Warning: SPOILERS for High Potential.High Potential episode 8 feels agonizing, but it’s nearly over. For those who have yet to experience the wonderful world of Olson’s Morgan Gillory, now’s the time to tune in.

From costuming to casting to crime, every beat of High Potential is fresh while retaining the best parts of classic cop shows. No character is one-dimensional, no plot is easily predictable, and no resolution feels anything but earned. High Potential’s myriad of attractive qualities deserves to garner massive audiences ahead of a potential High Potential season 2.

8 High Potential Puts A Unique Twist To The Procedural Format

Morgan Deals With Crime And Comedy

While other modern procedural shows push boundaries, High Potential pays tribute to shows that came before it while keeping its content exciting. Each episode of High Potential follows a new case for Morgan to solve, ranging from murder to abduction to wrongful imprisonment. Though the subject matter may be serious, Morgan brings a light-hearted presence to the police station that never feels inappropriate because she backs it up with care. For as many quips as she makes, she offers twice as many meaningful contributions to the case.

The originality of High Potential still far outweighs what it’s reminiscent of, so viewers are always in for new content.

Still, there’s a certain familiarity to her whimsy that makes High Potential a perfect show for fans of quirky procedurals that are no longer airing. From Suits’s Mike Ross to iZombie’s Olivia Moore, Morgan has been compared to most offbeat protagonists from years past, with High Potential even being likened to a modern Psych. The originality of High Potential still far outweighs what it’s reminiscent of, so viewers are always in for new content.

7 High Potential Gives Kaitlin Olson To Flex Her Acting Muscles (& She's Good At It)

Olson Has Been A Hidden Gem All Along

Many High Potential viewers originally pressed play because they recognized the name of lead actress Kaitlin Olson. Olson has an expansive career in comedic roles, with none quite as memorable as her infamous Dee Reynolds from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. High Potential’s Morgan, however, is a complete rebrand for the actress. While Morgan is usually still the funniest person in the room, she has a real depth of character that makes her much more complex than any other role Olson has taken on before.

High Potential allows Olson to display a range of emotions and dynamic acting choices that she’s never had the opportunity to flaunt before, and the result is a full-fledged character. High Potential proves It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia has hidden Olson’s talent, but Morgan allows her to have serious moments on-screen without the audience waiting for a punchline. Olson’s ability to seamlessly move between levity and longing, humor and heartbreak, etc. makes Morgan a character to root for week after week. High Potential owes a lot to Olson’s secret acting prowess.

6 High Potential Has A Compelling Personal Narrative

Morgan Doesn't Choose Between Work And Family

Aside from being a genius at solving crimes, Morgan is a mother who cherishes her children more than anything. At times, the hardest thing Morgan deals with during an episode doesn’t involve the case at all: it involves her child. Morgan’s relationship with her eldest daughter Ava (Amirah J) is particularly rocky, with all the ordinary teenage problems mixed with a missing father. The interesting family dynamic in High Potential makes it so that even when Morgan’s shift ends, the stakes don’t disappear.

What truly sets High Potential apart from other shows is its utilization of the ex. Morgan’s ex-husband, Ludo, fathers two of her children, but there’s zero tension between them.

Ludo’s role in High Potential is akin to being a rock for Morgan, someone who listens and s her but also calls her out when needed. There’s a real friendship there that feels endlessly refreshing in a sea of shows that use failed relationships as sources of drama. High Potential lets its characters show maturity instead.

5 High Potential Has A Burgeoning Slow-Burn Romance

Morgan And Karadec's Chemistry Is Undeniable

In classic police procedural fashion, the main colleagues seem to have the potential to be “partners” in more ways than one. Daniel Sunjata’s Detective Karadec is the perfect foil to Morgan, but they’re a dynamic duo on the scene. There’s an interesting dynamic to their work relationship, with Morgan always trying to get Karadec to think laterally while Karadec is constantly trying to get Morgan to follow protocol. They come from fundamentally different perspectives, but they always end up closing the case together while working in tandem.

With High Potential only in its pilot season, the tension between Morgan and Karadec has to stew a little more before anything can come of it. In the meantime, High Potential has introduced JD Pardo’s Tom to be a love interest for Morgan. The presence of Tom further complicates the relationship between Morgan and Karadec and offers future opportunities for jealousy, misunderstandings, or increased tension. Whether Karadec or Tom is better for Morgan in High Potential is up to interpretation, but the show will certainly explore each option thoroughly.

4 High Potential Has A Great Ensemble

The Characters Are More Than Supplemental

Part of what makes a great procedural is an equally great cast of characters. High Potential’s record-breaking viewership is due not only to Olson’s acting skills but also to the work of its ensemble . Javicia Leslie’s Daphne is kind but clear-headed, always ready to do her job with a smile. Unless she’s with Lev "Oz" Ozdil (Deniz Akdeniz), the major crimes investigator who is amazing with kids but not with staying serious on calls. Watching their work dynamic is equally entertaining as Morgan and Karadec.

The glue that holds the police procedural together is Selena (Judy Reyes), the head of the Major Crimes Division. Reyes is an accomplished actress, and her vast experience shines in the fictional LAPD, where she makes tough but sympathetic decisions. Garret Dillahunt’s Lieutenant Melon is a character that’s equal parts comic relief and rage-inducing, but his presence is always welcome. Even the performances of Ava and Elliot (Matthew Lamb) add to the show tenfold. High Potential’s cast is as vital to its success as its writing.

3 High Potential Features An Interesting Overarching Mystery

Roman's Fate Looms Over The Story

Aside from the mini-mysteries at an episodic level, High Potential has an underlying storyline throughout its first season. Ava’s father, Roman, allegedly disappeared shortly after her birth, and Morgan never gave up on looking for him. With her new role at the LAPD, Morgan finally has access to resources that could make a genuine breakthrough in the case and potentially give her answers she’s waited over a decade for. While Roman has mainly been haunting the narrative for the first seven episodes, his time is coming.

Showrunner Todd Harthan has teased that the mystery will come into the forefront when High Potential returns, explaining: “It impacts Morgan, but by extension, it also gets to Ava” (via TV Line). Ava and Morgan’s relationship is a major source of both conflict and comfort, but Roman has always been a point of contention for them. Ava can’t believe Morgan’s insistence that Roman is missing, and Morgan can’t believe Ava is so hopelessly resigned to believe he chose to leave them. Regardless of what’s revealed, it’s bound to leave one of them in shock.

2 High Potential Is Visually Entertaining

The Show Is A Colorful Treat

The police procedural genre may conjure memories of dark, seedy interrogation rooms or grayscale skies, but High Potential isn’t afraid to take a new approach to how it presents itself. High Potential’s unique style extends to its main character. Morgan isn’t your average protagonist, and High Potential doesn’t try to present her as such. Sometimes the costumes end up making a name for the show, like Carrie Bradshaw’s outfits in Sex and the City. Morgan’s wardrobe is on its way to the same fame, with her bright colors and interesting textures always on full display.

High Potential cuts away to amusing images that correlate to her explanation in real time, shifting as her ideas change.

But aside from Morgan’s exterior, High Potential visually depicts her crime-solving skills in a fun, stimulating way. When Morgan lays out her hypothesis for the scene or gives niche background context that she knows from past research, High Potential cuts away to amusing images that correlate to her explanation in real time, shifting as her ideas change. Everything in High Potential is colorful and stylized to the point that every scene is instantly recognizable as the ABC procedural.

1 High Potential's Weekly Cases Have Been Creative Thus Far

Even The Crimes Match The Quirky Aesthetic

With an abundance of police procedurals available for viewing, High Potential ensures that its cases don’t blend into the background. From a rare animal trader being poisoned by her frog to a con artist drowned by his victims, High Potential doesn’t shy away from the moral ambiguity of police work. At times, viewers empathize with the criminal while others feel rotten to the core. Most victims are presented with sympathy, but some are complicated and almost villainous themselves.

High Potential doesn’t use plot twists just to say they have them. Every twist and turn adds suspense to the story and unravels something new, from a murder case where nobody was the culprit to a high-octane hostage situation revealed to be a false alarm. High Potential’s plot twists are incredibly satisfying, like pieces falling into place to form a puzzle that the audience doesn’t have a clear picture of. With unexpectedly smart writing and clear objectives, High Potential is an underrated procedural that deserves more attention.