The fourth season of the ABC American television drama series How to Get Away with Murder was ordered on February 10, 2017, by ABC. It began airing on September 28, 2017, with 15 episodes like the previous seasons and concluded on March 15, 2018, as per a deal with Viola Davis that the series would be a limited series with only 15 or 16 episodes per season.
Plot
Annalise (Viola Davis) and the Keating Four are still dealing with the aftermath of Wes's (Alfred Enoch) death. Annalise works with a therapist, Dr. Isaac Roa, to see through her recovery from alcoholism, and cuts ties with her associates. Connor (Jack Falahee) declines Oliver's (Conrad Ricamora) proposal, Laurel (Karla Souza) expects Wes's baby, Michaela (Aja Naomi King) and Asher (Matt McGorry) team up for internships, and Bonnie (Liza Weil) seeks her professional future. Laurel deduces that her father, Jorge Castillo (Esai Morales), is responsible for Wes's murder and hatches a scheme to steal incriminating evidence with Michaela, Oliver, and a reluctant Frank and Asher. During the data heist, classmate Simon Drake (Behzad Dabu) accidentally shoots himself with Laurel's gun, leading to Asher's arrest, and Laurel goes into premature labor after being accidentally struck by Frank. Though Annalise successfully saves the baby, Jorge takes custody of the child while Laurel is in the hospital.
Cast and characters
Main
Viola Davis as Annalise Keating
Billy Brown as Nate Lahey
Jack Falahee as Connor Walsh
Aja Naomi King as Michaela Pratt
Matt McGorry as Asher Millstone
Conrad Ricamora as Oliver Hampton
Karla Souza as Laurel Castillo
Charlie Weber as Frank Delfino
Liza Weil as Bonnie Winterbottom
Recurring
Jimmy Smits as Isaac Roa
Esai Morales as Jorge Castillo
Benito Martinez as Todd Denver
Behzad Dabu as Simon Drake
Amirah Vann as Tegan Price
Nicholas Gonzalez as Dominic
Lolita Davidovich as Sandrine Castillo
John Hensley as Ronald Miller
Glynn Turman as Nate Lahey Sr.
Special guest
Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope
Guest
Cicely Tyson as Ophelia Harkness
Roger Robinson as Mac Harkness
Gwendolyn Mulamba as Celestine Harkness
Julius Tennon as Desmond
Stephanie Faracy as Ellen Freeman
L. Scott Caldwell as Jasmine Bromelle
Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Virginia Cross
Cristine Rose as Wenona Sansbury
D. W. Moffett as Jeff Walsh
Jim Abele as Ted Walsh
Luna Vélez as Soraya Hargrove
Kathryn Erbe as Jacqueline Roa
Oded Fehr as Chase
Alfred Enoch as Wes Gibbins
Cornelius Smith Jr. as Marcus Walker
Tom Irwin as Spivey
Sharon Lawrence as Ingrid Egan
Yolonda Ross as Claudia
Tom Verica as Sam Keating
Melinda Page Hamilton as Claire Telesco
Rome Flynn as Gabriel Maddox
Episodes
Production
Development
How to Get Away with Murder was renewed for a fourth season on February 10, 2017, by ABC. Production began on May 8, 2017, when one of the writers of the show announced on Twitter that the writing staff was in full swing mapping and writing the fourth season. The table read occurred on July 14, 2017. Showrunner Peter Nowalk revealed the title of the season 4 premiere: "I'm Going Away".
Casting
The cast features nine major roles receiving star billing, all of them returning from the previous season. Viola Davis portrays the protagonist of the series, Professor Annalise Keating, a high-profile defense attorney. Billy Brown portrays Detective Nate Lahey, Annalise's boyfriend. There are four students who work at Annalise's law firm. Jack Falahee portrays Connor Walsh, a ruthless student. Aja Naomi King plays Michaela Pratt, an ambitious student who aims to be as successful as Annalise. Matt McGorry continues portraying Asher Millstone, a student from a privileged background. Karla Souza portrays Laurel Castillo, an idealistic student. Charlie Weber plays Frank Delfino, an employee of Annalise's firm who is not a lawyer but handles special duties requiring discretion. Liza Weil plays Bonnie Winterbottom, who is an associate attorney in Annalise's firm. Conrad Ricamora portrays Oliver Hampton, a hacker who is in a relationship with Connor.