After an incredible premiere season, High Potential is walking away as the show that everyone wants more of — this TV Fanatic included.
Not only did the series showcase Kaitlin Olson’s incredible range as an actor, but it also left audiences hooked with outstanding writing and character development.
Despite this report card’s “worst episode” section, every High Potential episode was even more amazing than the last.
Derived from the popular French series Haut Potential Intellectual, the story itself is so universal that the American High Potential isn’t even the only version inspired by the original.
Seriously, Czechia, Hungary, and Greece all have their own adaptations.
However, we’re here to talk about the version that took the 2024-2025 television broadcast season by storm.
Best Episode: Let’s Play – High Potential Season 1 Episode 13
As I said, High Potential only got better with every new episode. So, it makes sense that the best episode would be the finale. Honestly, who wasn’t at the edge of their seat for the entirety of “Let’s Play.”
The best part of the series was its deviation from the usual formula of a crazy case that Morgan drops fact after fact about, inevitably speeding up the process of evidentiary discovery.
If anything, Miss Gillory spent a solid bit of time as stumped as the rest of the LAPD. Hats off to Kaitlin Olson because Morgan seemed genuinely nervous and scared — especially at the end.
One thing I completely missed from High Potential Season 1 Episode 13 is that the kidnapper was David Giuntoli. You’d think his incredible eyes would have been a dead giveaway.
For those who enjoy a heavy dose of fantasy with their regularly broadcasted shows, you likely recognized the actor from his six years on the pulse-pounding series Grimm.
And more recently, from his stint on a little show that everyone loves called A Million Little Things.
Well, now he’s making trouble for the LAPD, specifically Miss Gillory.
The question on our minds is, “How does he connect to Morgan?”
That might be easier to answer than we think. “Let’s Play” was not exactly subtle about diving into Morgan’s past and revealing that her HPI was inherited from her rather cold father.
The kidnapper was so smart that they stumped Morgan a few times, so we can safely guess he also has HPI.
All that is to say that it seems possible that the kidnapper could be related to Morgan and possibly even be her brother.
The episode was so close to a happy ending, with Morgan discovering that Roman is still alive.
However, the deep dread she felt in the bottom of her stomach as she read the note the kidnapper left for her overshadowed that.
It was an incredible cliffhanger that left many viewers flabbergasted to this day.
Worst Episode: Dirty Rotten Scoundrel – High Potential Season 1 Episode 3
We’ll be using the term “worst” rather loosely here because, as I have stated, there were no bad episodes on High Potential Season 1.
However, as the case revealed more background about the victim, he became the worst.
Also, it had Morgan and Karadec’s biggest fight, and I think everyone wants to forget that. Granted, Morgan almost got Karadec stabbed, so his anger was warranted.
Back to the victim. If you recall, this was the case with the insanely hot dead guy in the hotel tub — it was the last time there was any semblance of innocence from the victim.
This is a little harsh to say — but remember the victim is fictional.
That guy had it coming. If anything, he got off easy.
If you recall, the victim on High Potential Season 1 Episode 3 was a con man who was ripping off vulnerable women who he could take advantage of.
One of them was an older woman with memory problems who had given the victim her entire life’s savings because he told her he was in love with her and was going to use the money to build their dream home. Well, he didn’t.
Instead, he kept the money while continuing the con with a doctor whose husband had recently died.
Does the shock stop there? Not even a little. The victim had a wife and young daughter who had no idea what he was up to — not to mention he hid evidence in a fake dictionary that he gifted to his daughter.
Suffice it to say that guy sucked in every possible way.
As great as it would have been to see him go to jail for life, there’s no guarantee that he would’ve seen prison. He likely would have conned his way out of the country long before a trial.
That’s ironic, considering this is a police procedural. In the end, the older woman’s son went to jail, but not before letting his mom think he was moving away for a good job.
See what I mean by “worst” episode?
Funniest Episode: Croaked – High Potential Season 1 Episode 5
The great thing about a series like High Potential is that it has so many layers that it can go from being a thriller to a drama and then finish as a comedy.
The show also isn’t afraid to tap into a little camp to add levity to more dramatic cases.
The one on High Potential Season 1 Episode 5 involved a vet whose friend and lover (whom she planned to run away with) murdered her.
It was all because the lover discovered her relationship with the vet was a result of the vet’s desire to be near the son she gave up for adoption when she was a teenager. That is some CW-level drama.
However, the writers made some pretty good calls in “Croaked” to balance out this cluster-fork (The Good Place) of a situation.
For one, hats off to whichever writer thought Morgan shooting Karadec with a tranquilizer gun was a good idea. It’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to Karadec in an altered state of mind.
Karadec seemed to be at the heart of this episode’s humor — along with Morgan’s hilarious sense of humor, of course.
During the only date we’ve seen Karadec on, Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) bulldozed her way into the restaurant with all three of her children in tow to tell the detective her new theories.
However, Morgan, being Morgan, had to mess with her partner a little first. Who among us hasn’t messed with a friend just to annoy them a little? It’s how we make bonds.
Not to mention how quick she was to cut off Karadec as she portrayed herself as his wife, who was upset that he was meeting with a prostitute without her.
It’s probably not a coincidence that we’ve never seen Karadec’s date again. At least he was a good sport two episodes after Morgan almost got him stabbed.
Saddest Episode: The Sauna at the End of the Stairs – High Potential Season 1 Episode 11
Believe it or not, this was probably the hardest category to pick an episode for. Most, if not all, of High Potential’s stories had some level of sadness in their respective cases.
Do you remember the one with the two abducted little girls? That was a really tough one for Mama Morgan.
Sometimes, the saddest part of an episode has nothing to do with the case at all, like in “Chutes and Murder,” when that little turd from Elliot’s class was so freaking mean to him.
However, High Potential Season 1 Episode 11, turned the sadness up to the max. I almost don’t want to revisit it because of how truly heartbreaking it was
While “The Sauna at the End of the Stairs” felt like it was ripped right from Jamie Lee Curtis‘s Knives Out, it lacked any dark humor — it was just dark as hell.
The victim, if you can even call him that, abused his wife to the point where he covered her entire back and arms in bruises. The reveal was a gasp-worthy moment if ever there were one.
See what I mean about referring to him as the “victim” in this episode? He had beaten and broken his wife down both mentally and physically to the point that she had become used to it.
In the end, the son couldn’t take it and killed his own father before trying to make it look like he died in the sauna. It might be a minute before I can rewatch this one.
I hope that kid got a lenient and sympathetic judge. Honestly, if he hadn’t done the deed, I’m pretty sure the brothers or any other family member would have done the same.
Is it me, or does High Potential seem to have a capital on victims who were awful people in life? This next one was a real piece of, um, work.
Best Twist: Hangover – High Potential Season 1 Episode 6
Any police procedural worth its salt knows how to work in a twist at the most opportune time, and High Potential is no different.
One of the best things about the series is that it doesn’t skimp on the twists and turns. How else could they have given us such a mind-blowing finale?
That said, one of the best twists came from High Potential Season 1 Episode 6, where an assistant was the prime suspect in the murder of her boss.
To refresh your memory, the victim, Elaine Barton, was the CEO of a health and wellness company that was in the middle of launching the “Canary.”
The device was a homeopathic remedy to ease anxiety and panic attacks in children — except that’s not all it did.
Throughout the episode of one suspect after another, it is revealed that the device — one that children vape, had harmful forever chemicals, with at least one confirmed child developing asthma.
Elaine was hellbent on making millions off the device and wouldn’t let anyone get in the way. She sounds delightful and not at all like a sociopath.
Sadly, the assistant, sweet Sam, looked as guilty as they came.
I mean, she woke up in Elaine’s office with her boss a few feet away, dead on the ground after having engaged in some intense brawl the night before.
Alcohol will do that even to those with the tolerance of a rhino.
However, being an unhinged individual, Elaine kept a secret camera in her office that caught the entire event.
As it turns out, Alison Jaye’s (Shameless) Sam was only defending herself because she discovered how dangerous the device was and planned to let the whole world know.
With scissors in hand, Elaine rushed at Sam to, well, do what she was going to do, but Sam fought back, knocking herself out in the process while Elaine impaled herself on her own award.
Sure, Sam will still have to go through the whole trial process because a woman died, but even Karadec said, “With a halfway decent lawyer, you’ll never see the inside of a cell.”
Some problems fix themselves.
Most Improved Character: Detective Adam Karadec
You’re probably thinking, “How do you improve on perfection?” The answer is you don’t. In this case, “most improved” means “most likely to come out of their shell.”
When we first met Detective Adam Karadec in the High Potential Season 1 Premiere, he was not exactly congenial.
Was he easy on the eyes as a tall drink of water? I mean, you’ve seen him, right? Somehow, even his scowling is sexy, and that’s not easy to pull off.
More to the point, he was a bit of a solitary individual, and it honestly seemed like his face might break should he grace anyone with a genuine smile.
However, after only a few episodes, Captain Soto proclaimed that Morgan had worn off on the detective.
Since then, Adam (Daniel Sunjata) has become the kind of man who listens to his gut AND his heart. It might also have something to do with a blonde genius he has started to fancy.
It has to be said that it is so obvious at this point that Karadec is crushing on Morgan. Who could blame him after she showed up to the police ball in that pink number?
He has definitely entered the overly protective phase with his partner.
So, how will he react when Morgan eventually tells him that the kidnapper from the finale is targeting her, specifically?
Best Overall Character: Captain Selena Soto
If there is one character that doesn’t get nearly enough praise, it’s Judy Reyes‘s Selena Soto. The woman never takes a day off and always puts her people at the top of her priority list.
Plus, she’s the reason Morgan became a consultant for the LAPD in the first place. The sign of an excellent boss is the ability to recognize talent and utilize it to its fullest potential.
That’s my way of saying the woman is damn good at her job when it comes to making sure the precinct is working at its most optimal level.
My only complaint is that we have not learned nearly enough about the good captain. She mentioned being a mother, but not much else is known of Selena.
Going into High Potential Season 2, it would be great if we got to see her backstory. Even better, it would be nice if the captain had her own arc or side story.
High Potential is just leaving good ideas on the table by not giving Judy Reyes more chances to stretch the thirty years of acting she has under her belt.
The writers act like they’ve never seen Devious Maids, Dr. Death, or Claws.
Every actor on ABC‘s High Potential is a powerhouse of talent that, hopefully, the next season will utilize to their fullest potential. Now, where have I heard that before?
Overall Grade
A. Aaaaaaaa!
Seriously. After all of that, did you think it would have gotten anything less?
Now it’s your turn!
What do you hope to see on High Potential Season 2?
Which episode from High Potential Season 1 was your favorite?
Drop a comment below to let me know what you and don’t forget to grade it yourself in the poll below!
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