The surest sign that some sense of normalcy has returned to broadcast television was the premiere of an honest-to-goodness, never-before executed (well, at least in North America) scripted drama in the month of September. That honor went to ABC’s HIGH POTENTIAL, which had the challenge of counterprogramming an umpteeth rerun of FBI: MOST WANTED and the ratings juggernaut of Jimmy Fallon’s version of the classic PASSWORD last night.
But if you were expecting anything truly groundbreaking or the chance to discover some heretofore unknown talent, you might have been disappointed. As VARIETY’s Aramide Tinubu detailed, what we have here is the latest iteration of what has become a de facto trend:
Police procedurals are still a dime a dozen on television, but these days, networks champion characters that bring a unique spin to the genre. Series like CBS’ “Elsbeth,” NBC’s “The Irrational,” and ABC’s “Will Trent” are crime dramas focusing on consultants or detectives who can examine crime scenes using perspectives that distinguish them from the average cop. Created by Drew Goddard and based on the French show “Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI),” ABC’s “High Potential” follows Morgan (Kaitlin Olson), a professional cleaner and single mother of three, whose distinct vantage point and genius-level IQ lands her a consulting role in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Homicide Division.
And if the name Kaitlin Olson is familiar to you, you probably have watched a lot of television beyond the legacy trio of CBS, NBC and ABC. Olson has been downright ubiquitous since she got her breakout role on FX’s IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, as the fish-out-of-water Sweet Dee, the attractive yet ditzy sister of co-lead and co-creator Glenn Howerton. As the show found its footing and core audience with its heavily college-aged male niche, Olson’s character evolved, per Wikipedia, in a manner that expanded her relatability and popularity:
(I)nitially depicted as The Gang’s ‘voice of reason’ in the debut season, she gradually loses any sense of moral fortitude that she once had, and is frequently shown to be just as prejudiced and depraved as her male friends by the end of season 1, arguably becoming the most petty member of the group, often plotting against others whom she deems more successful than herself in a vain effort to boost her own image.
Olson was thus ubiquitous at FX’s numerous premiere parties and upfront presentations, because, let’s face it, she’s stunning and personable. And those were qualities not lost on Howerton’s partner in crime and SUNNY co-star Rob McElhenney. Enough so that they eventually married. And while Howerton continues to be a key part of SUNNY’s ongoing and record-breaking success, it is McElhenney who has become the power broker within FX, adding his friendship with Ryan Reynolds and their intense love of soccer to the creation of WELCOME TO WREXHAM, the charming semi-documentary chronicling the unlikely ascension of a struggling small town soccer club from Wales into a global phenomenon that sold out U.S. stadiums this summer on a tour against larger and more established opponents. And McElhenny and Olsen maintain an exceptionally close relationship with co-star Danny DeVito, who just happened to be the one-time boss at Jersey Films of FX czar John Landgraf, who in turn has established himself as the brains and soul, not to mention the profit center, of the entities run by his longtime and current boss Dana Walden.
And Olsen has found a way onto our screens a LOT of late. She was cast as a lead in an otherwise forgettable FOX sitcom called THE MICK, produced by Peter Chernin’s sons, that somehow got renewed for a second season despite marginal ratings. She has had memorable guest star roles on CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, as Cheryl Hines’ ideally cast younger sister, and on the Emmy Award-winning HACKS. Not to mention continuing on SUNNY. And all the while being merely the second highest-paid member of the McElhenny household.
So it shouldn’t be all that much of a surprise that of all the actresses that could have been cast in this project, and of all the projects that Walden’s other lieutenant Craig Erwich could have considered for one of the few open slots on ABC’s schedule, it was this project, with Olsen fronting it, that was selected to be the one that actually made it to air this fall.
Here’s the kicker. Per several reviewers, she’s actually the best thing about HIGH POTENTIAL. Case in point, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s Daniel Fienberg:
Maybe one-third of the way into the pilot for ABC’s new procedural dramedy High Potential, there’s a discharge of exposition as egregious as any I’ve ever seen. Not only does Kaitlin Olson’s Morgan volunteer her IQ to a ranking LAPD officer – 160, if you care about such things, which you really shouldn’t – but the conversation continues.
“The technical term is high-potential intellectual,” Morgan says of her own virtuosity. “Means you have advanced cognitive abilities. Intellectual creativity, photographic memory. Stuff like that.”
Sounds great, right? WRONG-O!
“No, not a gift,” 160-IQ Morgan says. “I obsess over every little problem I see. My mind is constantly spinning out of control, which makes it impossible to hold a job, relationship, a conversation. Not a gift.”
It’s a bad scene, but it’s brief and it does, if nothing else, lay out the premise of High Potential, which shouldn’t be as difficult this series is making it look.
Yet, though the three episodes sent to critics, High Potential is still struggling to figure out the most basic parts of what should honestly be the clearest of concepts. It’s an arduous process that I’m willing to tolerate for a bit longer for exactly one reason: Kaitlin Olson. This is hardly a “serious” performance – the costumes and dusting-while-dancing would jeopardize that hope – but Olson is strong enough to ground even the ludicrous beats and silly enough to make it clear that High Potential recognizes the absurdity of some of those moments.
And I must admit, after watching the pilot myself, I’m in that camp as well. I’ve experienced first hand the kind of warmth and accessibility that she demonstrated to THE NEW YORK TIMES’ Alexis Soloski in the profile that dropped yesterday:
Earlier this month, the actress Kaitlin Olson was in her Los Angeles kitchen slicing a lemon.
“I was really cutting it hard,” she said. “I put 100 percent of my effort into it.”
The knife slipped, nearly severing her pinkie, which explained why, on a morning a few days later in Manhattan, Olson, 49, had accessorized her black silk blouse and black pants with a black finger splint. (She also wore an array of diamonds, one the size of a kumquat.) The look was working. A waiter asked if she was in town for fashion week.
And it sure doesn’t hurt that she just happens to hail from one of my favorite cities on Earth, as THE OREGONIAN’s Kristi Turnquist noted in her profile:
Olson — who was born in Portland and attended Tigard High School and the University of Oregon–(stars)as Morgan, a single mother who works as a cleaning lady. But Morgan’s abilities as a “high potential intellectual,” as the pilot tells us, means she possesses advanced cognitive gifts. During a panel in which creators and cast members discussed the show at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Olson said of Morgan that the character is “very flawed, very mouthy,” and also “very grounded. She is a very loving mother. I’m a very loving mother. That wasn’t so hard to jump into.”
I can’t say Olson and I are friends, but I will attest she was as engaging and accessible as any talent I ever interacted with, especially when we’d compare notes on the Ducks. The fact is she’d probably have carved out a pretty decent career path by this point even if she didn’t happen to be part of arguably one of the most talented and enduring power couples in the entire Disney-verse. But that fact of life certainly hasn’t hurt her getting this role at this time.
And she is way better here, in a role where she gets to show off much more than her slapstick and dazzling smile, than what got THE MICK a renewal. Whether or not it can stand up head-to-head with NBC’s THE IRRATIONAL, not to mention original episodes of FBI: MOST WANTED as the coda to an all-FBI night on CBS, remains to be seen. Certainly, delayed and multi-platform viewing on Hulu will be a determining factor. Don’t think for a nanosecond that won’t be factored into the algorithms of SUNNY’s viewers, and possibly even those that have watched HACKS or CURB. (That seems to be how I was prompted to HIGH POTENTIAL’s trailer.)
So there is indeed potential, perhaps not quite as high as some of Olson’s supporters might prefer. But don’t fret much. She’s still got friends and lovers in high places.
Until next time…