High Potential stormed ABC’s 2024 lineup, turning a French procedural into a vibrant American hit. Created by Drew Goddard, the mind behind The Martian and Daredevil, the series stars Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, a single mom with an 160-IQ who leaps from cleaning LAPD floors to solving its toughest cases. Her foil, Detective Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), balances her wild energy with stoic precision.
The cast—Javicia Leslie as Daphne, Judy Reyes as Selena Soto, and Deniz Akdeniz as Lev—adds layers to the precinct’s relationships and conflicts. The premiere season generated over 10 million viewers, quickly establishing it as ABC’s biggest new drama in 5 years, and received a fast renewal. The new season is set to premiere on September 16, 2025, and everything will get amped up a notch, with a terrifying new villain and even more personal drama.
The Season 2 teaser, a taut 30-second thrill ride, sets the stage for Morgan’s deadliest challenge yet. It opens with her chaotic crime board—photos pinned haphazardly, red string zigzagging—mirroring her brilliant, messy mind. “Is this what the inside of your head looks like?” Karadec teases. Morgan’s sly grin replies, “Not even close.” The mood darkens as the Puzzle Maker (David Giuntoli) emerges, a shadowy figure leaving cryptic clues.
Quick cuts show Morgan sprinting through LA’s underbelly, her vibrant nails tapping as she deciphers puzzles under ticking clocks. A bone-chilling voiceover indicates the Puzzle Maker has targeted her family and is making the game personal.
High Potential Season 2 will provide an appropriate follow-up to the cliffhangers at the end of Season 1. Morgan has entered the LAPD as an operative for the Major Crimes Unit. This is a new role that will be tested with the Puzzle Maker (David Giuntoli) - a guest villain made in Season 1's finale, who rolled into the episode with an innocent face but an actual deadly intent. His elaborate, deadly riddles test Morgan’s intellect like never before, threatening her kids, Ava and Elliot.
Showrunner Todd Harthan describes a “darker, more serialised” arc, blending standalone cases with an overarching mystery. The season also revisits Morgan’s missing ex-husband, Roman, with clues suggesting he’s alive and linked to an FBI cover-up. New cast member Steve Howey plays Captain Nick Wagner, a charismatic but calculating leader stirring tension in the precinct.
Season 1 ended with three bombshells: the Puzzle Maker’s taunting note to Morgan, Karadec’s lead on Roman’s disappearance, and a near-miss romance with janitor Tom (JD Pardo). The two-part Season 2 premiere picks up days later, weaving these threads into fresh cases. Morgan’s relationships with her kids and ex Ludo (Taran Killam) get richer focus, showcasing her juggling act as a mom and crime-solver. Her disparate style—think leopard pant scarves and chunky boots—will forever be a visual representation of her defiant spirit.
Olson hints at a "lonelier" Morgan, despite her fierce independence, grappling with vulnerability. While Season 2 adds more episodes to tell a more rounded story for supporting characters like Daphne and Ortiz, it will also introduce Morgan to antagonists and allies that we've yet to meet in this great production.
The Puzzle Maker is an awful nemesis that adds a thrilling new peril to all of this, but the series is always anchored by the love Morgan feels for her family. We have seen the buzz on the social media platforms with fans commenting on the trailer’s intensity as well as predictions that Olson's performance will earn her an Emmy.
High Potential Season 2 airs on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at 10 PM ET on ABC, and the following day, it will be available streaming on Hulu. So get ready for one wild ride now that Morgan will be up against her smartest foe yet!
TOPICS: High Potential season 2