The “How To Get Away With Murder” Season 1 finale left fans with tons of cliffhanger moments, but Oliver’s HIV-positive diagnosis was one that left fans shocked. Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) and Connor (Jack Falahee) have become a fan-favorite couple on the ABC drama, but some viewers worried this news could make Connor return to his bad boy ways and ditch Oliver. However, creator Pete Nowalk assured fans Connor and Oliver will remain in each other’s lives.

“Oliver and Connor are very important to me and they have a huge fan base,” Nowalk said at a Television Academy panel in Los Angeles, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Their relationship will play a big part in Season 2.”

That isn’t to say that Oliver and Connor won’t have any struggles. The decision to bring in an HIV story line isn’t something the “HTGAWM” writers are taking lightly, and they even want to work with GLAAD to make sure the storyline is realistic. “It’s our goal to treat that in a way that’s real and gives representation to a whole community of people that haven’t been on network TV in a while,” Nowalk explained.

Yet the audience reaction hasn’t exactly been excited about Oliver’s future. Actor Conrad Ricamora said viewers had a negative response to the reveal. “People have demanded it be rewritten,” Ricamora told HIV Plus. “Some people are really, really heartbroken and sad. People come up to me and tell me all the time, ‘Oh! I cried so much when I found out!’ Just a lot of sad people, because, I guess, everybody loves Oliver.”

Fans will have to get used to Oliver’s HIV-positive status, as will Connor. Nowalk previously teased that Connor will have to learn how this changes their relationship. “Connor has a good heart and wants Oliver to be OK,” Nowalk told Entertainment Weekly after the finale aired in February. “Just watching him feel that distraught and scared at the end with the news that he’s positive, Connor needs to figure out what his role is in the relationship now.”

“How to Get Away With Murder” was renewed for Season 2, but ABC has not announced a premiere date yet. Do you think Connor and Oliver will be able to make a relationship work? Sound off in the comments section below!

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