High Potential star and producer Kaitlin Olson confirms that the show’s upcoming season will have more episodes. The detective drama broke out in the latter half of 2024, becoming one of the most popular new series on broadcast television. This led to ABC’s relatively speedy renewal for High Potential season 2, with at least a few cliffhangers for showrunner Todd Harthan and the writing team to address.
While speaking at Deadline‘s Contenders TV event, alongside Harthan and series creator Drew Goddard, Olson reveals that High Potential season 2 will have “a little more” episodes than season 1. The three-time Emmy nominee did not mention an exact episode, which will likely be revealed closer to the season 2 premiere, but it’s worth noting that season 1 consisted of 13 episodes.
What This Means For High Potential Season 2
We Can Probably Guess The Episode Count
High Potential season 2 may have between 14 to 16 episodes, with 15 being a likely number. Other shows, which have never had a full season order, have tended to favor that number. How to Get Away with Murder, the ABC crime thriller series led by Viola Davis, kept an episode count of 15 for its entire run. That impacted how the thriller approached its storytelling, which will likely play out with High Potential as well.
Related
Every High Potential Season 1 Case, Ranked
High Potential season 1 was a masterful pilot showing, but the crime procedural’s thirteen episodic cases varied in mystery and excitement.
Olson is a busy actor, with a regular recurring role on Hacks and her long-running portrayal of Dee Reynolds on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Even though it’s true that the High Potential season 1 finale sets up two main cliffhangers, introducing a new villain and confirming that the lead character’s ex isn’t dead, a longer episode count may ultimately be to the show’s benefit.
Our Take On High Potential’s Increased Episode Count
Less Is More
With a cast that includes Daniel Sunjata, Javicia Leslie, Deniz Akdeniz, Amirah J, Matthew Lamb, and Judy Reyes, High Potential is a procedural that runs the risk of falling into a repetitive rut where Olson’s protagonist ultimately solves everything. The second half of season 1 squashed those concerns, successfully tinkering with the formula and playing with ways that a case could be cracked.
More episodes can be a good thing. But, with a broader view, High Potential should stay focused on having the relatively rare of a procedural that feels lively and urgent and doesn’t offer too many uninspired outings in a single season. 15 episodes or so may be a sweet spot that accomplishes the balance.
Source: Deadline