If you watched the Emmys, you might have seen one of the nearly incessant advertisements for ABC’s new detective procedural, High Potential, starring It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson as a brassy single mother of three who also happens to solve murder cases. Perhaps, like me, you were in need of something new but easy to watch, and—the commercials still replaying in your mind—you found yourself booting up Hulu to give High Potential a try. Maybe you came to the same conclusion that I did: This series is exactly what it appears to be, a murder-of-the-week episodic procedural with a familiar premise of “outsider makes use of unique talents to enter the world of crime-solving for the first time.” Plainly, it’s nothing new—but that’s exactly what makes High Potential a must-watch.
The series, based on the French-Belgian show HPI, follows Olson as Morgan, the mother of a moody teen, a bubbly genius child, and a newborn. She is whip-smart, yet still financially struggling as she co-parents the children with her ex-boyfriend. During her night shift as a cleaner for the local police precinct, she notices some logical issues with an evidence board and decides to rearrange it. This puts her in hot water for obstruction of justice and tampering with a criminal case—that is, until the homicide detectives realize Morgan is correct. As it turns out, Morgan has an IQ of 160 and is categorically considered a “high-potential intellectual,” meaning she has “advanced cognitive abilities.” This may not always be such a boon for Morgan—her fixation on problems makes it hard for her to maintain a job, relationship, or even a conversation—but it does make her the perfect candidate for advising on murder cases. The police department hires her as a “consultant,” paying her the most she’s earned in some time, on top of giving her some extra financial cushion for child care.
High Potential fits within the same narrative mold as many shows that came before it: Psych, iZombie, White Collar, even Suits. (Just sub law enforcement for law practitioners.) It’s undeniably moreish, as far as television goes. Olson is funny, yes, no surprise there. But best of all, nothing about the show seems all that real, and, though there are stakes and a longer mystery that will presumably unfold over the course of the entire season, it doesn’t really matter. It’s all about familiar beats and episodic story structures. Classic, breezy copaganda: At the start of every episode there will be a new wacky murder, and at the end of every episode, justice will be served. (After, of course, Morgan has to convince everyone around her that, despite not having a badge of her own, she’s worth listening to.) The cops catch the bad guys, are incredibly nice and humane to the good guys, and we get fun banter in the interim. There’s even a surly, no-nonsense stickler—Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata)—who, in textbook fashion, balks when the boss forces him to work with the uncouth newcomer. I am eminently looking forward to watching Morgan and Karadec form a solid friendship (or more?) in the episodes to come, because of course they will.
Not all TV programs have to reinvent the wheel. Isn’t it so nice, so comforting, to have a return to form with episodic, predictable television? Judging by the warm reception High Potential has received on social media, it’s clear that plenty of viewers have been craving the oh-so-watchable network television that used to be common. As screenwriter and director Caroline Renard recently pointed out on X, referencing workplace comedies like English Teacher (and, I will add, Abbott Elementary) and episodic crime solvers like Elsbeth, the Matlock reboot, and High Potential being on the air at the same time: “TV is TV again.” Not everything has to be high-concept or befitting of the label “prestige.” I enjoy the Sopranos-esque vision of Gotham and the incredibly stressful inside look of the cutthroat world of investment banking as much as the next person, but sometimes I just want to know how it will all end before it’s over. Sometimes I want the comfort of knowing that the handcuffs will end up on the right person, and assurances that any surprises lurking around the corner will surely be handled posthaste.
The television landscape has changed radically over the past decade. We’ve seen the death of Peak TV and the arrival of what Slate’s Sam Adams dubbed “Trough TV.” But, in the move to streaming, one thing we missed was the padding, the made-for-syndication shows suitable for watching both in full or in chunks between whenever you woke up and whenever you found a rerun at 3 in the morning. Maybe now the pendulum is finally swinging back that way, and if this show’s initial high ratings are anything to go by, the proof of that potential is in the pudding. In a world where even the former beloved crime-of-the-week shows are getting rebooted as dramatic serialized stories, let High Potential serve as proof: It ain’t broke.
