TV's Renaissance for Strong Women Is Happening in a Surprising Place
Viola Davis's performance in ABC's How to Get Away With Murder thrills in so many ways. The arch of her brow. The quiver in her voice. The command as she writes on the chalkboard. The exquisite manner in which her character, Prof. Annalise Keating, masticates the phrase "howwwww to get awayyyyy with murder."
Even more delightful is the fact that Davis has been cast in such a meaty, morally gray role. It's more than just being a Strong Female Character—the unintentionally humorous title on any television woman who stands tall at the center of her own show. Keating doesn't wear a white hat like her time-slot neighbor Olivia Pope of . She's not a relatable mom like 's Alicia Florrick. Instead, she has adulterous sex with a detective on her desk—then puts said detective on the witness stand to help her client in court. Keating is transgressive in a way TV audiences haven't seen in
