Kaitlin Olson plays a cleaner who is a natural police officer in the popular series.
The TV crime world is enriched by a charismatic amateur detective. In the US “High Potential” seriesthat are with us on January 23rd their debut on the streaming service Disney+ celebrates, a police cleaner turns out to be a real natural when it comes to solving cases – so to speak Sherlock Holmes in cleaning gloves. What a look at the USA already shows impressively: Not only its protagonist, but also the series itself has great potential.
First spots, then solving cases – that's what it's all about
The central figure in “High Potential” is single mother of three Morgan (Kaitlin Olson, 49), who is busy with a night job Cleaner des LAPD keeps afloat. What none of the officers on site know: The woman with a penchant for extravagant outfits and Kojak memory lollipops owns one I.Q from 160 and could probably solve most of the cases that the cops get their teeth into with their eyes closed.
When she accidentally throws down the file on a murder case while working, she can't help but subtly point the responsible investigators in the right direction when she looks at the crime scene photos. At first, Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata, 53) is furious at this audacity of a cleaning lady. But just as quickly he has to admit to himself that Morgan knows how to back up her doubts about the guilt of the suspects with valid arguments. The head (Judy Reyes, 57) of the LAPD's Major Crimes Unit ultimately comes to this conclusion – and promptly hires Morgan external consultant.
It's the mixture that counts
The basic trick of turning a supposed normal person into a master investigator instead of the police officer may not be new. In fact, “High Potential” itself is one Remake the French template “High Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI)”. The recipe for success of the US version lies in the combination of people in front of and behind the camera. The creator of the adaptation is Drew Goddard (49), who has already proven his talent for interesting characters and exciting stories as an author for various film and TV productions.
For example, he wrote the script for the best-selling film adaptation “The Martian” and the innovative horror comedy “The Cabin in the Woods” as co-author. He also worked as a screenwriter for the series “Lost”, “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” and the acclaimed Marvel series “Daredevil”. In the latter example and as with “High Potential” also as executive producer.
There are two actresses in front of the camera who work for her spot-on comedy timing are known. Lead actress Kaitlin Olson has been demonstrating both humor and assertiveness in what appears to be a male domain for 20 years now and as the only female member of the “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” gang. And her LAPD boss Selena is played by Judy Reyes, who had to deal with the two goofballs JD (Zach Braff, 49) and Turk (Donald Faison, 50) in eight of nine “Scrubs” seasons.
Who is “High Potential” for?
So if you want a change from the serious crime fare that still doesn't neglect the drama aspect, you should go for it ten episodes of “High Potential” a chance. In the USA, TV audiences at least saw the series' high potential. Just a few days ago, ABC renewed it for a second season due to good ratings, as Variety reported.