How to Get Away with Murder season 4 will have a new kind of mystery

How to Get Away with Murder has always concerned itself with raveling, then unraveling, a mystery in each season, but season 4’s will be new.

With How to Get Away with Murder making its triumphant return to Thursday nights on Sept. 28, little details are starting to make their way out about what we’ll expect to anchor TGIT on ABC. Entertainment Weekly‘s latest tidbit for the upcoming drama surrounding Annalise Keating is quite tantalizing, and it has to do not with any characters in particular, but the format of the season itself.

Says Pete Nowalk, who not only created the show, but is still running it (so he’s in a position to know):

"“Every year, I try to do something a little different, and what’s fun about this year’s question of our season — like who’s under the sheet or who killed Sam — this year it’s a where, and it feels really different to me, but also very exciting.”"

Does that mean that there will be a lot of dimly lit rooms once again? Didn’t we have enough of those in season 3?

The move from people being at the heart of the season’s plot to a place might be a dangerous one, depending on how you take it. This isn’t to say that Oliver, Laurel, Michaela, Asher, Annalise, Connor and all the rest won’t be completely removed from the story. That’s basically impossible. Characters are needed for a plot. (Besides, Nowalk also said that things are “more character driven” this season, which could mean all sorts of different developments.)

However, it’s also good that the show isn’t blindly adhering to its formula. A willingness to experiment can stop a show from getting stale. Of course, How to Get Away with Murder, with its twists and general ridiculousness, doesn’t really get stale so much as nonsensical sometimes.

So what exactly is the question? Is it “Where is this dramatic showdown between Laurel and her father taking place?” Back when season 3 wrapped up, Laurel’s dad suddenly sending Dominic to do his dirty work and why was one of the storylines I identified as one that should carry over into season 4.

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As we get closer to the premiere, keep an eye out for hints as to what’s going on this season.