With the airing of its mid-season finale,High Potentialis officially on hiatus until January. The show follows Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson), once a night cleaner for the LAPD, and now their major crimes consultant. Due to her High Intellectual Potential condition (hence, the name of the series), Morgan is able to see things that her coworkers often cannot pick up on. She works with her partner, Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), to solve one major case in each episode.
With the show on pause for the next couple of months,now is the perfect time to catch up on the show.It is an incredibly fun and entertaining procedural that plays around with the genre. The most recent episode was a fast-paced and intense one, and a perfect end to the first half of the season. If you’re not already watchingHigh Potential, then take this as your sign to start watching the show. These are 10 reasons why you should watchHigh Potential.
High Potential
A single mom with a brilliant but unconventional mind becomes an unlikely crime-solving partner to a by-the-book detective. Her unique ability to piece together clues that others overlook makes her indispensable to the LAPD Major Crimes unit, leading to an unorthodox but highly effective investigative duo.
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10It has familiar crime procedural elements.
The crime procedural is a tried and true formula that just works. Some of the best examples of this include shows likeCastleandPsych, both of which focus on a main character who works as a consultant to the detectives. These shows grab viewers by putting an outside character into a world of murder mysteries and crime-solving, as a sort of stand-in for the audience.
High Potentialworks very well as a procedural,because it shows the major crimes unit solving a different murder or missing person’s case every episode. The episodes start with the crime, and then show Morgan and Karadec investigating the crime together, with the help of their coworkers. By the end of each episode, the case has been solved.
9It has a strong ensemble cast.
Morgan stands out as the main character, as does her partnership with Karadec. That being said,High Potentialhas an extremely strong ensemble cast. The workplace ensemble consists of Morgan’s boss, Selena Soto (Judy Reyes), as well as her coworkers, Daphne (Javicia Leslie) and Oz (Deniz Akdeniz). It is a lot of fun to watch them all get up to antics at work, and it is also exciting when each character gets their standout moment.
For example, Episode 5, “Croaked,” gives more of a focus on Daphne and Oz. It shows their unlikely partnership, and follows their perspectives as a lead sends them to the same place as Morgan and Karadec. Episode 6, “Hangover,” gives more of a focus toSelena’s role as a boss, and especiallyhow much her kindness means to Morgan.
8It focuses on Morgan’s relationship with her kids.
What makesHigh Potentialstand out as a show, and especially as a procedural, is the focus on Morgan’s personal life and family life outside of her job. A lot of TV shows about work, such as workplace sitcoms and procedurals, can make the job its characters' entire lives. Some examples of these areGrey’s AnatomyandBrooklyn Nine-Nine.That type of workplace show can make for a great show, and it is easy to keep the characters together if they’re all each other has.
That being said,High Potential’s external focus on Morgan’s family is really fun to watch. She has a sweet relationship with her three kids, whom she co-parents very amicably with her ex-husband, Ludo (Taran Killam).Morgan loves her kids fiercely, and her experience of being a mother often helps her solve cases involving parents and children. Where some TV detectives and consultants may shy away from emotion, Morgan puts it front and center.
7There’s an overarching mystery involving Morgan’s ex.
Each episode ofHigh Potentialhas an individual mystery to be solved, but there is also an overarching mystery that has hung over the beginning of the show so far. This is one of thebest procedural tropes, like whatHow to Get Away With Murderdid in its first season with the murder of Lila Stangard (Megan West). InHigh Potential, Morgan says in the pilot that she never believed the story that her oldest daughter’s father, Roman Sinquerra, just left them when he went to pick up diapers.
Selena agrees to investigate Roman’s disappearance, as one of Morgan’s conditions for taking the job. Early on, Selena learns that diapers were found in Roman’s car, which means that he didn’t just leave his family. The mystery has yet to be solved, butit seems like more clues will be provided throughout the season. If Roman is, in fact, alive, he might even make an appearance later in the show.
6There are plot twists in each episode.
Each episode ofHigh Potentialcenters on a single murder or disappearance, and there is always a twist in the reveal of the killer or kidnapper. As Morgan and Karadec investigate, they usually butt heads over who they think is guilty, before realizing that the suspect was under their noses the whole time. In Episode 6’s “Hangover,” the murder victim turns out to be an attempted murderer, and her victim had simply killed her in self-defense and does not remember doing it.
The plot twists inHigh Potential’s episodes make every installment interesting and fast-paced, leaving viewers to attempt to piece together what happened. The episodes are perfect for the live, weekly release, because they each have a big twist and a murderer reveal in them. Even though these individual cases have nothing to do with the show’s overarching plotline, they get viewers invested.
5It has comedic elements.
Due primarily to its hilarious leading lady who’s played by a veteran sitcom actress,High Potentialis really funny. The show feels a lot like a sitcom pushed intothe structure of a procedural, not unlike the way thatPsychdid. The show plays off of Morgan’s habit of always saying what’s on her mind, to create some really funny moments.She and Karadec also pair really well together as a comedic duo.
In Episode 5’s “Croaked,” Morgan crashes a first date of Karadec’s with her kids to talk about the case with him. It isa classic sitcom scenariothat fits surprisingly well into this show, as her kids eat Karadec’s fries and his date looks completely confused.High Potentialbalances the comedy expertly throughout the show, instead of just simply dumping it all onto one comic relief character.
4It has a strong central message.
Morgan Gillory starts the show cleaning the LAPD at night, when she can’t help but interfere with a murder board that she sees. Morgan initially gets in trouble for tampering with evidence, but Selena sees potential in her. Due to Morgan’s natural intellect, she is hired as a consultant for the major crimes division.High Potentialis the perfect reminderthat it is never too late to change careers or pursue a new dream.
Morgan is naturally extremely intelligent, but she is very new to this career. She sometimes struggles with the strict rules of her profession, and she is unable to keep her emotions out of cases. This is both a setback and an asset, and she and Karadec have to learn from each other and meet in the middle to work well together. In spite of starting late in life, Morgan is very good at her job.
3It is a classic underdog story.
From the beginning of time, TV viewers have never been able to help butroot for an underdog. Morgan Gillory is the perfect underdog.She starts off the show with a lot of intellect but very little experience. Her new boss, Selena, vouches for her, but many of Morgan’s new coworkers doubt her. One of these is her partner, Karadec, who eventually warms up to Morgan.
Morgan has to constantly win people over and prove them wrong, armed only with her intellect and sharp wit. Even better, she is excellent at her job.Morgan often solves cases that nobody else can, by thinking outside the box and doing things her way. Morgan has become indispensable to the LAPD major crimes unit, because she sees things that other people don’t see, and she gives value to even the smallest details.
2There is a potential of a slowburn romance between Morgan and Karadec.
Morgan and Karadec are trulyone of the most exciting pairingson television right now. With amazing banter and chemistry, every one of their scenes has a certain spark to it. Karadec initially doesn’t want to work with Morgan, which leads to a clash and inherent dislike between the two of them. The two soon warm up to each other, though, and they end up becoming a really strong partnership.
Where Karadec does things by the book, Morgan pushes the envelope. This leads them to play very well off of each other. They have already had so many great moments. To show that she is warming up to him in Episode 3, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrel,” Morgan brings Karadec his favorite doughnut, an apple fritter. In Episode 4’s “Survival Mode,” Morgan shows her trust in Karadec by calling for his help in a ransom situation. In Episode 7, “One of Us,“Karadec stops at nothing to make sure that Morgan is safe,even when it means pushing back against his superior.
1Its leading lady is easy to root for.
Morgan Gillory is the very piecethat setsHigh Potentialapart from other procedurals. She is funny, extremely intelligent, and very thoughtful. Most of all, Morgan is emotional, and she never tries to hide that or dampen it. Instead, Morgan’s emotions guide her on each case. When she relates a lot to the main suspect in Episode 6’s “Hangover,” Morgan fights to prove her innocence, even when the facts suggest otherwise.
Morgan is an easy character to root for, because she has worked very hard to get to where she is. With everyone doubting her and waiting for her to fail,Morgan shows up to the LAPD each day, unabashedly herself. She earns her place there, and she even gets a badge and desk, because she has made herself so important. Morgan throws herself fully into every aspect of her life, from her job to her kids.
