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ABC's procedural drama High Potential saw its viewership jump considerably with its Season 2 premiere, with the series attracting a significant amount of attention and pushing the network to substantial success.
High Potential Season 2 was released on September 16 on ABC, and new episodes are being released weekly.
According to the official numbers, the Season 2 premiere reached 12 million overall multiplatform viewers within a week of its initial air date. That's a remarkable 28% jump over Season 1’s premiere episode, which had 9.3 million viewers over the same period. Season 2 premiere episode's 2.21 rating among the prized 18-49 demo shows a 7% gain over Season 1’s 2.06 rating.
The original airing of the episode, along with its repeat broadcasts over the weekend, brought the first-week audience to nearly 16 million viewers, according to Disney figures corroborated by Nielsen data.
High Potential Season 2 record-breaking success
High Potential aired on ABC in the autumn of 2024 and stars Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, a single mother with a genius intelligence quotient who assists the LAPD with cracking complex crimes. The series is an Americanized take on the French TV show HPI (Haut Potentiel Intellectuel) and was developed by Drew Goddard. The series stars Daniel Sunjata, Judy Reyes, and Javicia Leslie, among others.
The Season 1 launch reported 11.49 million combined total viewers within the initial three days, and this helped kick-start the season, according to Memorable TV. By its season finale, the series had emerged as the most-viewed new drama on ABC in six years, surpassing The Conners that aired during the season of 2018–2019, according to Deadline.
The series finale attracted over 13 million viewers with a rating of 2.44 in the 18–49 demographic, demonstrating good retention of viewership, as reported by CBR.
High Potential received praise even from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, Season 1 held a critic approval rating of 96% with an average of 7.2/10, based on 25 critic reviews. The 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.”
The season received a 72 out of 100 rating at Metacritic, with the consensus being “generally favorable.”
The critics admired the acting of Olson and the relationships between her character and Daniel Sunjata’s Detective Karadec. Variety deemed the show a “solid police procedural” with the quirky appeal of Olson and the interesting nature of the relationship between the two leads.
The Hollywood Reporter stated that the premise was somewhat weak, yet the show was anchored on Olson and helped the absurd situations become entertaining.
Following its success, High Potential was greenlit for Season 2, which was released on September 16, 2025. The latest season was extended to 18 episodes, as compared to the 13 episodes of the first season, to enable longer character arcs and more layers of story. The series is running on ABC and can be streamed on Hulu and Disney+.
What is High Potential about?
High Potential is an American television series that aired on ABC on September 17, 2024. The series follows Kaitlin Olson's character, Morgan Gillory, a single mother with an intelligence quotient of 160. She initially works as a cleaner with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Although she is responsible for cleaning the offices, Morgan is a high-potential intellectual (HPI) with an extraordinary intellect. When she surprises everyone by cracking a complex case with her outside-the-box thinking and acute observation abilities, she is hired by the LAPD's Major Crimes Division as a civilian consultant.
There, she is teamed with Detective Adam Karadec, a systematic and rigorous detective with a by-the-book philosophy that frequently conflicts with Morgan's observational and intuitive style of detective work.
A subplot revolves around Morgan's use of LAPD resources to reopen the case of Roman, her daughter Ava's father, who vanished 15 years earlier.
High Potential Season 2 starts with the continuation of Season 1's storyline. The season's first episode, titled Pawns, delves into the direction of attacks on Morgan Gillory and her family.
The Season 2 premiere opens with the abduction of a woman, signaling the return of the Game Maker. Morgan and Detective Karadec are immediately involved in the case, and the LAPD provides round-the-clock security to Morgan and her family.
The tension is further built up when the Game Maker bravely enters the police station and states, “Apparently, you are looking for me”.
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Showrunner Todd Harthan told TheWrap that the dynamic between Morgan and the Game Maker is a “sadistic genius versus an empathetic genius,” which places emphasis on the psychological cat-and-mouse between the two.
Season 2 introduces new characters and storylines. Mekhi Phifer joins the show playing Roman, Morgan's absent husband, who is revealed to be alive and found to be living in Nevada. Steve Howey joins, playing Captain Jesse Warner and adds a new dynamic to the LAPD personnel and richness to the relationships within the precinct.
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