Mild spoilers for anyone who hasn't yet watched possibly the best new show of the 2024 Fall TV season, High Potential, so be mildly warned!
One of the biggest ratings hits of the year, at least in terms of broadcast offerings, is ABC’s twisty and subtly hilarious High Potential. Created by Drew Goddard, who based it on the French series HPI, the dramedy boasts the sky-high talents of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia mainstay Kaitlin Olson, who gets to show off more of her drama skills in the role of single mom Morgan.
While Olson is undoubtedly the most refreshing highlight within this winning ensemble of familiar TV vets, and Morgan’s quick cutaway crime theories are an A+ addition, High Potential is also retaining my attention and admiration for avoiding certain television procedural tropes that have plagued many other series that adhere to the “quirky outsider helps police solve crimes” format. So let the slow-clapping begin.
This Isn't A Show Where One Genius Makes Everyone Else Look Terrible At Their Jobs
You know what I really dislike at this point in life? TV shows with lead characters whose pompousness matches their intellect, and who lack the self-awareness to accept their own faults, working with and outclassing a bunch of dummies who probably never should have been hired to begin with. Primetime schedules have often relied on that kind of professional imbalance to keep main characters looking smarter than everyone else, at the expense of even minor realism.
High Potential, however, isn’t beholden to making its particular LAPD precinct look wildly inefficient for the sake of Morgan’s ego. Daniel Sunjata’s Karadec, Javicia Leslie’s Daphne, Deniz Akdeniz’s Oz and Judy Reyes’ Selena are all perfectly competent and decent at their jobs, and never make it seem as if the city would crumble under the weight of myriad cold cases if Morgan wasn’t involved. Olson’s character is a very helpful stepping stone, as opposed to the only path to successful crime solving.
Plus, for all that Morgan is able to utilize her photographic and encyclopedic memory for the sake of helping with cases, it's not as if her intellect carries over to all aspects of her life. She's often a bumbling mess just like the rest of us, just one with a vast knowledge of botany, war history, furniture upholstery and whatever else is most convenient.
Morgan And Karadec Are Neither Enemies Nor Burgeoning Lovers
After just four episodes, it admittedly may be too early to tell whether or not High Potential’s creative team will attempt to pull off any kind of romantic vibes between Olson’s Morgan and Sunjata’s Karadec. But for the moment, I’m applauding any and all instincts to keep those plot elements pushed below the surface.
I have nothing against either character’s happiness, mind you, so if there’s a point in the story where it makes fully legitimate sense to have those two get all lovey-dovey, I’ll be open-minded. But at this early point in the series, I’m very pleased that the two characters click in a way that speaks entirely to a coworker partnership.
In the same vein, though, I’m equally happy that Karadec isn’t being written as a hyper-jealous jerk who can’t accept that Morgan is a godsend at times. It would be far too easy (and lazy) to set up that kind of antagonistic dynamic, and I would be first in line to gripe about it if it was already happening. But for now, things are blissfully professional and platonic.
No Constant Drama Between Morgan And Ludo
Similar to my innate happiness regarding Morgan's lack of on-the-job strife with Karadec, I also adore that Taran Killam's Ludo has been nothing but a helpful sweetie pie in these earliest Season 1 episodes, as opposed to anything less savory. When the SNL vet was cast as an ex-hubby who fathered two of Morgan's kids, it seemed like there might be some light-hearted squabbling at the very least.
However, after the series premiere had them talking a little smack when temporarily sharing a jail cell, Morgan and Ludo's relationship has showcased zero friction, and I couldn't be happier about it. Mainly because Matthew Lamb's Elliot is a brainy sweetheart alongside that youngest kiddo being the cutest thing ever with all of her reaction shots, so I definitely don't want either of them to be stuck in the middle of anyone's personal drama.
It would also be easy to set up Ludo and eldest daughter Ava (Amirah J) in an antagonistic fashion, especially with the ongoing plotline involving her father's mysterious disappearance. Those more stressful moments may happen later on, when more info is revealed, but I'm extremely happy that everyone's stories have started off positively and agreeably, so that there's a successful benchmark to hit even after things possibly go sideways.
So many TV dramas over the years have fallen into unfortunate plotting that brings one or all of the above issues to the forefront, and those kinds of shows usually fall flat before they're able to build an audience. High Potential is now writing a new rulebook for future procedurals of this kind, and I'm hoping other showrunners are paying attention.
High Potential airs Tuesday nights on ABC at 10:00 p.m. ET, and new eps are available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription
