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High Potential is an American crime drama television series created by Drew Goddard for ABC. It is based on the 2021 French and Belgian television series HPI.[1] The series premiered on September 17, 2024.[2]
| High Potential | |
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.jpg) Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Drew Goddard |
| Based on | |
| Showrunner | Todd Harthan |
| Starring |
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| Music by |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
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| Running time | 43–44 minutes |
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| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 17, 2024 – present |
The show centers on Morgan, a single mother with three children who is a cleaning lady for the Los Angeles Police Department. She is also a high potential intellectual, with an IQ of 160. After figuring out a case using her unconventional mind, she becomes a consultant for the LAPD's Major Crimes division.
A subplot involves Morgan using the LAPD's help and resources to find out what happened to her first boyfriend, Roman, the father of her oldest daughter Ava, who disappeared when Ava was a baby.
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Main
- Kaitlin Olson as Morgan,[1] a single mother with three children, an IQ of 160, and a wide range of knowledge. Morgan works as a cleaning lady for the LAPD until Selena offers her a consultant position.
- Daniel Sunjata as Karadec,[1] a detective who is skeptical about Morgan being an asset to the LAPD but becomes her primary helper
- Javicia Leslie as Daphne,[1] Karadec's partner
- Deniz Akdeniz as Lev "Oz" Ozdil,[1][3] Major Crimes investigator
- Amirah J as Ava,[1] Morgan's rebellious teenaged daughter and Elliot's half-sister, whose father, Roman, disappeared 15 years before the series begins
- Matthew Lamb as Elliot,[1] Morgan's son with her second ex-husband Ludo and Ava's half-brother
- Judy Reyes as Selena,[1] head of the LAPD's Major Crimes Division, where Morgan serves as a consultant
Recurring
- Taran Killam as Ludo Radovic,[4] Morgan's second ex-husband, Ava's ex-stepfather and Elliot's father who is a driving instructor
- Garret Dillahunt as Lieutenant Melon,[5] head of the LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division
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| No. | Title [6] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [6] | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Alethea Jones | Drew Goddard | September 17, 2024 | 3.59[7] | |
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Morgan, a nighttime janitor at the LAPD, accidentally knocks over a murder case file while working. As she picks up the file's crime scene photos, she determines that the case's primary suspect, the victim's wife, is also a victim, and marks it on the LAPD's murder board. Karadec, enraged that she tampered with police evidence, brings her in, but Morgan convinces Selena that she's right about the wife. Selena has Karadec work with Morgan on the case and finding the wife, Lynette Acosta. Selena and Karadec deduce that Lynette's sister was having an affair with one of her clients. The client killed Lynette's husband, then kidnapped Lynette and hid her in her sister's cabin. After successfully finding Lynette, Selena offers Morgan a full-time position as a consultant, but Morgan refuses. However, after trying to have a conversation with her eldest daughter, Morgan accepts the offer on the condition that Selena helps Morgan find her first husband, Roman, who vanished 15 years ago. | ||||||
| 2 | "Dancers in the Dark" | Marc Webb | Todd Harthan & Marc Halsey | September 24, 2024 | 3.68[8] | |
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Morgan's first official case involves a tap dancer, Damian, who was pushed off a roof onto his car. Lt. Melon of the LAPD's Robbery Division comes to Selena for help on a case involving a string of jewelry store heists. Morgan and Karadec find the tap dancer's partner, Roland. Roland claims that a third person pushed Damian. Morgan proves Roland's claim, and realizes that Roland was the intended target. Morgan and Karadec find Roland too late, killed at a nightclub. After observing the nightclub's security footage, Morgan realizes that the killer used the same gun in Melon's jewelry store heists. The LAPD sets up a sting operation to catch the killer/jewel thief. At home, Morgan tries to connect with Ava, who wants to know when Morgan will get her car back. After seeing Ava's art project, Morgan shows Ava a series of murals painted by Roman, but it makes Ava upset, as she believes Roman walked out on them. After getting her first paycheck, Morgan uses it to bring her car home, cheering her kids up. Selena tells Morgan that Roman's car was impounded shortly after his disappearance, with a box of diapers inside, implying his intent to return home. | ||||||
| 3 | "Dirty Rotten Scoundrel" | Rebecca Asher | Dennis Saldua | October 8, 2024 | 3.78[9] | |
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While working on a case involving a con artist/rideshare driver, Karadec gets increasingly frustrated with Morgan not following police protocol or letting him know what she plans on doing. After nearly getting injured by a suspect, Karadec yells at Morgan, leading to Morgan quitting her job. However, she decides to come back the next day and solve the case. At home, Morgan is upset to find Ava alone in her room with a possible boyfriend, despite Ava's insistence that they're only studying. Morgan gets even more upset when she learns Ludo allowed it without her knowledge or permission. She tells Ludo he overstepped his authority with Ava, but Ludo takes it as a reminder that he is not Ava's biological father. Morgan later apologizes to Ludo. Meanwhile, Selena and Melon find a mural that Roman painted just before his disappearance was located in a neighborhood known for illegal activity, and believe he might have been silenced because he was a potential witness to a crime committed there. | ||||||
| 4 | "Survival Mode" | Pete Chatmon | Andrea M. Scott and Marc Halsey | October 15, 2024 | 3.36[10] | |
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Morgan's trust in others is tested when a divorced mother's daughters are kidnapped, and clues lead back to the mother as a suspect. Worried about finding the kids ASAP, Karadec makes a few impulsive decisions without running them by Selena. Karadec and Selena get worried about Morgan when they notice she hasn't been sleeping and stops looking at the case objectively. Morgan believes the mother is innocent and sets out to prove it. | ||||||
| 5 | "Croaked" | Daisy von Scherler Mayer | Diane Ruggiero-Wright | October 22, 2024 | 3.60[11] | |
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The team investigates the death of a veterinarian, poisoned by a substance on her hands. While investigating the crime scene, Morgan tranquilizes Karadec to prevent him from getting poisoned. While Morgan is with Karadec, Daphne and Oz work the case from another angle, but all four of them end up at an apartment, where they learn the vet was trafficking exotic pets to afford a house for her girlfriend. Oz gets a confession from the girlfriend's husband, but Morgan thinks something is off. While Karadec is on a date, Morgan does some investigating on her own, and realizes that the girlfriend adopted the vet's son, whom the vet had been forced to give up due to a teenage pregnancy. The girlfriend is revealed to be killer, who was worried the vet would steal her son away. Daphne and Oz return the trafficked pets to their rightful owners. At home, Morgan discovers that Ava has been taking birth control pills. Morgan wants to confront her, but Ludo suggests waiting for Ava to come to Morgan. Morgan eventually tells Ava she found the birth control pills. Ava tells Morgan that she's taking the pills for her complexion, easing Morgan's fears. | ||||||
| 6 | "Hangover" | Rebecca Asher | Kassia Miller & Myung Joh Wesner | October 29, 2024 | 3.09[12] | |
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The CEO of a healthcare device company is found dead in her office the day after a company party. The prime suspect is the CEO's assistant, who was passed out in the same room, but woke up hungover and without any memory of the previous night. Despite all signs pointing to the assistant, Morgan strongly believes in her innocence. Morgan and Karadec eventually find a camera recording the incident, showing that the CEO tried to kill the assistant, but failed, allowing the assistant to go free due to self-defense. While working on the case, a janitor at the LAPD, Tom, starts a conversation with Morgan. After solving the case, Morgan leaves a phone number for Tom to see. | ||||||
| 7 | "One of Us" | James Roday Rodriguez | Teleplay by : Marc Halsey Story by : Marc Halsey and Jordana Lewis Jaffe & Dennis Saldua | November 12, 2024 | 3.36[13] | |
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While visiting the LAPD bullpen on Morgan's day off, Morgan and Ava get held hostage by a pair of military soldiers, who claim their friend and fellow soldier was wrongly accused of murder. While Morgan works on the case from inside, Karadec works on the case from the outside to locate the true killer. The next day, as thanks for saving everyone in the bullpen, Melon gives Morgan her own desk for her to use in the bullpen. | ||||||
| 8 | "Obsessed" | TBA | TBA | January 7, 2025 | TBD | |
Development
On September 20, 2022, High Potential was given a pilot order by ABC. The pilot was written by Drew Goddard.[14] On May 16, 2023, High Potential was picked to series by ABC. The series was created by Goddard who was expected to executive produce alongside Sarah Esberg, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, Pierre Laugier, Anthony Lancret, Jean Nainchrik, and Alethea Jones. Jones also directed the pilot. Thomas also was expected to serve as the showrunner. Kaitlin Olson was expected to serve as producer. Production companies involved with the series are Goddard Textiles, Spondoolie Productions, Itinéraire Productions, Septembre Productions, and ABC Signature.[1] On June 5, 2024, Thomas exited as the showrunner for the series.[15] On June 21, 2024, Todd Harthan was announced as the new showrunner who would also serve as an executive producer, replacing Thomas.[16] High Potential is the last series from ABC Signature before the division was folded into 20th Television on October 1, 2024.[17]
Casting
Upon the series pickup announcement, Olson, Daniel Sunjata, Javicia Leslie, Deniz Akdeniz, Amirah J, Matthew Lamb, and Judy Reyes were cast in starring roles.[1] On July 1, 2024, Garret Dillahunt joined cast in a recurring capacity.[5] On August 21, 2024, Taran Killam was cast in a recurring role.[4]
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High Potential premiered on September 17, 2024 on ABC.[2] The series was later made available to stream on Hulu.[18] Internationally, the show will be released on Disney+.[19]
Critical response
The series holds an 93% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 16 critic reviews with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "With the ineffable Kaitlin Olson on hand to inject some spiky personality into a familiar formula, High Potential is a solid procedural with plenty of upside."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 70 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21]
Aramide Tinubu of Variety asserted that High Potential is a solid police procedural, praised Kaitlin Olson's performance, noting her ability to bring quirky charm to the role. Tinubu found the show's premise to be engaging, with Morgan's genius-level IQ and eccentricities offering a unique spin on the crime genre. Tinubu stated that while High Potential does not break new ground in the genre, it remains a perfectly adequate and formulaic watch. Tinubu appreciated the supporting cast, especially the chemistry between Olson and her co-stars, and highlighted the intriguing dynamic between Morgan and Detective Karadec.[22]
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter said that High Potential is a show with a promising star but a shaky premise, praising Olson for her strong performance as Morgan. Fienberg found the exposition in the pilot, particularly Morgan's unsolicited revelation of her IQ, to be off-putting and distracting, noting it undermines the character's likability. He stated that the show struggles with its central premise, particularly around the question of how much Morgan's "high potential" actually contributes to solving cases, which leaves other characters feeling superfluous. Fienberg appreciated Olson's ability to ground the show and make the absurd moments enjoyable, but noted that the series as a whole is still finding its balance, with the chemistry between Olson and her co-stars, especially Daniel Sunjata, still developing. He concluded that while Olson represents the series' "high potential," the rest of the show needs to catch up.[23]
Ratings
The premiere of High Potential saw a 220% increase in viewership, reaching 11.5 million viewers across platforms within three days. Initially, the episode garnered 3.6 million viewers on ABC. After including Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and other digital platforms, the viewership increased. The show's rating among adults aged 18-49 rose by 354%, from a 0.35 to a 1.59 in Multiplatform + 3 ratings. On Hulu, the series ranked in the Top 15 and held the No. 1 spot for three consecutive days starting September 22.[24][25] High Potential later became the most-watched new series on ABC in six years, surpassing The Conners' record from the 2018-2019 season. The episode that aired on October 22 was watched by 6.83 million viewers in the Live + 7 Days Nielsen ratings, marking ABC's top spot in the Tuesday night scripted lineup for the first time in four years. After including streaming data from Hulu and Disney+, the episode's viewership rose to 10.49 million viewers, showing a 191% increase from its Live + Same Day ratings of 3.6 million, with steady viewership retention since the pilot.[26][27] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, revealed that High Potential ranked as the No. 12 show of the fall among adults 18–49 in Nielsen live+7 ratings, with a 0.57 rating. Including seven days of streaming, the show rose to No. 1 in the demographic with a 2.33 rating, reflecting a 309% increase driven by its performance on Hulu. It also became the most-streamed broadcast entertainment series of the fall, with 4.3 million streaming viewers, which boosted its total viewership from 6.5 million in live+7 to 10.8 million across platforms, making it the third most-watched show in total viewers.[28]
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 17, 2024 | 0.35/6 | 3.59[7] | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | "Dancers in the Dark" | September 24, 2024 | 0.31/5 | 3.68[8] | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | "Dirty Rotten Scoundrel" | October 8, 2024 | 0.34/5 | 3.78[9] | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | "Survival Mode" | October 15, 2024 | 0.33/4 | 3.36[10] | 0.26 | 3.28 | 0.59 | 6.60[10] |
| 5 | "Croaked" | October 22, 2024 | 0.29/4 | 3.60[11] | 0.27 | 3.23 | 0.56 | 6.83[11] |
| 6 | "Hangover" | October 29, 2024 | 0.26/3 | 3.09[12] | 0.31 | 3.41 | 0.56 | 6.50[12] |
| 7 | "One of Us" | November 12, 2024 | 0.25/4 | 3.36[13] | 0.29 | 3.40 | 0.54 | 6.77[13] |
Accolades
High Potential was nominated for Best Action/Thriller Television Series at the 52nd Saturn Awards.[29][30]
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