it’s related to an affair, murder or something else appropriately sumptuous. If you’re wary of too much political jargon and maneuvering cluttering things up, you can rest easy knowing that it is more of a backdrop than a major element. The primary focus of this show is on the characters, and the human drama that ensues. They’re smart, they’re sexy, they’re aspirational, they’re dangerous. Sound familiar? It should, it describes most of Rhimes’ products.
Now in its seventh season, the show took something of a tailspin in 2014, at least by the accounts of most fans. Despite this, it dominated the Nielsen ratings up until last year, and is well worth a watch if you’re keen on some snappy dialogue.
The Catch
6 Shows Like How to Get Away With Murder
Another Rhimes brainchild, The Catch is a comedy first, drama (distant) second, but that doesn’t discredit its viability on the storytelling front. It centers on private investigator Alice Vaughan (Mireille Enos), who falls victim to fraud at the hands of her fiancé (Peter Krause). Between her cases, she attempts to unravel his deception and clear her name. The tenuous balance between trying to juggle the chaos of her life makes for engrossing and funny content, and as the sheer scope of the situation is revealed, each new chapter becomes more addictive than the last.
The myriad of plot twists that surface keeps viewers on their toes, but for some, the casting of the show’s central pair never quite clicked, and the tone took a definite turn towards playful levity in its second season. Canceled before we could see a third, it nevertheless serves as another example of what has made Rhimes famous, and for that reason, is likely to delight fans of How to Get Away With Murder.
Suits
6 Shows Like How to Get Away With Murder
You want sexy lawyers? We’ll give you sexy lawyers, dammit!
A pristine example of the excess of the American dream, Suits pairs a cocky high-powered attorney (Gabriel Macht) with a brilliant college dropout (Patrick J. Adams) who impresses him with his legal knowledge during an incidental meeting. It oozes style with its snappy presentation and witty banter, and this is what keeps things chugging along.
Indeed, the fact that they’re lawyers is almost incidental at times, with Adams’ character’s troubled past and associations with drug dealers making for more entertaining plot elements than anything that happens in the courtroom. Basically, it’s a pithy show about rich white people, a framework that could be found in anything from Billions to Gossip Girl. The impetus is to make these characters likable, despite our every urge to loathe them for their flippancy.
Does it hit this mark? Not always, though it at least does an admirable job of masking this with its unflappable sense of style.
State of Affairs
6 Shows Like How to Get Away With Murder
A political drama focussing on a CIA analyst’s daily briefing for the President, State of Affairs never really got a fair shake of the stick. Lambasted by critics for Katherine Heigl’s unyielding lead character and somewhat plodding pace, the show was axed after just one season. There is a lot of untapped potential underneath that veil of mediocrity, however, and though Alfre Woodard is underutilized as the President, her performance alone makes for compelling content.
If nothing else, State of Affairs serves as a template of how an otherwise promising show can be hamstrung by major issues in its first season. It holds several similarities with the tone of How to Get Away With Murder, albeit without the spark that was needed for success. It tried its darnedest, and the premise holds merit, but it misjudged its audience.
It was received a little better by viewers, though most agreed that it needs to be watched with a degree of leniency to gloss over its flaws. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot – after all, there’s only 13 episodes to get through if it’s not to your liking.
Dexter
6 Shows Like How to Get Away With Murder
How to get away with murder, you ask? This guy right here is a pretty good example. Unlike most of the other entries on this list, Dexter is less a legal drama than a cop show, but the diabolical twist is what keeps it fresh. As you surely know by now, it focuses on the titular character, a blood splatter analyst with Miami P.D. who also dabbles in the fine art of brutally killing people for fun. Trying to adhere to a moral code, he only targets criminals who ‘deserve it,’ and with his intimate knowledge of crime scenes and meticulous attention to detail, he makes for the perfect homicidal maniac.
The first season is one of television’s finest, with its seamless blend of irreverent charm and grim brutality. Its roster of characters all serve a distinct purpose, and by and large, are genuinely likable – reasonable facsimiles of people we all know in our own daily lives. It peaks, many would agree, in season four, impeccably casting John Lithgow as the major antagonist. The back and forth between himself and Michael C. Hall is absolutely exquisite, and could have served well as the series climax. Unfortunately, they wrote themselves into a corner in the last two seasons, and the clumsy attempts at righting the ship are hard to watch. The final episode is unspectacular, but feels like a merciful end for this dying beast. Forgive it this trespass, however, and you’re in for a wild ride.
Desperate Housewives
6 Shows Like How to Get Away With Murder
Lower that cocked eyebrow, you sassy minx. Yes, at its heart, Desperate Housewives is a cheesy soap opera, with scandals and surprises that sometimes defy belief. However, it’s so incredibly clever right from its opening scene, drawing you in and keeping you hooked. From there, it relies on the strength of its cast more than its writing, with characters falling in and out of favor as each new layer is unveiled. It doesn’t require a great deal of thought to follow all of the moving pieces, but can certainly serve as a bit of indulgence. Kyle MacLachlan dazzles, as always, but that probably goes without saying.
Also to its credit, the show never really runs out of steam until its final throes, with its bold season five gambit – jumping ahead several years in the timeline – proving an effective reboot, instead of a desperate (no pun intended) attempt at grabbing cheap headlines. About its only drawback, and this is a debatable criticism, is that the occasional attempts at adding more members to the core group of Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria never quite feels right. In much the same way that tampering with your closest friendship circles can come with unforeseen baggage, the rotating fifth feels invasive, even unwelcome. This could be considered a credit to the chemistry the four actresses have with one another more than anything else.
Alternatively, we also recommend Passions, because Tabitha is the single greatest character to ever grace our screens. Juliet Mills, you are a treasure.
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