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I'm not telling you that "How to Get Away with Murder" (Thursday, 9 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4) is the best new show on TV this fall. I am telling you that it shows promise of being one of the most fun.
As is the case with executive producer Shonda Rhimes other shows - "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" - "How to Get Away with Murder" is sort of insane. But that's a big part of the fun.
Viola Davis ("The Help") stars as a lawyer/law professor who enlists the help of her students in murder cases. Which strains credulity past the breaking point, but - after seeing the pilot - it's a pretty good bet it's the kind of show "Scandal" fans are going to love.
"The initial idea came from the fact that I find my life very boring," said creator/executive producer Pete Nowalk, "but I find putting normal people in extreme circumstances to be a theme that I find very appealing. So what's more extreme than being a first-year law student who's kind of innocent and naive and being thrust into a murder?"
There is indeed a murder in the first hour. And some of the characters seem to be trying to get away with it.
But Nowalk - a veteran of both "Grey's" and "Scandal" - warns that viewers should not jump to conclusions.
"Well, the theme of the show is no one is who they seem to be," he said.
That said, "How to Get Away with Murder" seems like it's going to be a lot of fun.