ABC premiered the Kaitlin Olson-led comedy-drama “High Potential” in September 2024. The series quickly became a surprise hit, with its second season, which ended in April 2026, surpassing the success of the first. Now, following a behind-the-scenes change, the network has given the show a midseason premiere, rather than a fall start as fans expected.
In addition to Olson, “High Potential” stars Daniel Sunjata, Judy Reyes, Javicia Leslie, Deniz Akdeniz, and Steve Howey, who joined the cast during its second season.
ABC Moves ‘High Potential’ Season 3 to Midseason
GettyABC announced its fall schedule on May 12. However, fans quickly noticed that Olson’s “High Potential” was missing from the lineup. This is the case as ABC won’t premiere the third season of the hit show until 2026.
Instead of the rating juggernaut airing when other fall shows return, ABC will air episodes of “R.J. Decker,” which was previously on the brink of cancellation. It’s also worth noting that the timeslot the show is inheriting is getting a primetime Tuesday-night slot.
Per Variety, ABC’s senior vice president, content strategy and scheduling, Ari Goldman, explained the shocking decision as the network wanted “High Potential” season three to air uninterrupted by breaks.
According to him, “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.”
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.”
Naturally, many are wondering whether “High Potential” midseason status means it will have fewer episodes in season 3. Regarding this, Goldman said, “We haven’t gone deep on the episode count for our shows, and we’re not going to be ready to comment on that.
But I think we’re still looking at a really full season for ‘High Potential.’ That’s all I can say.”
The Hit ABC Series Has New Showrunners
GettyIn addition to being moved to midseason, “High Potential” is also undergoing a behind-the-scenes change. Specifically, its showrunner, Todd Harthan, left the series in March in order to focus on a live-action version of Eregon for Disney+. Until recently, it was unclear who would replace him.
Then, according to Deadline, sibling duo Nora and Lilla Zuckerman are stepping up to the mantle. They are known as the showrunners of Peacock’s “Pokerface.” Additionally, they were involved with the failed “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” Hulu series, serving as the writers for both versions of the unaired pilot.
This new “High Potential” position is part of the producing duo’s overall deal with 20th Television.
It’s Among ABC’s Biggest Shows in Years
GettyRegarding season two viewership, Variety reports that the finale drew 12.69 million viewers in its first seven days across multiple platforms. This was down a tad from season one, which drew in 12.79 million viewers in the same period.
However, this was still higher than the season opener, which drew in 11.99 million viewers, becoming ABC’s biggest drama premiere since “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2020
