🔗 Share this article

Will we truly tire of the genius detective? Probably not – the satisfaction of seeing a fantastically gifted person solve absurdly complex cases remains among fiction’s surest draws. As ever, our screens teem with such characters: over the last twelve months we’ve met Ludwig, David Mitchell’s riddle-creator turned brilliantly perceptive investigator; been reunited with Natasha Lyonne’s truth-divining Charlie Cale in Poker Face; and crossed paths again with legal genius Elsbeth.

A Unique Breed of Genius Detective

Returning for further intellectual feats is Morgan Gillory, the protagonist of breezy procedural High Potential, now back for a new season. With an IQ of 160 – earning her “high intellectual potential” – Morgan’s ability to unravel mind-bendingly complicated sequences of events is truly remarkable. But there’s something a little different about this particular brilliant crimestopper.

Since an antisocial drug addict by the name of Sherlock Holmes set the genius detective mold, these types have typically had a few issues. Ludwig is reclusive, his talents tempered by intense social anxiety. Cale is a unpredictable, commitment-phobic outsider fond of a drink or two, while Elsbeth is a unfiltered eccentric who unnerves others.

Morgan – portrayed by Kaitlin Olson – has no comparable weaknesses. When we first meet her, she’s working as a cleaner in the offices of the police department. After accidentally knocking over a pile of investigation notes and noticing some critical mistakes, she leaves a clue to guide the detectives in the right direction. Before long, she’s recruited to work with the police, where she promptly solves a series of extraordinarily labyrinthine crimes almost single-handedly.

A Multifaceted Lead

Morgan is not only exceptionally intelligent, she’s also a fearless, charismatic, glamorous, stunning go-getter with perfect intuition and exceptional emotional intelligence. She may be somewhat assertive at times, but now she’s in the business of protecting people and apprehending criminals, some persistence isn’t exactly inappropriate.

If Morgan is almost ideal in every way, that isn't the case for her life – at first. A solo parent of three, she struggles to make ends meet, and mostly uses her mental acuity to get the most out of her coupon-assisted supermarket shop. Motherhood can, naturally, hinder women’s professional lives, but Morgan’s willingness to accept the demands and pay of a minimum-wage job seems unrealistic.

Juggling Realism and Entertainment

Similarly hard to buy is the show’s longest narrative thread: underpinning all her varied cases is Morgan’s resolve to track down the father of her eldest child, who vanished without a trace 15 years ago. Despite her incredible powers of deduction, she remains clueless where he is.

But High Potential isn’t overly concerned with realism. Produced by ABC in the US, this is polished, easy-watching network TV. It’s popular and easy on the eye, the sort of thing you’d traditionally associate more with ITV than BBC Two. Morgan’s new colleagues are uniformly nice, underdeveloped guys: suave detective Karadec, investigators Daphne and Oz, plus Lt Selena Soto, possibly the most reasonable and most approachable police chief in cop drama history. No dark protagonists, no edge: the vibe is cosy and heartwarming and rather basic.

Suspense and Thrills

Obviously, the crimes are far from comforting or heartwarming or basic. The season one finale saw Morgan provoked by a kidnapper who forced her to solve ludicrously difficult puzzles to rescue the victims. He returns in the premiere episodes here, kidnapping a young mother on her way home from a night out – but his real target is clearly Morgan, whom he sees as a worthy opponent in his actual match of chess.

Seeing her get tantalisingly close to outwitting this man is tense and thrilling, but something this extreme requires a watertight ending. The question is: is High Potential as clever as its protagonist?

Conclusion

Simply put, no. The show is quite effective at keeping the tension going, but it fails to deliver the landing, and the storyline concludes with a far-fetched gotcha. Nevertheless, there’s always next time. Actually, Morgan’s following investigation – although equally bizarre – is more coherently plotted, ending with a satisfying and surprisingly moving finale. The consistency of the plotting may be somewhat inconsistent, but similar to other predecessors and peers, this virtuoso amateur investigator can always be counted on to save the day.