Shonda Rhimes is at it again with the hit show, “How To Get Away With Murder.” The first episode aired Sept. 25, 2014 and was a huge success, with over 14 million views on the season premiere.

Starring Emmy award winning Viola Davis, this crime thriller is most definitely not a disappointment. Her performance was, and still is, raw and emotional. The season was described by Netflix as “a tough criminal law professor challenges her brightest students to solve thorny cases, but four scholars soon earn the high price of impressing her.” I thought the pilot was very interesting and it left me with lots of questions as to what will happen about the overall plot that plays out in the first episode.  The first season is on Netflix and the show is currently on its second season on ABC.  

The pilot starts out as a black screen with what appears to be toilet paper being tossed in the air by college students at a school bonfire. While this scene could be a bit confusing, throughout the first two minutes you get a good idea of what’s to occur in the upcoming episodes.

While watching the premiere, the overall plot of the show intriguing, and it left me wanting to know more. I’ve always enjoyed crime T.V. and discovering new shows is exciting. I always look for three main characteristics. These characteristics help me decide if I should keep watching or add it to my “never watch again” list.

The first thing I look at are the character’s personalities. Do I like them? Can I relate to them? Can I handle their personality? If I can answer “yes” then I continue watching. In this show I find the main characters somewhat relatable, through their distinct attributes, yet at times annoying. Although I find some of them obnoxious, such as Rebecca Sutter, it’s understandable as to why the writers chose each character’s specific personality.

Secondly, I think  “on a scale from one to ten how boring is it?” If I give it a one that means I can’t look away this is too good. Ten means that I’ve probably already hit the close tab and am now watching cat videos on Youtube. I would give this show a three. Some parts are full of drama while others not so much, but that’s to be expected with a lot of shows.

The third characteristic I look at is “whether it is easy to follow along or not?” If I get confused easily I will most likely stop watching because I don’t want to have to “think critically” about what’s going on while laying in bed at 12 a.m. There are flashbacks and flash forwards during the episodes but nothing that  exhausted, half-asleep, “midnight me” couldn’t handle. 

Throughout the episodes there are plenty of cliffhangers and unanswered questions that keep me wanting the next episode to be aired immediately. This is quite the thriller and I am excited for the upcoming episodes. Overall, I would say my three main characteristics are satisfied.