2024 ‧ Drama ‧ 2 seasons
A single mom with three kids helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a police department cleaner.
The series follows Morgan Gillory, a single mother of three who works as a cleaner at the Los Angeles Police Department. Morgan has an IQ of 160, classifying her as a high-potential intellectual (HPI). When she unexpectedly solves a complex case using her unorthodox thinking and keen observational skills, she is recruited as a civilian consultant for the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division. There, she is partnered with Detective Adam Karadec, a disciplined and methodical investigator whose by-the-book approach often clashes with Morgan’s intuitive and unconventional methods.
A subplot follows Morgan’s use of LAPD resources to investigate the 15-year-old disappearance of her first husband, Roman, the father of her daughter Ava.
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 stars Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, an intellectually gifted cleaning woman who becomes a police consultant. Also starring are Daniel Sunjata as Morgan’s partner Adam Karadec and Judy Reyes as Selena Soto, the head of their unit. The series premiered on September 17, 2024. In January 2025, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on September 16, 2025.
Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, a single mother with three children, an IQ of 160, and a wide range of knowledge. Morgan works as a cleaner for the LAPD until Selena offers her a consultant position.
Daniel Sunjata as Adam Karadec, a detective who is initially skeptical about Morgan being an asset to the LAPD but later becomes her dedicated partner
Javicia Leslie as Daphne Forrester, Major Crimes investigator and Oz’s partner
Deniz Akdeniz as Lev “Oz” Özdil, Major Crimes investigator and Daphne’s partner
Amirah J as Ava Gillory, Morgan’s rebellious teenage daughter whose father, Roman, disappeared 15 years before the series begins
Matthew Lamb as Elliot Radovic, Morgan’s son with her second ex-husband Ludo. He seems to have inherited his mother’s high-potential intellect.
Judy Reyes as Selena Soto, head of the LAPD’s Major Crimes Division, where Morgan serves as a consultant
Steve Howey as Nick Wagner (season 2)
Taran Killam as Ludo Radovic, Morgan’s second ex-husband, Ava’s ex-stepfather and Elliot and Chloe’s father who is a driving instructor. Despite their divorce, he and Morgan are on friendly terms, and he takes care of all three of her children as a “manny” salaried by the LAPD.
Garret Dillahunt as Lieutenant Melon, the head of the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division
JD Pardo as Tom, a janitor at the LAPD who is in nursing school and whom Morgan briefly dates
David Giuntoli as Game Master
Mekhi Phifer (season 2)
Upon the series pickup announcement, Olson, Daniel Sunjata, Javicia Leslie, Deniz Akdeniz, Amirah J, Matthew Lamb, and Judy Reyes were cast in starring roles. On July 1, 2024, Garret Dillahunt joined cast in a recurring capacity. On August 21, 2024, Taran Killam was cast in a recurring role. On June 26, 2025, Steve Howey joined the cast as a new series regular for the second season. On July 14, 2025, Mekhi Phifer was cast in an unnamed recurring role for the second season. On August 23, 2025, it was reported that David Giuntoli who appeared on the first season finale episode is set to recur for the second season.
High Potential premiered on September 17, 2024, on ABC. The series was later made available to stream on Hulu. Due to the show’s initial atypical production schedule and Kaitlin Olson’s commitment to her other television role on FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, ABC only ordered 13 episodes for the first season instead of a longer 20-episode season. The second season premiered on September 16, 2025.
The premiere of High Potential saw a 220% increase in viewership, reaching 11.5 million viewers across platforms (including Hulu and Hulu on Disney+) within three days, from an initial 3.6 million on ABC alone. In the key 18-49 demographic, the rating rose by 354% (from 0.35 to 1.59) after 3 days of additional viewing across multiple streaming platforms. On Hulu, the series ranked in the Top 15 and held the No. 1 spot for three consecutive days starting September 22.
High Potential later became the most-watched new series on ABC in six years, surpassing The Conners’ record from the 2018-2019 season. The October 22 episode was watched by 6.83 million viewers in Live + 7 Days metric, marking ABC’s top spot in the Tuesday night scripted lineup for the first time in four years. After including streaming data from Hulu and Disney+, the episode’s viewership rose to 10.49 million viewers – a 191% increase from its Live + Same Day ratings of 3.6 million, with steady viewership retention since the pilot.
Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, revealed that High Potential ranked as the No. 12 show of the fall among adults 18–49 in Nielsen live+7 ratings, with a 0.57 rating. Including seven days of streaming, the show rose to No. 1 in the demographic with a 2.33 rating, reflecting a 309% increase driven by its performance on Hulu. It also became the most-streamed broadcast entertainment series of the fall, with 4.3 million streaming viewers, which boosted its total viewership from 6.5 million in live+7 to 10.8 million across platforms, making it the third most-watched show in total viewers.
The January 14, 2025, episode of High Potential set a series high with 13.19 million cross-platform viewers over seven days and a 2.44 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic (about 3.27 million viewers). The episode also drew 9.14 million viewers in Nielsen’s seven-day linear ratings. Streaming accounted for about 31% of the audience, with 4.05 million viewers, particularly skewing younger, with more than two-thirds of the 18-49 viewers (about 2.22 million people) watching via streaming. This performance marked the largest audience for an ABC drama in over four years, since Grey’s Anatomy episodes in fall 2020.