High Potential, a TV show filled with mystery, uniqueness, and comedy aired its first episode on September 17, 2024. This show revolves around two characters: Morgan Gilroy and Adam Karadec. This show offers its viewers a good time and unique “cases” that are bound to stump you.
Kaitlin Olson plays the role of Morgan Gilroy who is a single mother of three children who has a “high potential intelligence,” which means she has an above-average intelligence quotient. Despite being so smart, Morgan has somehow managed to either quit or get fired from every job she has ever had, which is partly due to her unpredictability and flakiness. In one such job as a janitor for the LAPD, she oversteps her job and helps solve a homicide case. Seeing her success in solving the case, the captain of the precinct, Officer Selena (played by Judy Reyes), offers her a job as a consultant to the LAPD. Morgan accepts the offer, after much pondering, and she is asked to work with Detective Adam Karadec (played by Daniel Sunjata) who reluctantly agrees to work with her and has to put up with Morgan’s antics like taking evidence home to “work from home.” Karadec is a typical by-the-book cop who is a loner and doesn’t want any outside help.
The relationship between Morgan and Karadec is interesting to say the least, they both play at each others’ tics which is well portrayed by the excellent chemistry between Oslon and Sunjata. Both on and off the screen, both Morgan’s and Kradec’s presence are felt, it’s almost like they are on screen and they take over. The writers have also done a good job of maintaining a balance between case-of-the-week mysteries and a larger mission of finding Morgan’s boyfriend who disappeared 15 years ago. The best thing about the show is how they have managed to blend seriousness with comedy and fun. While this is not a concept, High Potential seems to have done it better than almost any other TV show that falls into their category. The show also does a good job of appreciating its supporting characters like Officer Selene and detectives Lev Osman (played by Deniz Akdeniz) and Daphne Forrester (played by Javicia Leslie). The show gives them a good amount of screen time and it keeps re-emphasizing their importance to make sure that they aren’t completely sidelined.
While the show is really entertaining and well presented, it’s not all good. Some of the “cases” that they are trying to solve seem too familiar and too predictable. It’s as if the show has taken the “cases” or stories from other shows like Monk, Bones, Castle, Mentalist, or Psych. While the predictability and the familiarity of the show can be comforting, sometimes it can come across as tiring or clichéd. Even though the quick-witted script and Olson’s charisma keeps the show from feeling too much like its siblings with which it shares so many similarities. But at the end of the day the deciding factor on whether you will like High Potential rests on how you answer this question: Is Morgan lovable, or is she annoying?
Overall, High Potential is a crime show with a dash of comedy added to it. It’s a show that is not too serious but complicated enough to keep you entertained and engaged. While there are a few flaws, those can easily be ignored as they are only minor flaws. The cast and the extremely well written characters and script makes this show a must watch for all comedy-crime lovers.
Final Rating: 8/10
