The sixth and final season of the American television drama series How to Get Away with Murder premiered on September 26, 2019, and concluded on May 14, 2020.[1] Ordered in May 2019 by ABC,[2][3] the season consisted of fifteen episodes, like its predecessors, due to a deal made with Viola Davis that the series would be limited to only 15 or 16 episodes per season.[4]
How to Get Away with Murder | |
---|---|
Season 6 | |
![]() Promotional poster | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 15 |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release | September 26, 2019 May 14, 2020 | –
Season chronology | |
Cast and characters
Main
- Viola Davis as Annalise Keating
- Billy Brown as Nate Lahey
- Jack Falahee as Connor Walsh
- Rome Flynn as Gabriel Maddox
- Aja Naomi King as Michaela Pratt
- Matt McGorry as Asher Millstone
- Conrad Ricamora as Oliver Hampton
- Amirah Vann as Tegan Price
- Charlie Weber as Frank Delfino
- Liza Weil as Bonnie Winterbottom
Recurring
- Marsha Stephanie Blake as Vivian Maddox
- William R. Moses as Lanford, an FBI special agent
- Jennifer Jalene as Avery Norris, an FBI agent
- Tom Verica as Sam Keating
- Ray Campbell as Solomon Vick
- Kelen Coleman as Chloe Millstone
- Gerardo Celasco as Xavier Castillo
- Mercedes Mason as Cora Duncan
- Cas Anvar as Robert Hsieh
- Quei Tann as Peyton Osborn
- Jennifer Parsons as Lydia Millstone
- Deborah Levin as Sara Gordon / Denise Pullock
- Lauren Bowles as Deanna Montes, an assistant United States attorney
- Kathleen York as Martha Vitkay, a judge
- Esai Morales as Jorge Castillo
- Laura Innes as Lynne Birkhead, the governor of Pennsylvania
- Cicely Tyson as Ophelia Harkness
- Karla Souza as Laurel Castillo
Guest
- Emily Bergl as Sally
- Kathleen Quinlan as Britt
- Beverly Todd as Donna Fitzgerald
- Sam Anderson as Thomas Fitzgerald
- Jessica Marie Garcia as Rhonda Navarro
- Natalia del Riego as Marisol Diaz
- Oscar Daniel Reyez as Hector Diaz
- Dijon Talton as Ravi
- Tess Harper as Sheila Miller
- Teya Patt as Paula Gladden
- Alfred Enoch as Christopher Castillo
- Cynthia Stevenson as Pam Walsh
- D.W. Moffett as Jeff Walsh
- Anne-Marie Johnson as Kendra Strauss
- Dante Verica as young Gabriel Maddox
- Jamie McShane as Lennox, a United States attorney
- Marc Grapey as Floyd Bishop
- Gwendolyn Mulamba as Celestine Harkness
- Famke Janssen as Eve Rothlo
Episodes
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [5] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
76 | 1 | "Say Goodbye" | Stephen Cragg | Sarah L. Thompson | September 26, 2019 | 2.43[6] |
77 | 2 | "Vivian's Here" | Mike Smith | Michael Russo | October 3, 2019 | 2.56[7] |
78 | 3 | "Do You Think I'm a Bad Man?" | Catriona McKenzie | Daniel Robinson | October 10, 2019 | 2.23[8] |
79 | 4 | "I Hate the World" | Scott Printz | Matthew Cruz | October 17, 2019 | 2.10[9] |
80 | 5 | "We're All Gonna Die" | Felix Alcala | Sara Rose Feinberg | October 24, 2019 | 2.25[10] |
81 | 6 | "Family Sucks" | Laura Innes | Vanessa James Benton | October 31, 2019 | 2.16[11] |
82 | 7 | "I'm the Murderer" | Lily Mariye | Laurence Andries | November 7, 2019 | 2.21[12] |
83 | 8 | "I Want to Be Free" | Alrick Riley | Hadi Nicholas Deeb | November 14, 2019 | 2.28[13] |
84 | 9 | "Are You the Mole?" | Stephen Cragg | Maisha Closson | November 21, 2019 | 2.16[14] |
85 | 10 | "We're Not Getting Away With It" | Sheelin Choksey | Tess Leibowitz | April 2, 2020 | 2.91[15] |
86 | 11 | "The Reckoning" | DeMane Davis | Inda Craig-Galván | April 9, 2020 | 2.78[16] |
87 | 12 | "Let's Hurt Him" | Janice Cooke | Daniel Robinson & Matthew Cruz | April 16, 2020 | 2.81[17] |
88 | 13 | "What If Sam Wasn't the Bad Guy This Whole Time?" | Dawn Wilkinson | Ricardo C. Lira | April 30, 2020 | 2.77[18] |
89 | 14 | "Annalise Keating Is Dead" | John Terlesky | Sarah L. Thompson & Tess Leibowitz | May 7, 2020 | 2.69[19] |
90 | 15 | "Stay" | Stephen Cragg | Peter Nowalk | May 14, 2020 | 3.20[20] |
Production
Development
ABC renewed How to Get Away with Murder for a sixth season on May 10, 2019.[2] After initial rumoring, it was announced on July 11, 2019, that the series would end with the upcoming season.[3]
Writing
Besides the plans of following up with the previous season's cliffhanger on the whereabouts of Laurel Castillo and her son, other storylines are intended to be depicted in the sixth season, including Tegan Price's past, Michaela's father and his relationship to Annalise, and Vivian Maddox's life and background.[21] According to series creator Peter Nowalk, "Every crime [that's been committed] will come up for grabs, be answered for, and will have to be paid for" and "each character will have to decide what they're willing to do and to see if they're willing to sell other people out."[22]
According to TVLine, a different mystery will be introduced by the end of the season premiere. "There will still be a flash forward in the first episode," Nowalk shared. "It's a mystery that's really big, the biggest one we've done. It makes us get on a high-speed train [headed] toward the end of the show." In the meantime, Annalise is "in bad shape" following Laurel's disappearance, and Nowalk says "we're going to see what Annalise's version of falling apart is". Plus, the FBI's ongoing investigation into Annalise and company "is front and center". Nowalk teases, "They know a lot, clearly. The question is, do they have the evidence to finally charge them? And who are they going to charge?" Additionally, one of Michaela's birth parents will come into the picture in a storyline that Nowalk describes as "very twisty, but also very emotional and surprising. I don't think the parent is going to be anyone you would expect."[23]
Casting
For the sixth season, Timothy Hutton left the starring cast after his character's death.[24] Karla Souza, who had portrayed Laurel Castillo since the series' inception, also exited the main cast, coinciding with Laurel and her son's disappearances in the previous season's finale.[25]
In an interview with TV Insider, Nowalk revealed that Marsha Stephanie Blake would guest star in the season in a "great mystery role",[22] later revealed to be that of Sam's ex-lover and Gabriel's mother, Vivian Maddox.[26] In October 2019, Cas Anvar joined the supporting cast as Robert Hsieh, "an in-house lawyer of a popular dating app".[27] In January 2020, it was announced that Lauren Bowles had been cast as Assistant U.S. Attorney Montes.[28] In March 2020, Anne-Marie Johnson was cast as Kendra Strauss, a "chic, high-powered defense attorney", and Cicely Tyson's return was announced.[29]
Reception
Critical response
Reviewing the first episode, Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly complimented Viola Davis's performance, writing, "We will never get tired of watching her deliver week after week. To be honest, it’s probably what we’ll miss most about the show."[30] The A.V. Club's Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya gave the first episode a "B+" rating, stating "It would make sense for [the series] to go fully off the rails one last time in its final season, especially as it attempts to weave together every story that's still open. But maybe this will finally be the season that the show doesn't lose itself in its own madness."[31]
Ratings
No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Say Goodbye" | September 26, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 2.43[6] | 0.6 | 1.98 | 1.2 | 4.41[32] |
2 | "Vivian's Here" | October 3, 2019 | 0.5/3 | 2.56[7] | 0.6 | 1.85 | 1.1 | 4.41[33] |
3 | "Do You Think I'm a Bad Man?" | October 10, 2019 | 0.5/3 | 2.23[8] | 0.6 | 1.79 | 1.1 | 4.02[34] |
4 | "I Hate the World" | October 17, 2019 | 0.4/2 | 2.10[9] | 0.6 | 1.76 | 1.0 | 3.86[35] |
5 | "We're All Gonna Die" | October 24, 2019 | 0.5/3 | 2.25[10] | 0.5 | 1.76 | 1.0 | 4.01[36] |
6 | "Family Sucks" | October 31, 2019 | 0.4/2 | 2.16[11] | 0.5 | 1.71 | 0.9 | 3.86[37] |
7 | "I'm the Murderer" | November 7, 2019 | 0.4/2 | 2.21[12] | 0.6 | 1.92 | 1.0 | 4.13[38] |
8 | "I Want to Be Free" | November 14, 2019 | 0.5/2 | 2.28[13] | 0.5 | 1.73 | 1.0 | 4.01[39] |
9 | "Are You the Mole?" | November 21, 2019 | 0.4/2 | 2.16[14] | 0.6 | 1.72 | 1.0 | 3.88[40] |
10 | "We're Not Getting Away With It" | April 2, 2020 | 0.6/3 | 2.91[15] | 0.6 | 1.78 | 1.2 | 4.70[41] |
11 | "The Reckoning" | April 9, 2020 | 0.6/3 | 2.78[16] | 0.5 | 1.75 | 1.1 | 4.53[42] |
12 | "Let's Hurt Him" | April 16, 2020 | 0.6/3 | 2.81[17] | 0.5 | 1.57 | 1.1 | 4.38[43] |
13 | "What If Sam Wasn't the Bad Guy This Whole Time?" | April 30, 2020 | 0.6/4 | 2.77[18] | 0.6 | 1.78 | 1.2 | 4.54[44] |
14 | "Annalise Keating Is Dead" | May 7, 2020 | 0.5/3 | 2.69[19] | 0.6 | 1.70 | 1.1 | 4.39[45] |
15 | "Stay" | May 14, 2020 | 0.7/4 | 3.20[20] | 0.5 | 1.71 | 1.2 | 4.91[46] |
References
- ^ "How to Get Away with Murder (abc) listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (May 10, 2019). "'How To Get Away With Murder' Renewed For Season 6 By ABC". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (July 11, 2019). "'How To Get Away With Murder' To End With Season 6 On ABC". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
- ^ "'How To Get Away With Murder' & 'Black-Ish': Full-Season Orders At ABC - Deadline". Deadline Hollywood. October 9, 2014. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
- ^ "How to Get Away with Murder (ABC) Listings". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (September 27, 2019). "'Young Sheldon' adjusts up, 'A Million Little Things' and 'Evil' adjust down: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (October 4, 2019). "Thursday Night Football adjusts up, 'A Million Little Things' adjusts down: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 5, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (October 11, 2019). "'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Evil' adjust up: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (October 18, 2019). "'Young Sheldon' and 'Legacies' adjust up, 'How to Get Away with Murder' adjusts down: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (October 25, 2019). "'Law & Order: SVU' adjusts down: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (November 1, 2019). "NFL adjusts up, 'The Good Place' adjusts down: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (November 8, 2019). "Chargers vs. Raiders adjusts up: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 8, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (November 15, 2019). "Thursday Night Football and 'Superstore' adjust up: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Rejent, Joseph (November 22, 2019). "'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Legacies,' and 'Law & Order: SVU' adjust up: Thursday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (April 4, 2020). "Thursday Final Ratings: Season-Bests for All Time Slots in CBS Prime Time Featuring 'Man with a Plan' Return and 'Broke' Debut". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (April 10, 2020). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Station 19' on ABC Hits New Series-Highs in Total Viewers and Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (April 17, 2020). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Disney Family Singalong' Dominates and Scores ABC's Best Time Slot Performance of the Season Among Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (May 1, 2020). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Parks & Recreation' Special Posts NBC's Best Adults 18-49 Rating in Time Slot with Sitcom Programming in Three Years". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (May 9, 2020). "Thursday Final Ratings: ABC and CBS Share Top Prime Time Honors". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020.
- ^ a b Pucci, Douglas (May 15, 2020). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'How to Get Away with Murder' on ABC Delivers its Best Figures in More Than One Year with Series Finale". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020.
- ^ Nowalk, Pete. "Week 2 in writers room and we have answers. #htgawm #season6 #buckleup (@peternowalk)". Instagram. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Maloney, Michael. "'How To Get Away With Murder' Casts 'When They See Us' Marsha Stephanie Blake for Season 6". TV Insider. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ Webb Mitovitch, Matt. "Fall TV Preview 2019: Spoilers on 37 Returning Favorites". TV Line. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ "ABC's 'How to Get Away with Murder' Concludes With a Killer Sixth Season" (Press release). United States: ABC. July 11, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (September 27, 2019). "How to Get Away With Murder Final Season Twist: Original Cast Member Quietly Exits as Series Regular". TVLine. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- ^ Iannucci, Rebeca (October 3, 2019). "HTGAWM Recap: Dirty Little Secret". TVLine. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Petski, Denise (October 11, 2019). "'How To Get Away With Murder' Casts Cas Anvar; Raymond Lee Joins 'Prodigal Son'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (January 24, 2020). "HTGAWM Season 6 Adds True Blood's Lauren Bowles for Final Episodes". TVLine. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (March 26, 2020). "'How To Get Away With Murder': Anne-Marie Johnson To Recur, Cicely Tyson Returning For Final Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (September 26, 2019). "'How to Get Away with Murder' premiere recap: Let the past die. Kill it if you have to". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ Upadhyaya, Kayla Kumari (September 26, 2019). "At the beginning of the end, How To Get Away With Murder plays to its strengths". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
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