One of the reasons why I love High Potential has to do with how Morgan interacts with her kids, specifically her teenage daughter Ava. Along with showing Kaitlin Olson’s hyper-intelligent character solving crimes with Karadec and co., her relationships with her kids are prioritized too. So, when I interviewed Ava actress Amirah J about her role in the show, I had to ask about some of her scenes with the ABC mystery’s leading woman, and she shared the story behind one of her “sweetest” moments with her.
While we’re nearing the end of High Potential’s run on the 2025 TV schedule (don’t worry, ABC renewed it for Season 2), Amirah J threw it back to an episode that aired in 2024. I had asked her during an interview for CinemaBlend if there was a moment from filming Season 1 that would stick with her going into Season 2. In response, she recalled an instance she shared with Olson that left me very emotional:
Probably from Episode 7 – the episode when I was in the precinct. Me and Kaitlin had this very emotional scene where I didn't want to leave her to walk Tom out, and I was scared to leave my mom. Before we started filming, she just grabbed my hands and just kind of took some deep breaths with me. And that was something that stuck with me, just because it showed me that nothing else matters. Like it's just her and I here, we just need to do this scene. You know, the cameras, none of that matters. It's just her in this moment right now. And I thought that was the sweetest moment.
OK, first of all, the episode she’s referencing is easily the most emotional and impactful one so far, in my humble opinion. Episode 7 is called “One of Us” (you can stream it with a Hulu subscription), and it centers around the precinct being threatened and held hostage. Ava happened to be visiting her mom’s work this episode and got caught up in the mess.
Ultimately, she was safe. However, getting her out of the building was intense, and the entire situation was deeply stressful for both her and Morgan.
The episode by itself already had me emotional, especially when it came to watching Morgan comfort Ava. However, knowing that Olson was supporting her young co-star while filming it too makes me even more emotional.
It’s so sweet that the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star was ready and willing to assist Amirah J by putting all her focus on her and helping her be present in the scene. I imagine filming an intense moment like that is a lot, and can be intimidating. However, it sounds like Olson really helped the Ava actress focus on the story and her fellow actors while blocking out the other external elements.
Honestly, it makes me emotional to think about these two sharing a mother-daughter-like relationship off-screen too. And it’s got me very excited about what’s to come in Season 2 – especially after that scare with Ludo in the most recent episode.
Overall, this story has only made me love the Kaitlin Olson-led hit more, and it affirmed the notion that she’s the perfect person to lead High Potential. So, thank goodness we get more of her as Morgan and Amirah J as Ava because the series will be back for Season 2 after Season 1 ends on Tuesday, February 11.
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