'How to Get Away With Murder' to end after season 6

Los Angeles: Viola Davis-fronted “How to get Away With Murder” is ending with its upcoming sixth season, ABC has announced.

The show, which aired in 2014, introduced Davis as Annalise Keating, a professor at a Philadelphia law school who became ensnared in a murder mystery with five of her students.

ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said the actor made television history with her unforgettable portrayal of iconic female antihero, Annalise.

“I am eternally grateful to her, Pete Nowalk, and Shondaland for creating and bringing to life such a smart, sophisticated, and groundbreaking series that has long been an integral part of Thursday nights on ABC,” Burke in a statement a quoted by Entertainment Weekly.

Series creator and showrunner Pete Nowalk added deciding to end the series was a “brutal decision”, but one does what the story demands.

“For me, Annalise Keating’s journey has always had a clear ending. Knowing I have 15 episodes left to finish her story, and the chance to give all the characters their own killer endings, is a gift rarely given to a series creator and I’m grateful to ABC and ABC Studios for the opportunity and creative freedom,” Nowalk said.

Davis, who became the first woman of colour to win an Emmy in the lead actress category for her work on the series, said it was “one of the greatest rides of my life!”

“Here’s to the final, extraordinary curtain call! #HTGAWM on Thursday,” she tweeted on Thursday.

Producer Shonda Rhimes also thanked the cast and crew for their support.

“#HTGAWM has brought us six years of twists & turns. Thank you to the cast, crew, and writers for your dedication and passion.

“Thank you to the fans who have watched every Thursday since the beginning. Finally, thank you, @petenowalk. Working with you has been a true pleasure,” Rhimes wrote on the microblogging site.

The final season starts airing from September 25.