ABC has made some changes to its 2026-2027 broadcast schedule, moving several of its hit series to midseason.
While the network has renewed its full scripted lineup, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Abbott Elementary,” “9-1-1,” and “9-1-1: Nashville,” several other shows are being held until later in the season.
ABC is holding back “The Rookie” and its new spinoff, “The Rookie: North.” But perhaps the biggest surprise is the decision to move “High Potential” to midseason.
ABC Moves ‘High Potential’ to Midseason
“High Potential,” which officially entered production in September 2026, is set to return next year for its third season. The midseason premiere marks a notable departure from the procedural’s first two seasons, both of which premiered in the fall.
In May, Ari Goldman, ABC’s senior vice president of content strategy and scheduling, explained the reasoning behind the unexpected move.
“The ‘High Potential’ move to midseason is one that’s really born out of the success that we’ve proven over the last couple of years with ‘Will Trent,’ ‘The Rookie’ and the uninterrupted runs that we’ve enjoyed starting in that January timeframe going through the end of the season,” Goldman told Variety.
He continued, “We’re thinking about the behavior of our linear audience, but also the streaming viewers, who really have shown the importance of week-over-week steadiness in planning and rolling out these shows. We do not take lightly the move of ‘High Potential’ to midseason, but I think this is a real opportunity to bridge through to the end of the year, to keep an uninterrupted run of episodes.”
What Does This Mean for ‘High Potential’
ABC moving “High Potential” to a later schedule could create a significantly longer gap between seasons than viewers experienced previously.
The major change could also mean a smaller episodic count for the new season, although the network hasn’t confirmed that yet.
“High Potential” aired 13 episodes in Season 1 and 18 in Season 2. As for Season 3, Goldman said there’s no final episode count yet.
“We haven’t gone deep on the episode count for our shows, and we’re not going to be ready to comment on that,” Goldman told Variety. “But I think we’re still looking at a really full season for ‘High Potential.’ That’s all I can say.”
Fans are already looking forward to the new season, with many expressing their excitement in the comments.
One fan commented, “I can’t wait for January and mind you, I don’t like wintertime, but if it means that @kaitlinolson and @daniel_sunjata grace my TV screen again, bring it on!”
Another wrote, “After Season 3, we’re waiting for Season 4!” while someone chimed in, “Never been so excited for a show in my life. Has me in the headlock.”
“‘High Potential’ follows a single mom with an exceptional mind, whose unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual and unstoppable partnership with a by-the-book seasoned detective.”
The series stars Kaitlin Olson as Morgan, Daniel Sunjata as Karadec, Javicia Leslie as Daphne, Deniz Akdeniz as Lev “Oz” Özdil, Amirah J as Ava, Matthew Lamb as Elliot and Judy Reyes as Selena.
