| Genre: | Crime drama |
| Creator: | Drew Goddard |
| Showrunner: | Todd Harthan |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 7 |
| Runtime: | 43–44 minutes |
| Network: | ABC |
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. The series premiered on September 17, 2024.
The show centers on Morgan, a single mother with three kids 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.
On September 20, 2022, High Potential was given a pilot order by ABC. The pilot was written by Drew Goddard.[2] 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.[3] On June 5, 2024, Thomas exited as the showrunner for the series.[4] On June 21, 2024, Todd Harthan was announced as the new showrunner who would also serve as an executive producer, replacing Thomas.[5] High Potential is the last series from ABC Signature before the division was folded into 20th Television on October 1, 2024.[6]
Upon the series pickup announcement, Olson, Daniel Sunjata, Javicia Leslie, Deniz Akdeniz, Amirah J, Matthew Lamb, and Judy Reyes were cast in starring roles.[3] On July 1, 2024, Garret Dillahunt joined cast in a recurring capacity.[7] On August 21, 2024, Taran Killam was cast in a recurring role.[8]
High Potential premiered on September 17, 2024 on ABC.[9]
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."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 70 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11]
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.[12]
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.[13]
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.[14] [15] High Potential later became the most-watched new series on ABC in six years, surpassing The Conners