“That’s something the two of us share”: Kaitlin Olson reveals how she relates to her character Morgan Gillory from High Potential

Kaitlin Olson will return as LAPD's consultant, Morgan Gillory, in ABC's High Potential. The sophomore season of the network's breakout hit was announced even before the Season 1 finale.

Olson's crime drama series is based on the 2021 French and Belgian television series HPI and debuted in September 2024. The show became the biggest hit for the network in years, garnering 10 million viewers per episode.

High Potential follows a single mother, Morgan, who works as a cleaning lady at the Los Angeles Police Department. After the department accidentally discovers her high IQ of 160, she becomes a consultant for the LAPD's Major Crimes division and helps them crack high-stakes cases.

Olson is best known for her comedic roles in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Hacks.

Her portrayal of Morgan Gillory received much appreciation, and in a recent interview with Deadline, the actress revealed that she shares her character's curiosity and anxiety to see something through to the end.

More on this in our story.

High Potential: Kaitlin Olson breaks down her character, Morgan Gillory

Olson's Morgan Gillory from High Potential is surely a unique character and earned a unique place in the audience's heart right from the beginning. A single mother with a high IQ, Olson discussed her character in a recent interview with Deadline.

Discussing the similarities between herself and her high-IQ character, Morgan Gillory, the actress noted:

''I don’t have a crazy-high IQ like she does, but I do know what it’s like to have anxiety.''

She added:

''I do know what it’s like to be up in the middle of the night worrying about something or trying to figure something out. Or even trying to put pieces together and not being able to relax and let it go until I’ve figured it out. That’s something the two of us share, and I think that’s something all parents share.''

In addition, she also relates to how Morgan is underestimated by the people around her, but once they learn her High Potential, they realise that she is not someone to be messed with.

Olson revealed that she relates to people underestimating her, and she used that knowledge to play the character flawlessly and also derive humour in intense situations:

''I wanted to create a character that was very well-rounded, and there’s a lot going on in her life, she’s always overwhelmed. There’s always a lot going on in her brain, and sometimes she’s able to laugh at herself. She definitely feels fine making fun of people, especially when they’re underestimating her, so there’s comedy in that.''

High Potential is confirmed for Season 2

After the breakthrough success of Season 1, ABC renewed High Potential for Season 2 even before the Season 1 finale. While Season 1 consisted of 13 episodes, it was reported that the sophomore season will consist of a total of 18 episodes.

Kaitlin Olson will return as LAPD's high-IQ consultant, Morgan Gillory, who directly came under the mysterious serial killer's radar in the Season 1 finale.

While Morgan and her team tackled every case to fruition, the finale's mysterious serial killer still looms large, who even tried to kill Oz by drowning him in a swimming pool.

The Season 1 finale saw the unknown serial killer pretending to help Morgan load groceries from her car. She later finds a pack of playing cards in her groceries with a secret message, setting up an explosive High Potential Season 2.

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