The How To Get Away With Murder cast comes from diverse TV and film backgrounds (HitFix)

The much-anticipated legal thriller hit the small screens a few weeks ago. To no one’s surprise, its premiere gained a lot of attention, with the show name even trending on Facebook. It was a hot topic among USC students especially as the pilot episode clearly shows it was filmed at USC, Middleton Law School being Bovard Auditorium. Something else look familiar? The cast on the show is actually recognizable for many people, as quite a few of them have appeared on successful TV shows and films.

Annalise Keating, played by Viola Davis

The award-winning actress takes on her role as an unrelenting defense attorney with admirable ease. She was an oscar nominee for Best Actress for her role as Aibileen Clark in “The Help,” in which she plays a stoic, but a caring maid and nanny who serves as a mother figure to Mae Mobley. IN HTGAWM, she returns as a fierce and glamorous defense attorney who shows no mercy when it comes to her job. She is what every student someday want to be, an unbeatable lawyer full of charisma.

Wes Gibbins, played by Alfred Enoch

The wide-eyed, curious law student Wes is the central character in this series. Harry Potter fans can probably recognize him from the seven out of eight films in the series he starred in. He played Dean Thomas, Harry’s friend on team Gryffindor. Several years later, he plays a naive, hopeful law student who gets exposed to the dark reality of the criminal justice system.

Asher Millstone, played by Matt McGorry

For Netflix fans, his face should ring a bell. He plays the charming corrections officer John Bennett in the Netflix original series “Orange Is The New Black." In this new series, he pulls out the overly formal blazers and a know-it-all attitude to play an entitled law student. He has also appeared in episodes of “Elementary”, “Gossip Girl”, “Royal Pains” and “Person of Interest.”

Rebecca Sutter, played by Katie Findlay

Rebecca Sutter at first appears to be a typical goth character, but she seems to have a deep secret about the killing of a popular female student. You may recognize her as Rosie Larsen in AMC’s series, “The Killing” and the center of a full-blown marketing campaign for its first season. She also plays the close friend of Carrie Bradshaw in CW’s “The Carrie Diaries,” a teen drama prequel to “Sex and the City.” Her inner vulnerability appears first when she makes a kind gesture towards Wes, and we expect to see her personality unravel slowly each episode.

Nate Lahey, played by Billy Brown

A tough Philadelphia detective, Nate is respected in the town and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Except Annalise Keating that is. Given she is just as serious about her job, she tricks him to lie in court when his job is at risk. This isn’t the first time he has taken on the detective role: he played lead detective Mike Anderson on “Dexter.” He also stars in “Sons of Anarchy” as a gang leader. 

Bonnie Winterbottom, played by Liza Weil

Weil plays the sweet and sympathetic associate of Annalise, giving hope that kind, patient criminal justice lawyers do exist. She does the behind-the-scene work for Annalise and helps her students out in many instances. She played the role of Rory Gilmore’s close companion, Paris Geller, on “The Gilmore GIrls,” and has guest starred in various shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Law & Order.”

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