🚨 ABC DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING — AND NEITHER DID VIEWERS

High Potential sounds ridiculous on paper: a single mom, a cleaning lady, and the LAPD. Then Kaitlin Olson shows up and blows the whole thing wide open. What should’ve been a messy procedural turns into chaotic, addictive TV the moment she starts talking.

Olson weaponizes sarcasm, raw intelligence, and zero fear, leaving cops, criminals, and viewers scrambling to keep up. It’s loud. It’s unhinged. And somehow… it WORKS.

This isn’t about the cases — it’s about watching Olson turn chaos into pure binge fuel at 2 a.m. And once you start, you’re not stopping. 👀🔥

High Potential: Kaitlin Olson’s Chaotic Genius Turns ABC’s Risky Bet Into a Smash Hit

ABC’s High Potential arrived in fall 2024 as a bold gamble: an American adaptation of the French series HPI (Haut Potentiel Intellectuel), blending crime procedural with sharp comedy, anchored by Kaitlin Olson in a dramatic lead role far removed from her iconic Dee Reynolds on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. On paper, it risked feeling derivative—another quirky genius solving crimes amid skeptical cops. On screen, however, it’s a vibrant, unpredictable ride that critics and viewers alike have embraced, proving Olson’s star power can carry a network drama while injecting it with irreverent energy.

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Created by Drew Goddard (The Good Place, The Martian), the series follows Morgan Gillory (Olson), a single mother of three juggling chaos at home while working as a cleaning lady for the LAPD. With an extraordinary IQ of 160, Morgan notices details others miss, rearranging evidence boards during her shifts and inadvertently cracking cold cases. This lands her an unlikely consultant gig in Major Crimes, partnering with the rigid, by-the-book Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata). What could have been a stale odd-couple setup explodes with life thanks to Olson’s fearless performance—she weaponizes sarcasm, quick wit, and unfiltered audacity, turning potentially clichéd moments into electric comedy.

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The supporting cast elevates the material further. Judy Reyes shines as Lieutenant Selena Soto, the no-nonsense boss who sees potential in Morgan’s chaos. Javicia Leslie plays Detective Daphne Albright, Deniz Akdeniz is the tech-savvy Lev “Oz” Ozdil, Amirah J portrays Morgan’s sharp teenage daughter Ava, and Matthew Lamb is her young son Elliot. In Season 2, Steve Howey joins as the charming new precinct captain Nick Wagner, adding fresh dynamics. The ensemble chemistry—particularly Olson bouncing off Sunjata’s straight-man Karadec and Reyes’ grounded authority—keeps scenes buzzing with tension, humor, and heart.

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What sets High Potential apart isn’t just the case-of-the-week format, clever as those puzzles are (complete with Morgan’s visually flashy “mind palace” reconstructions). It’s the humanity woven in: Morgan’s struggles as a working mom, her complicated past (including a missing ex-husband whose story arcs into major serialized mystery), and the slow-burn relationships that feel earned rather than forced. The tone walks a tightrope—hilarious one moment, emotionally raw the next—without collapsing into melodrama. As one critic noted, Olson “injects spiky personality into a familiar formula,” making the show addictive guilty-pleasure viewing.

The gamble paid off spectacularly in ratings. Season 1, limited to 13 episodes due to Olson’s Always Sunny commitments, became ABC’s most-watched new series in six years, averaging over 10 million viewers per episode in initial airings and ballooning to 20+ million with delayed viewing on Hulu and other platforms. The premiere alone hit nearly 30 million cross-platform views. It dominated as the top new drama of the 2024-2025 season, outpacing competitors like CBS’s Matlock remake. Critics were largely favorable: Rotten Tomatoes scores sit at 96% for Season 1 and a perfect 100% for Season 2 (as of early 2026), with Metacritic at 72/100 signaling “generally favorable” reviews.

Renewed swiftly in January 2025, Season 2 expanded to 18 episodes and premiered September 16, 2025, delving deeper into serialized elements like Morgan’s family secrets and Karadec’s personal life. Showrunner Todd Harthan promised to resolve some cliffhangers without dragging them out, while teasing new complications—like recurring characters shaking up the precinct. As of January 5, 2026, the season is on a midseason hiatus after Episode 7, returning Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, with episodes streaming next day on Hulu.

Olson’s transformation is the heartbeat. Known for chaotic comedy, she initially hesitated at the hour-long drama pitch but was won over by Goddard’s script. “I was like, ‘ABC? Hour-long drama? No thank you!’” she recalled in interviews, yet the role allows her to showcase versatility: vulnerability as a mom, brilliance in deductions, and that signature razor-sharp timing. Fans and critics agree—it’s her best vehicle outside Always Sunny, proving she can lead a hit while keeping the chaos alive.

In a crowded TV landscape, High Potential stands out as outrageous, ridiculous, and utterly binge-worthy. It’s not revolutionary, but with Olson at the helm, it’s impossibly fun—leaving viewers laughing, gasping, and hitting “next episode” at 2 a.m. As the series heads into the back half of Season 2, the potential feels limitless. If you’re not watching, you’re missing one of network TV’s brightest surprises.