ABC Makes The Most Out Of High Potential's Biggest Change

Published Oct 11, 2026, 9:45 PM EDT

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Even though it's one of the biggest recent hits on ABC, High Potential is still dealing with some major changes ahead of its next season, but the series is making the best of a tough situation. After debuting in the fall for its first two years, High Potential season 3 won't be released until mid-season, meaning it won't return for the 2026-27 network TV cycle until at least January. The series, which follows Kaitlin Olson's Morgan as she navigates being a highly intelligent, sometimes scattered single mother working with the LAPD to resolve major crimes, has a major shift coming.

High Potential has performed beyond its expectations throughout its first two seasons, captivating audiences who are curious to see what's happening in the crime drama on a procedural level and within the deeper stories of its characters. While Morgan is the focal point of the show, the rest of the LAPD team she works with each have their own set of issues, and High Potential season 2 delves deep into the drama. When the series brought Steve Howey into the fold as Nick Wagner during its second season, viewers welcomed another character, but Howey's single-season contract changed the show's trajectory.

Now, with Howey out of the picture and High Potential season 3 premiering at least eight months after the show's last finale, the series may be working with the deck stacked against it. Thankfully, the ABC hit has figured out how to make the most out of its biggest change yet.

High Potential's Streaming Success Is Perfect For Season 3's Delay

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One of the major reasons that High Potential was so confidently moved into a mid-season premiere slot was the fact that the show has done so well for itself that viewers would follow it, regardless of the wait. With a strong multi-platform performance, High Potential was able to find its footing with a streaming audience on top of its large network audience from its earliest episodes. High Potential's first season had strong metrics, and its second was even stronger, with ABC announcing that it broke viewership records when it came to streaming numbers and proving the series could attract viewers.

As one of ABC's strongest performing shows on streaming, High Potential being delayed as it heads into its third season isn't as big of a problem as it could be for other shows. Despite there being a lag, the fact that there's more time for viewers to get into the series on streaming platforms makes it all the better for the series as a whole. While the longer hiatus could mean that High Potential has a harder time picking its momentum back up, the fact that there's more time on streaming for viewers to find the series is a plus.

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Why ABC Pushed High Potential Season 3 To 2027

While ABC's decision to delay High Potential season 3 to mid-season was tough for viewers to handle, the explanation behind the shift makes it clear that the choice was made to support the series, not to hurt it. With other successful shows like The Rookie and Will Trent having moved to be mid-season series in the past few years, High Potential joining in on the change reflects a broader strategy across the ABC network. With new and different styles of programming having taken up a large chunk of the fall schedule, ABC's choice was risky, but helped to set up its dramas for success.

Rather than coming into the fall season competing with other shows on other networks for their share of the ratings, ABC's dramas holding off until the mid-season allows them to move more seamlessly through their episode order, and take up their share of the attention. High Potential joining the ranks of the network's other hit dramas just proves that the series has done well for the network through its first two seasons. Thankfully, with ABC making the most out of High Potential on streaming even when it's on hiatus, the show hasn't been forsaken by viewers.