ABC is keeping its breakout hit on the schedule. The network has renewed “High Potential” for a third season, securing the Kaitlin Olson-led crime dramedy for the 2026-2027 broadcast season. The renewal comes as no surprise, given the show’s strong performance as one of ABC’s top dramas, but it arrives with a significant behind-the-scenes change.
The High Potential Season 3 renewal was announced alongside pickups for “9-1-1” (Season 10) and “9-1-1: Nashville” (Season 2), following the previously confirmed Season 6 renewal for “Abbott Elementary”. However, the show will move forward without its current showrunner.
Todd Harthan, who has served as showrunner since taking over before the series premiere, is exiting to focus on the upcoming Disney+ live-action adaptation of “Eragon,” based on Christopher Paolini’s YA book series The Inheritance Cycle. Harthan co-created the “Eragon” series with Paolini and will serve as co-showrunner alongside Todd Helbing (“Superman & Lois”) as part of his overall deal with 20th Television, which is also the studio behind “High Potential”.
This marks the second time the series has lost a showrunner. Rob Thomas (“Veronica Mars”) was originally attached to lead the show but exited in June 2024, months before the series premiere, during a pre-planned hiatus. Harthan stepped in and has guided the series through its first two seasons.
A new showrunner for Season 3 has not yet been named.
“High Potential” has become a genuine hit for ABC since its September 2024 premiere. Based on the French series Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI), the show stars Olson as Morgan, a single mother with a 160 IQ who works as a cleaning lady at the Los Angeles Police Department before becoming a consultant for the Major Crimes division.
The series kicked off 2026 in a new timeslot, airing at 9 PM. Its first episode of the year tallied 12.33 million viewers across ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+, and digital platforms, roughly 3% above the show’s fall season average. According to Nielsen data, it was the second most-watched show in the first five weeks of the year, averaging 13.24 million viewers, trailing only Paramount+’s “Landman”.
Season 2 is currently airing its back half, with new episodes Tuesdays at 9 PM ET on ABC, streaming the next day on Hulu. The season has focused on the confirmation that Morgan’s ex, Roman, is still alive after going missing for more than a decade.
Before his departure, Harthan teased what’s coming in the remaining episodes. “It’s a pretty bumpy ride. We’re going to start unpacking some pretty intense things with Morgan, as it relates to all things Roman,” he told Us Weekly in January. “There are all kinds of trials and tribulations that are going to happen with the kids at home. It’s just going to get messy and complicated, hopefully in all the best ways so that the audience stays on the edge of their seats.”
He also promised “some really exciting guest stars” in the back half and teased that the relationship with Steve Howey’s Captain Jesse Wagner “really starts to bloom”.
The series stars Kaitlin Olson (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) as Morgan, alongside Daniel Sunjata as Detective Karadec, Javicia Leslie as Daphne, Deniz Akdeniz as Lev “Oz” Ozdil, Amirah J as Ava, Matthew Lamb as Elliot, and Judy Reyes as Selena. Season 2 added Steve Howey to the cast as precinct captain Jesse Wagner, who butts heads with Morgan.
“High Potential” was created by Drew Goddard (“The Good Place,” “The Martian”), who executive produces alongside Sarah Esberg of Goddard Textiles, Marc Halsey, and Olson.
The Season 2 finale is set to air Tuesday, March 24. Harthan recently told Deadline that the end of Season 2 will be a “satisfying, if not even more exhilarating push-off into a potential Season 3”. “What we’re plotting and planning, it has a different flavor than what we did last year, but I think it’s gonna be even more personal, even more propulsive, even more surprising than what we did in Season 1, because we’ve learned some things and the characters have gotten richer,” he added.
With production on Season 3 expected to begin later this year, ABC and 20th Television face the task of finding a new showrunner to continue the story. For now, fans can rest assured that Morgan’s unconventional crime-solving days are far from over.
