Netflix scores exclusive rights to season one of How to Get Away With Murder

By Christine Persaud September 21, 2015

suicide squad jared leto viola davis — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Netflix has snagged exclusive worldwide streaming rights for the first season of the popular ABC show How to Get Away With Murder. It’s a big score, fresh off the heels of Viola Davis’ big Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for her role in the Shonda Rhimes-created show.

Netflix now has all episodes of the show, which follows brilliant yet troubled lawyer and university professor Annalise Keating (Davis) and her group of eager-to-please students. The episodes will be limited to the U.S., Canada, and Latin America for now. Episodes will be available in all remaining and future territories starting in Q4 2015 or 2016.

Sean Carey, Vice President of Global TV at Netflix, says the company is “excited to offer global audiences season one of How To Get Away With Murder, offering members a chance to discover it for the first time or relive the drama of season one before the new season’s premiere.”

How to Get Away With Murder, which sees life imitating art after her four key students must work to cover up an actual murder by using Keating’s teachings in criminal law, is ABC’s highest-rated new series as confirmed by Janice Marinelli, Disney-ABC’s President of Home Entertainment and Television Distribution. Davis’ win at last night’s Emmy Awards did more than just confirm the show’s strong standing in TV land, it also broke barriers, making Davis the first African-American woman to win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama series. In her emotional speech, Davis made reference to roles having not previously been available for women of color to win in the first place. It marked Davis’ second Emmy nomination, but her first win. She is also a twice-Oscar nominated actress, for Doubt and The Help.

Among the cast joining Davis in the show are Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter), Matt McGorry (Orange is the New Black), and Billy Brown (Dexter, Sons of Anarchy).

How to Get Away with Murder is executive-produced by the team behind other hits like Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, including Pete Nowalk, Shonda Rhimes, and Betsy Beers; as well as Bill D’Elia (Grey’s Anatomy, The West Wing.) The second season premieres this Thursday, September 24 on ABC.

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Christine Persaud

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Christine has decades of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started her career writing exclusively about…

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