High Potential finally has a premiere date for season 2, and it's exactly when we expected based on season 1.
ABC is odd among other networks in that it doesn’t do many crime procedural series. They’ve had a few like Castle and some short-lived series such as Deception and Take Two. However, the network doesn’t do as many crime shows as NBC or CBS, preferring more dramatic series.
An exception has been High Potential, which premiered in September 2024. Based on a French TV show, the series focuses on Morgan Gillroy (Kaitlin Olson), a harried single mom of three working as a cleaning lady at the LAPD. One night, she absently rearranges a crime scene board to show the cops have been on the totally wrong track about a case.
Morgan is actually a super-genius with an IQ of 160, which leads her mind to always be racing to grasp any facts she can get her hands on. Seeing Morgan’s amazing mind can go places others can’t, Captain Soto (Judy Reyes) hires Morgan as a consultant and pairs her with Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata).
The show was a success for its first season thanks to the fun cases, the banter between Morgan and Adam, some nice turns, and especially Olson’s fantastic performance as Morgan. A second season was quickly ordered and now we’ve got a date for it!
When does High Potential season 2 premiere?
ABC has just announced its fall 2025 schedule and revealed that High Potential season 2 will premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 10/9c, following Dancing With the Stars season 34. This date matches the release of season 1.
The start date is interesting as other top ABC shows like 911 and Grey’s Anatomy won’t premiere until mid-October. However, this may be a sign that High Potential is getting an early start because it won’t have the same episode count as other ABC shows.
The series had been ordered back in May 2023, but was held back because of the Hollywood strikes that year. It premiered in September 2024, only to wrap up its first season in February 2025 with 13 episodes.
The reason is because of Olson’s busy schedule with her starring role in the FX comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a recurring role on HBO’s Hacks. That obviously cut into her time leading an ABC show, but a shorter season is normal for new shows. While there are indications that High Potential season 2 will have more episodes than the first year, it’s unlikely it’ll be the 22-episode count of other ABC shows.
There are some turns coming for season 2. It’ll likely build on the cliffhanger of season 1, where Morgan is targeted by a twisted killer who wants to challenge her. Steve Howey joins as a new police captain, while Mekhi Phifer has been cast in a secret role.
Season 2 will likely continue the “case of the week” format while also the long-range story arc of Morgan searching for her long-missing ex-boyfriend, who she believes vanished under suspicious circumstances. That gives the season a larger backdrop to spark fan interest.
With an earlier start time than other shows, High Potential season 2 has the real potential to get bigger and better in its second season, for a rare ABC procedural hit.
High Potential season 2 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 10/9c on ABC.
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