As an entertainment editor, I watch a lot of TV. Some of it good, some of it bad, all of it entertaining in one way or another. In the broad swath of genres I binge, I’ll be the first to admit that a lot of it falls under the crime umbrella; your girl loves a good murder mystery. And one of my favorite shows to pop up in recent years is High Potential. ICYMI, the series is one of two standout crime procedurals new to ABC (the other is Will Trent, which I also highly recommend). Since I’ve been hopelessly hooked on the show from the first episode, it didn’t take me long to start wondering if High Potential Season 2 could be in the future for fans.
I know I’m not alone, either. The midseason return of the detective drama reached a new series high of 5.7 million viewers, according to TVLine. That number is expected to grow even more once delayed viewership and streaming numbers are calculated, considering those factors bump up High Potential’s Season 1 average to more than 10 million viewers per episode.
So, there are a lot of us out there keeping our fingers crossed that the Kaitlin Olson-led series won’t be ending after its freshman season. Here’s everything we know about the fan favorite’s fate.
Has High Potential been renewed yet?
Frustratingly, no. Although renewals seemed to be dropping left and right, ABC is thus far crickets on High Potential. However, given its high viewership and seeming popularity online, it feels like the series has, ahem, a ton of *potential* for another season.
Who stars in the series?
The cast of a series — no matter how good the writing is — can make or break it. In the case of High Potential, the cast makes it. Kaitlin Olson plays the series’ charismatic lead, and between Hacks and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, we were all already in love with her, right? Playing opposite Olson as an at-first surly detective is Daniel Sunjata. You probably remember him most from Rescue Me or Graceland, but I personally haven’t stopped thinking about him since 2002, when he had a brief cameo as cute Southern sailor Louis Leroy in Sex and the City.
And we can’t overlook Judy Reyes, who plays a badass but empathetic LAPD lieutenant. Nurse Carla in Scrubs, Zoila in Devious Maids, Dina in Jane the Virgin, Quiet Ann in Claws… she is phenomenal in every role she takes.
These are the main players, but the supporting cast certainly contributes to the show’s appeal, too.
What could Season 2 focus on?
First, a quick refresher. High Potential follows Morgan Gillory, a single mother of three with “high potential” intellect — a set of characteristics that includes a very high IQ, divergent thinking, disparate interests, extreme problem-solving abilities, and other personality quirks. When she covertly and oh-so-casually solves a crime during her shift as an LAPD cleaning lady (very Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting), she gets looped into being a contracted consultant for the law enforcement agency.
She’s paired up with Sunjata’s Detective Adam Karadec, a real straight shooter, who was none too thrilled in the beginning about her involvement with the force. But as the midseason episode really proved, Karadec has softened toward Gillory. In fact, when she shows up at his house unannounced to work on a case one night, he doesn’t roll his eyes or tell her to go home — he actually welcomes her in, orders Chinese food, and even opens up to her about his romantic past.
Not surprisingly, many fans feel as though Season 2 could build out this slow-burn relationship between Karadec and Gillory. I would like for their friendship to continue developing and for the two of them to become more platonic soulmates. Meanwhile, I’m sincerely thirsting for more forward momentum in Gillory’s budding romance with janitor Tom, played by the wildly charming JD Pardo.
Either way, it seems safe to assume Season 2 would also explore more family dynamics and how Gillory manages to keep her attention trained on both a job and the needs of her kids — all of which could become more complicated as Reyes’ Lieutenant Soto uncovers more intel about Gillory’s missing, maybe-ghosted-her-but-could-be-dead-too husband.
This article was originally published on scarymommy.com.