Showrunner Todd Harthan says fans of ABC’s hit show High Potential can expect the story to become even more personal and surprising if the series is picked up for a third season. This news comes as the show prepares to return from its holiday break.
Harthan shared details about the show’s future while discussing the remaining episodes of Season 2. The current season aired a major midseason finale in late 2024 that left the clever consultant Morgan Gillory, played by Kaitlin Olson, in a dangerous spot. New episodes for the back half of the season started airing on Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
“I think that as we tumble towards our Season 2 penultimate, finale, I think the audience can look forward to just as satisfying, if not even more exhilarating push-off into a potential Season 3,” Harthan stated.
He then said the plans for a new season
“have a different flavor than what we did last year, but I think it’s gonna be even more personal, even more propulsive, even more surprising than what we did in Season 1”.
What to Expect When High Potential Returns in 2026
The show went on a planned holiday hiatus after its seventh episode, titled “The One That Got Away: Part Two”. The winter premiere on January 6, 2026, picked up the story but did not start exactly where the cliffhanger ended.
Instead, the show used what Harthan called a “clever little device” to jump forward in time. The first scene back showed Morgan being questioned by her partner, Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), about the events in the hotel room, filling in the gaps for the audience. “It gives us some interesting backfill about what happened in that hotel room in the time between getting that call and getting to a crime scene,” Harthan explained.
The midseason finale left several major questions unanswered. Morgan discovered that her romantic interest, art consultant Rhys Eastman (Aiden Turner), has a scar matching the one described on a wanted art thief. At the same time, the ongoing mystery about the disappearance of Morgan’s brother, Roman, took a new turn when a mysterious bearded man appeared in the car of her friend, Arthur Ellis (Mekhi Phifer).
Unpacking the Major Mysteries of Season 2
The back half of Season 2 is set to dive deeper into both of these storylines. Regarding Rhys, Harthan warned viewers not to jump to conclusions. “Just because he has a scar, that doesn’t mean he’s the guy, you don’t know!” he said. “We’ve got surprises, we’ve got tricks up our sleeve. We have some pretty interesting twists and turns“.
The mystery of the bearded man is also a priority. Harthan described him as “someone that knows a lot about the who, the when and the what of what happened all those years ago [with Roman]“. However, getting answers from him will be difficult. “There are just some people that walk this planet that, you know, good luck getting information out of them!” Harthan noted.
Another character under scrutiny is the new captain, Wagner (Steve Howey). His hostile behavior toward Morgan in the midseason finale raised alarms, especially since he privately revealed he knows about the Roman investigation. Harthan confirmed that Wagner’s background and motives will be explored. “There’s a lot going on with that guy that we’re going to unpack,” he said, mentioning the show will reveal “what his demons are, what his insecurities are, what he’s running from and what his secret is“.
How Current Stories Build Toward Season 3
Harthan’s comments suggest that the intense personal stakes being set up now are the foundation for a potential third season. The danger from the Roman investigation is moving closer to Morgan’s family.
“Morgan was the one that kicked this hornet’s nest. Now, how close to her family is it really gonna get?” Harthan asked. This increasing personal threat is part of what will make the storyline for a new season more intense.
The show will also develop its core characters further. Harthan promised “meaningful stories” for Morgan’s children, Daphne and Oz, and more focus on Lieutenant Soto (Judy Reyes) as she leads the Roman investigation.
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While High Potential has not yet been officially renewed for a third season by ABC, Harthan and his writing team are actively planning for it. His excitement about the direction is clear. “I’m just excited about all of it,” he said. “I feel like we’ve been off the air forever, and I just want the audience to see what we’ve cooked up“.
New episodes of High Potential air on ABC on Tuesday nights at 9/8c. Viewers can also stream the show on Hulu the day after it airs on television.
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