ABC's High Potential's Replacement Is Off To An Uphill Battle For Its 2027 Return

Published Nov 8, 2026, 8:30 AM EST

Antonella Gugliersi (she/them) has been a feature writer for Screen Rant since 2021. While studying for her bachelor’s in Economics & Management, they started writing about movies and TV shows for Turin-based The Unconventional Mag. After a brief internship at TPI, she decided she wanted to pursue journalism and graduated with a degree in International Journalism from Brunel University.

The High Potential replacement in ABC’s Fall 2026 lineup faces a difficult challenge in its bid to return in 2027. ABC deciding to move High Potential to a midseason premiere for the 2026-2027 TV cycle forced another crime drama to take over its Tuesday evening slot, one that shared some similarities with High Potential thanks to its oft-underestimated protagonist, its coastal setting, and its belonging to both drama and comedy as its main genres beyond crime. However, the TV series in question might find it difficult to secure a renewal.

RJ Decker season 2 concluded its run with a chilling cliffhanger ending on October 27, 2026, which may not receive a satisfying conclusion if RJ Decker season 3 doesn’t happen. Indeed, while R.J. and Mel ended up being on the same side after R.J.’s last case threatened their relationship, getting to the truth of it led Mel to make an enemy of a dangerous villain. RJ Decker season 2 ending with an immediate threat to their loved ones makes a resolution necessary, raising the stakes for both RJ Decker’s story and its future if it ends up not being renewed.

RJ Decker’s maiden season was already short after the crime drama was conceived as a midseason series. However, RJ Decker season 2’s episode count was further cut, going from nine episodes in season 1 to only seven in its sophomore season. This, coupled with new viewing data available about RJ Decker season 2, raises questions about whether RJ Decker season 3 can happen.

RJ Decker Season 2's Overall Ratings Don't Bode Well For Its Renewal

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RJ Decker had already risked cancelation before season 2 was announced because its ratings didn’t live up to ABC’s expectations, despite its series premiere being the most-watched in the 10 pm slot in five years, garnering 11.64 million multiplatform viewers in the six days after its debut. RJ Decker season 2’s shorter run allowed ABC to give the crime drama another chance, even after season 1’s results weren’t as good as anticipated.

In a November 3 newsletter answering readers’ questions, Matt Webb Mitovich (via Matt’s Inside Line) offered an explanation for the shorter run of RJ Decker season 2, which also revealed viewer data that doesn’t bode well for RJ Decker’s renewal for season 3. According to Mitovich, RJ Decker season 1 lost 19 percent of its viewers in the first month, only partially regaining them for episodes 8 and 9, pushing ABC to take precautions when renewing RJ Decker by reducing its episode count.

What’s even more troubling is Mitovich’s report about RJ Decker season 2’s ratings, which is reportedly averaging 4.5 million multiplatform viewers in the first seven days, a figure that is 10 percent lower than season 1’s. In addition to that, RJ Decker season 2 demonstrated only a 57 percent viewer retention from Dancing with the Stars, an exceptionally popular show. RJ Decker’s viewership data worsening from one season to the next thus hints at the crime drama potentially not being renewed, especially after ABC had already taken a chance on the TV series after RJ Decker season 1’s underwhelming results.

Why ABC Is Better Off Renewing RJ Decker For Season 3

ABC

The worsening ratings shouldn’t nevertheless hinder ABC from renewing RJ Decker, for multiple reasons. Firstly, RJ Decker season 1 was a streaming success during Summer 2026, ranking seventh in Disney Plus’s Top TV shows in the US. R.J. Decker entering Crave's Top 10 in Canada on October 30 reiterates that the crime drama can still be a streaming success, even if its viewer data isn’t encouraging.

R.J. Decker’s short run can also mitigate its ratings shortcomings. After all, its low episode count allows ABC to slot R.J. Decker wherever it wants during the season, something that isn’t necessarily feasible for other TV shows that are part of ABC’s slate. Its adaptability thus highlights how R.J. Decker can still be an asset for ABC.

Finally, it’s worth noting that R.J. Decker season 2’s cliffhanger ending can force ABC’s hand to renew the crime drama, as it would be incredibly disappointing for the High Potential replacement to end abruptly without knowing if two central characters are in imminent danger or not, especially in light of the mitigating factors of R.J. Decker’s ratings issues.

Source: Matt’s Inside Line