Back
Entertainment

ABC's High Potential Renewed for Third Season; New Showrunner Sought

View source

"High Potential" Renewed for Third Season, Seeks New Showrunner

ABC has renewed its procedural drama "High Potential" for a third season. The series will be seeking a new showrunner following the departure of its current head, Todd Harthan.

Showrunner Transition

Todd Harthan is exiting his role as showrunner to focus on a new project. He will co-create and serve as co-showrunner for "Eragon," a live-action adaptation of Christopher Paolini's book series "The Inheritance Cycle," alongside Todd Helbing. Harthan maintains an overall deal with 20th Television, the same studio that produces "High Potential."

Series Overview

"High Potential" is a procedural drama starring Kaitlin Olson as Morgan, a single mother with an IQ of 160. Her character begins as a cleaning lady at the Los Angeles Police Department before becoming a consultant for the LAPD's Major Crimes division.

The main cast includes:

  • Daniel Sunjata as Karadec
  • Javicia Leslie as Daphne
  • Deniz Akdeniz as Lev “Oz” Ozdil
  • Amirah J as Ava
  • Matthew Lamb as Elliot
  • Judy Reyes as Selena

Strong Performance and Viewership

The renewal of "High Potential" follows robust performance across both linear television and streaming platforms. The show launched its 2026 season in a new 9 PM timeslot, quickly demonstrating its audience appeal.

The first episode of the new season garnered 12.33 million viewers over its initial seven days across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and various digital platforms. This viewership figure represents a 3% increase over the show's fall season average and a 7% increase from its fall finale, which had 11.52 million viewers in seven days.

Nielsen data further highlighted the show's success, indicating that "High Potential" was the second most-watched show in the first five weeks of the year, averaging 13.24 million viewers.

Production Team

Drew Goddard, who created "High Potential" based on the French series "HPI," serves as an executive producer alongside Sarah Esberg of Goddard Textiles. Kaitlin Olson also holds a producer credit for the series.

Other ABC Renewals

ABC also announced several other renewals this week:

  • "Abbott Elementary" for Season 6
  • "9-1-1" for Season 10
  • "9-1-1: Nashville" for Season 2