Spoilers ahead for Episode 2 of ABC's High Potential, called "Dancers in the Dark."
High Potential got off to a strong start as one of the freshman series in the 2024 TV schedule, with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The Mick star Kaitlin Olson taking a dramatic turn as Morgan. The character earned her spot assisting the LAPD as a consultant in last week's series excellent premiere, and followed up in "Dancers in the Dark" by cracking her first case of attempted murder, mistaken identity, theft, and then actual murder.
Like in the premiere (which is available streaming via Hulu subscription now), Morgan brought humor to keep High Potential from feeling like just another crime show, but I for one was struck all over again by her dramatic performance. Who would have guessed a month ago that a member of the Always Sunny sitcom Gang for the better part of two decades could be a tear-jerker on a network TV drama from week to week?
The scene that really showcased Olson's dramatic side was also the very last of the episode, when Captain Selena – played by Judy Reyes, another actress beloved by many for her sitcom work with the Scrubs cast – dropped by Morgan's home, where daughter Ava was sleeping soundly while her mom watched TV (or so it seemed).
Selena had news for Morgan about Roman, her husband who had disappeared fifteen years ago when Ava was a baby. The captain dropped a bombshell that not only provided Morgan (and an eavesdropping Ava) a shred of hope that there's much more to Roman's story, but gave Morgan the relief of having somebody finally believe her. Selena told the new LAPD consultant this:
I followed up on Roman's car. Turns out it ended up in police impound three days after he disappeared. It was abandoned in a Costco parking lot a couple of miles from where you both lived. In the short inventory of items discovered in the car was a box of diapers, which of course begs the question: if Roman really wanted to abandon your family, why would he stop and buy diapers first?... We're going to find out what happened to Roman. I promise.
All in all, sign me up for more scenes between Morgan and Captain Selena! While it seems inevitable that most of Morgan's screentime will either be with her kids or Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), this conversation between the two women that lasted a grand total of one minute was a highlight of the episode for me.
There are also plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Morgan being able to embrace her new job without worrying too much about her kids, as High Potential neatly tied off that potential thread early in "Dancers in the Dark" with the arrival of Ludo to take care of the kids, with the explanation that "the LAPD is paying me to manny." Since seeing more of Saturday Night Live alum Taran Killam was one of my wishes after the series premiere, I'm on board!
See more of Kaitlin Olson flexing her dramatic muscles with new episodes of High Potential on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC. The actress also isn't leaving comedy behind, as filming for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 was set to begin once High Potential finished its first season.
