ABC Drops New Season 2 Teaser for Kaitlin Olson’s ‘High Potential‘
Hold onto your detective notebooks, because ABC’s High Potential is about to take Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson) and Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) on their wildest ride yet. The network just unleashed a brand-new Season 2 teaser that has us questioning whether Morgan’s brilliant mind might have finally met its match. We’ll have to see!
The Puzzle Maker Is Coming for Morgan’s Family
This isn’t your typical procedural villain, folks. The High Potential Season 2 teaser introduces us to the Puzzle Maker, played by David Giuntoli, (Eddie from A Million Little Things), and this guy doesn’t mess around. The 30-second preview opens with Morgan’s chaotic evidence board – with crime and suspect photos scattered all about, and red string connecting clues like some tightrope collage – that somehow makes total sense in her 160-IQ brain.
But here’s where things get real: this psychopath isn’t just leaving random clues around Los Angeles. The Puzzle Maker is targeting Morgan’s two older kids, Ava and Elliot. The bone-chilling voiceover makes it very clear that this game is personal, and Morgan’s about to face her most dangerous foe yet. How is the Puzzle Maker connected to her?
Kaitlin Olson’s Morgan Gets Darker and More Vulnerable
What made Season 1 of ABC’s High Potential so compelling wasn’t just the brilliant crime-solving – it was watching Kaitlin Olson bring humanity to a character who could have easily been just a one-dimensional genius. Season 2 promises to dig even deeper into Morgan’s character and her history.
Olson herself has hinted that we’ll see a “lonelier” Morgan this season, despite her fierce independence. The actress wants her character to make mistakes, because let’s be honest – watching someone nail every case perfectly gets boring fast.
We’re talking about a single mom juggling three kids while solving crimes that leave seasoned detectives scratching their heads. That pressure has got to crack sometime.
Season 1’s Cliffhangers Get Their Payoff
Remember that jaw-dropping Season 1 finale? The ABC hit left viewers with three massive cliffhangers: the Puzzle Maker’s haunting message, Detective Karadec’s recent discovery on Morgan’s missing ex-husband Roman, and that will-they-won’t-they romance with janitor Tom, played by JD Pardo. Season 2 will be “sewing” these threads on the ABC show.
The two-part (yes!!) premiere picks up just days after Season 1’s finale, weaving these storylines into fresh cases that promise to test Morgan’s abilities in ways we haven’t yet seen before. And speaking of Roman, last season we saw clues that suggested he might be alive and connected to a FBI cover-up. Because apparently, Morgan’s life wasn’t complicated enough already.
New Faces Shake Up the LAPD Dynamic
High Potential Season 2 brings in Steve Howey (from Reba) as Captain Wagner, and ABC writes this guy’s description as “charismatic but calculating.” Adding a new authority figure to the mix when Morgan’s already established herself as the police department’s secret weapon? That’s a recipe for some serious workplace tension.
The season also promises to give supporting characters like Daphne (Javicia Leslie of Batwoman) and Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) more substantial storylines. Karadec’s bond with Morgan deepens as they continue investigating Roman’s disappearance, while the entire team still has unfinished business with whoever put Detective Oz at the bottom of that pool in Season 1.
Why High Potential Season 2 Could Be ABC’s Biggest Drama Win
Let’s talk numbers for a second. High Potential Season 1 generated over 10 million viewers, making it ABC’s biggest new drama in five years. That’s not just impressive – that’s network television gold in an era when everyone’s supposedly cutting the cord.
The ABC procedural works because it takes the familiar format and injects it with genuine heart. Protagonist Morgan isn’t just a smart crime-solving machine; she’s a mom trying to provide for her kids while using her extraordinary gift to help others.
Kaitlin Olson brings the perfect blend of emotion, vulnerability, and colorful sass to make Morgan feel like a real person – and not like some superhuman detective with no flaws.
The Verdict: September 16th Can’t Come Fast Enough
ABC knows what they have with High Potential, and this Season 2 teaser proves they’re done playing it “safe.” The Puzzle Maker storyline adds high stakes to Morgan’s world, while the deeper character development will give fans the emotional complexity that made Season 1 such a standout.
Mark your calendars: High Potential Season 2 premieres Tuesday, September 16th on ABC, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu. Based on this teaser alone, we’re predicting another ratings win for the network and potentially some Emmy buzz for Kaitlin Olson’s increasingly nuanced performance.
