High potential has a lot of potential

The new crime series “High Potential” has just started in the USA and provides excitement and entertainment with a pleasant cozy crime factor. So that I don’t get into the pilot episode in the review, I’ll explain why we are so impressed.

Spoiler warning – This message may contain hints about the continuation of the plot!

This is what happens in the first episode of the crime series “High Potential”

In High Potential, Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) is a single mother who makes her living cleaning the LAPD offices at night. One evening, while she is dancing and cleaning the premises, she accidentally knocks over a box of pictures and notes from a current murder case on the table where homicide detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) is stuck. When he comes to work in the morning, however, he finds the name of the victim’s suspected wife crossed out on the whiteboard. Instead, she is declared as the victim. The security camera quickly proves that Morgan made the correction.

When Karadec and his boss Selena (Judy Reyes, Scrubs) call the cleaner into the office, it turns out that she has an IQ of 160 and can see connections that even the most experienced detectives cannot. Since the second victim of the crime must now be rescued as quickly as possible, Selena makes Morgan an unusual offer. She is to accompany Karadec as a consultant and solve the case together with him…

Here is the trailer for the new series “High Potential”:

Discover the Disney+ offer now (affiliate link)

A funny introduction

Just imagine: A cleaner is dancing through a police building at night, enthusiastically swinging her cleaning rag, when she suddenly knocks over a box of evidence for a murder case that is spread out on the whiteboard in front of her. One look is enough for her to find the devil in the details, correct it and go home. The next morning, slightly stressed but unconcerned, she is looking after her children when the doorbell suddenly rings and two police officers take her away and summon her to the desk of a grumpy detective, who then gives her a lecture.

Sounds kind of crazy funny, don’t you think? And that’s exactly what it is, because the pilot episode of the crime series “High Potential”, which has just started on the US channel ABC, will obviously have a light-hearted tone and combine it with exciting murder cases according to the good old cozy crime principle.

Based on the debut episode, this has worked really well so far. The first 45 minutes are definitely highly entertaining and relaxing. In the first scene in which you meet Morgan, a happy smile crosses your lips. The lively art in which It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Kaitlin Olson introduces the main character of the new format is simply charming.

The seriousness of an investigator’s life

Of course, attentive viewers are surprised that the supposedly “simple” cleaner suddenly becomes the victim of a murder. However, the explanation of this intentionally confusing scene follows quickly, because the next morning she has to answer questions and also learns that she actually committed a crime that night.

Her answer is delivered by her acting alter ego in such an energetic and sympathetic way that you really enjoy the baffled looks of the cop Karadec, who forms a fitting contrast to the single mother. His boss Selena acts as a organizing factor, immediately recognizing that Morgan has the special gift of discovering details that others would never dream of.

In a short but important dialogue, it turns out that the cleaning lady has an IQ of 160 (which would be roughly equivalent to the intelligence of Stephen Hawking), which means she can easily join the ranks of the most intelligent people in the world. Nevertheless, Karadec understandably has no great desire to be accompanied by a complete novice as an advisor, although of course that is exactly what ultimately happens.

The chemistry is right

In the following scenes and dialogues it becomes clear that the chemistry between the two very different people is good. Morgan may make one investigative error after another, but her comments on the case are always correct. This is a challenge for the experienced investigator that should not be underestimated, because he has to get used to the not exactly easy life of his new colleague, but on the other hand he also often puts her in her place so as not to jeopardize the success of the investigation due to her inexperience.

All of this is presented in a light-hearted tone that is entertaining and knows how to take the audience along. Series finder Drew Goddard (Lost, Daredevil) ensures that the case to be solved is not too obvious, but on the other hand he doesn’t just leave it at a pure “case of the week” concept. At the end of the episode, the perpetrators end up behind bars, of course, and Morgan receives a permanent job offer from Selena.

But she also wants something in return. 15 years ago, her husband disappeared without a trace, a circumstance that left deep scars in the family. Morgan’s daughter Ava (Amira J), for example, feels excluded because her brother Elliot (Mathew Lamb) obviously has the same talents as his mother, but she does not. Her father also never got to know her, so she was frustrated on the one hand, but also sad on the other, because she believed he had abandoned her.

Morgan therefore asks Selena for help in return for her services, a perhaps somewhat far-fetched but understandable request that could give “High Potential” a nice push towards a horizontal narrative style. This would mean that the series would work according to a similar principle to the successful Tracker, in which the main character solves a case every week, but at the same time pursues an overarching goal. The advantage of such formats is clear. If you miss an episode, the world doesn’t immediately end, although you are certainly motivated to keep going.

Conclusion

The debut episode of the series “High Potential” is well done and will certainly be a win for fans of episodic series. That is, if the cases don’t get boring and the team of writers around Drew Goddard puts in the effort. Writing good cozy crime stories is not that easy. The humor has to be right and shouldn’t get out of hand, the stories can’t be too simple and the chemistry in the ensemble has to be right. It’s also clear which ingredients are needed and the pilot presents them in a routine and attractive way. We’re already looking forward to the launch in Germany, which will hopefully take place soon.

So for now, we give it four out of five feather dusters.