[3][4] Annalise Keating, law professor and criminal defense attorney at Middleton University, selects five students to intern at her firm: Wes Gibbins, Connor Walsh, Michaela Pratt, Asher Millstone, and Laurel Castillo—along with Annalise's employees Frank Delfino and Bonnie Winterbottom, an associate lawyer.

The first nine episodes focus on Annalise teaching Criminal Law and her students being defense attorneys, each one proving their cases to be the representation.

However, Annalise's position at the university is threatened after an unknown person targets her with a series of flyers identifying her as a killer.

The Keating Five struggle with their academic reputations after receiving low first-year grades and, at the same time, worry about an unknown person who is targeting Annalise with a series of flyers labeling her a killer.

Oliver secures a job with Annalise after revealing he deleted Connor's Stanford acceptance letter and has the ability to hack her.

After Connor reacts understandingly, Oliver sees his lack of justified anger as a sign that they have an unhealthy relationship and breaks up with him.

The clinic takes the case of Irene Crawley, a woman who has spent 32 years in jail for murdering her abusive husband and is applying for parole for the seventh time.

Asher struggles with the revelation that Michaela is just using him for sex, while the university attempts to suspend Annalise from teaching as the flyers begin to make national news.

Annalise's clinic represents a teenage boy named Tristan accused of credit card theft.

At the start of the trial, Annalise learns that her license was suspended after a university board member, Barry Lewinston, sent a video of her slapping her last client to the bar association's disciplinary panel.

In Coalport, Pennsylvania, Frank kills Bonnie's father at the prison in which he was serving time, avenging her mistreatment as a child.

Annalise attends only one AA meeting, where she finds the university president, Soraya Hargrove, who is also a recovering alcoholic.

Flashback: The Keating couple first encounters Frank, who was serving an unspecified sentence for attempting to kill his father when he was 13 years old.

Oliver is turned down by his date Thomas after revealing that he is HIV positive and returns to Connor for comfort; they reconcile by sleeping together.

Frank finds out that the Mahoneys' employee who gave him the suitcase of money ten years ago is the alibi.

In the meantime, Annalise and Hargrove discuss the latter's child custody battle with her husband due to her history of alcoholism.

Bonnie convinces Frank to spare himself for her sake, revealing their love affair to Annalise, and encouraging him to turn himself in to the DA's office to save the others from arrest.

She burns all the files for Sam and Rebecca's cases and, in her drunken stupor, leaves for Bonnie's but fails to properly close the front door.

A drunken Connor admits to Oliver that he lied about being a drug addict, unintentionally making him suspicious about the night Sam died.

Oliver goes through the copy of Annalise's phone and learns from Thomas that Connor left hours before the fire, and realizes he was at the house that night.

Bonnie and Annalise collude with Frank, and Atwood is forced to turn over her personal communication records from the day in question.

However, Denver discredits her testimony with evidence that she once committed perjury (having allegedly fabricated a story that she was kidnapped), though Laurel explains that she recanted her true statement to protect her father.

The immunity deal eventually expires but, to save himself from being arrested, Connor discloses that Oliver has a copy of Annalise's phone on his computer.

[2] Production began on May 27, 2016, when showrunner Peter Nowalk announced, on Twitter, that the writing staff was in full swing mapping out the third season.

[24] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Peter Nowalk talked about what would happen in the third season regarding Frank's disappearance and commented: "Yes, I can see the three-piece suits and the hair product all falling apart.

Viola Davis will play the protagonist of the series, Professor Annalise Keating, a high-profile defense attorney, teaching a class at Middleton University.

Charlie Weber will portray Frank Delfino, an employee of Annalise's firm who is not a lawyer but handles special duties requiring discretion.

[25] TVLine announced on March 18, 2016, that Conrad Ricamora playing Oliver Hampton had been upgraded to a series-regular for the third season.

[28] On July 20, 2016, it was announced that Dexter-alum Lauren Vélez had been cast in a recurring role as the President of Middleton University.

The role was described as “self-assured, friendly, warm and diplomatic.”[29] It was reported on August 6, 2016, that Esai Morales and Amy Madigan had been added to the show as guest stars for the third season.