In a move that is truly of no surprise, High Potential’s fate has been determined at ABC and it’s good news for the Kaitlin Olson-led dramedy!
Following another successful season, High Potential has been renewed for a third season at ABC. The renewal was all but a formality at this point, as the show was never viewed as being in any danger, as it remains a strong performer for ABC across both linear and streaming.
While the show will be coming back for a third season, there is a bit of a behind-the-scenes shakeup coming as ABC has announced that showrunner Todd Harthan is leaving the series. Harthan is set to exit the show in order to focus his attention on Disney+’s Eragon live-action adaptation, which is currently in development.
Showrunner changes are always an interesting hurdle for shows to return, as you never know how a new showrunner might choose to shake up the series. While the idea of a new showrunner taking over can be nerve-wracking for fans, it’s a move that happens frequently and can often help breathe new life into a show.
Yes, High Potential is only in its second season, but the show has suffered a bit of a sophomore slump in some regards with a bit of the season 1 magic lacking this year. Perhaps a change in showrunner can help the show bounce back stronger than ever in its third season, maintaining the heart of the show, which is truly the core ensemble built around Olsen’s character Morgan Gillory.
It was a bit jarring to see the show randomly throw in Steve Howie’s Nick Wagner into the mix this season, with his sole purpose seeming to be serving as a thorn in the side of Morgan’s side. While we get that shows need conflict, it felt jarring to have Morgan’s status as a consultant thrown into question so soon into her run—especially when her arrival led to higher case closures.
Hopefully, season 3 will see more of a return to the approach we saw in season 1, with the show finding conflict organically between the team as they worked cases and through the ongoing mystery of what happened to Roman. We also wouldn’t be opposed to the new showrunner finding a way to bring back JD Pardo as Tom, as we were excited to see a potential romance develop between Morgan and Tom, only for Pardo to be written out of the show.