Viola Davis stars as Annalise Keating , a law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university who, with five of her students, becomes entwined in a murder plot. From the third season onward, Conrad Ricamora was added to the main cast after recurring heavily in the previous two seasons. Following is a list of characters who have appeared over the various seasons since the drama's premiere. Born Anna Mae Harkness, Annalise portrayed by Viola Davis is a high-profile Philadelphia -based defense attorney and law professor at the fictional Middleton University.
Annalise has been romantically involved with Nate Lahey β although she used him multiple times as a backup β and her college lover Eve Rothlo.
In the first season , Annalise selects a group of her best students to work at her firm. The body of a student who has been missing for months, Lila Stangard, is found in the water tank of her house by a repairman. Annalise eventually gets involved in the accidental murder of her husband Sam Keating, co-caused by four of her students.
In the aftermath of Sam's death, the four students come together to burn Sam's body during a university party and throw his remains in the trash. Their plan is flawed, and the police end up finding the remains and an investigation is initiated.
The second season deals with Annalise's case of Caleb and Catherine Hapstall, and their alleged involvement in the death of their adoptive parents. In the mid-season finale, Emily Sinclair is murdered, and Annalise helps cover it up, at the expense of her being shot in the stomach by Wes. During the third season , Annalise restarts teaching Criminal Law in a pro bono clinic and her students being defense attorneys, each one proving their cases to be the representation.
