During its wildly popular first season, High Potential quite perfectly toed the line with Kaitlin Olson’s Morgan and Daniel Sunjata’s Karadec, in terms of making them semi-flirty enough to have some viewers clamoring for them to hook up. I’m not one of those people, and the two characters’ (currently) non-romantic kinship is one of the trope-bucking elements I love about the show. But even I’m aware of how inevitable it is, and the showrunner’s latest “love triangle” comments point towards such outcomes in a way that I can get on board with.
For one, showrunner Todd Harthan isn’t explicitly saying that Morgan and Karadec are definitely getting together, and teases that new cast member, Shameless vet Steve Howey will be a possible bump in that road when he enters the picture as the new captain named Nick Wagner. Here’s what he told TV Insider:
I never say no to any good soap these days. When you’ve got Daniel Sunjata and Steve Howey standing in the same space, and then you drop Kaitlin Olson in-between them, chemistry starts to take off and you go, ‘Well, we’re probably going to write to that.’ I certainly am putting that firmly on the table.
That's the kind of open-ended teasing I can most easily live with, since it allows one to read into it however one would like. Karadec fanatics can find a reason to be hopeful there, as can those on the flip side who want Morgan to keep her options open elsewhere. Although I admittedly am having trouble arguingthat it's more ideal for Olson's brainiac to get romantically involved with her boss. That....doesn't seem totally right.
At least Cpt. Wagner doesn't sound like a total shitbird of a human being, and actually does sound like he might have some chemistry with the non-detective consultant. Here's how Todd Harthan put it:
He’s a weird enigmatic character with lots of sort of hidden demons of his own. And his point-of-view on Morgan is unusual. He doesn’t come in and go, ‘What’s this strange creature that isn’t wearing a badge and carrying a gun?’ He’s intrigued by her more than he is judgmental of her.
Okay, so maybe having demons in his past isn't exactly the smallest red flag someone can be plagued with, and I hope they rear themselves in ways that don't make Morgan's life worse at all. But the foundation is still there for Wagner and Morgan to find common ground to stand on that may or may not lead to smooching and more.
Guess what? There might actually be a potential third suitor in the mix, possibly expanding this isn't more of a love square, or a romantic rhombus, as it were. High Potential previously cast Mekhi Phifer as someone who has a noteworth connection to the Major Crime unit, and while his still-mysterious story sounds like it'll be more hectic and intense on the whole, I can already see how potentially steamy a scene could be between his character and Morgan. Hell, Morgan could make out with anyone on this show and it'd be a win for all involved.
When it comes to Phifer's chances of getting with Morgan, or the theory that he may have some kind of connection to Morgan's long-missing hubby Roman, Todd Harthan is keeping mostly mum about how that will shake out, saying:
We’re going to start asking big questions and giving you answers to those questions. That is a huge main story that flows through the season and we’re going to take you on a wild ride.
Usually in a love triangle, at least one of the participants is actively trying to spark something with another, but to date, Morgan's main lovey-dovey efforts have been directed at JD Pardo's Tom, who is currently away at nursing school. As such, I'm very interested to see how that shapely complication will play out in this show.
High Potential Season 2 will hit the 2025 TV schedule on Tuesday, September 17, at 10:00 p.m. ET, with episodes streaming the next day via Hulu subscription.
