High Potential Season 3’s renewal came with a caveat that it would get a new showrunner, and I get that people are worried. The idea of a show changing showrunner after becoming established can be a scary one.
However, I think that this could be a good thing for the show. It’s not like High Potential is perfect the way it is, and a change of showrunner doesn’t necessarily mean a new creative venture. It could just mean making a few tweaks to strengthen everything.
Why Is High Potential Losing Its Showrunner?
First of all, let’s talk about the decision for Todd Harthan to step back as showrunner. This is nothing to do with creative differences or any bad blood on the set. This isn’t like many other showrunner changes in the world of TV.
Instead, it’s because he’s working on Eragon, the live-action adaptation of The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. While there are plenty of showrunners who can have multiple shows on the air at the same time — we can look at Taylor Sheridan, Shonda Rhimes, and Ryan Murphy as quick examples — some showrunners prefer to work on one thing.
There’s nothing wrong with that, and it’s great for Harthan to put his focus on just one show. Eragon is going to be a major adaptation and he needs to get it right.
It’s a loss for High Potential for sure, but I do think it could be good.
High Potential Has Flaws a New Showrunner Could Address
Let’s not pretend that High Potential is perfect. While it’s a good show, there are flaws.
The supporting cast has been sidelined for the Morgan-Karadec team-up to work. While we’ve had a few teases of Soto, Daphne, and Oz’s pasts, the series has yet to really delve into them. Even the stress of going through the near-death experience at the end of High Potential Season 1 didn’t rock Oz the way that it probably should have.
These characters deserve more screentime, and they deserve the chance to solve the cases sometimes.
Daphne is a smart woman who has taken on board some of the things Morgan has said about clues. When it came to the hunt for the Game Master and Oz at the end of Season 1, she was the one to put the clues together that would eventually save the day!
Soto has an accomplished lieutenant, who should have made captain, and we know that she gave up her family for her career. Why did she do that? What’s her relationship with her children like now? What is she like working in the field? These are all questions that deserve answering!
Of course, Oz needs time to shine. He is empathetic, and it’s time that we get to see that play out to help with a case.
Instead, Morgan and Karadec solve everything — and usually, Morgan solves everything. A new showrunner could see the flaws and look to make some subtle changes that will actually help to improve the series.
We can hope!
High Potential airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC and streams the following day on Hulu.
