High Potential star Kaitlin Olson shares her season 2 hopes, hinting at a lonely protagonist. Created by The Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard, with Olson in the lead role of Morgan Gillory, High Potential season 1 ended its first installment with a twist that introduced a new menacing villain. Although far from the crime procedural’s focus, it has also shed some light on Morgan’s personal life and how her unique abilities have made her life difficult.

In an interview with Deadline, Olson was asked about what she hopes to see in High Potential season 2. The three-time Emmy nominee began by reflecting on an exchange from the premiere episode, in which Morgan gets candid with Selena Soto (Judy Reyes) about her gifts, and mentions that a lot of viewers reacted to that particular moment. In the quote below, Olson touches on Morgan feeling very lonely in a sense. Read her full quote below:

In the pilot, she’s got that wonderful speech with [Selena] Soto where Soto says she has a gift and she’s like, it’s not a gift, and names all the reasons why. As in any first season of television, you’re trying to figure everything out, and looking back, I got a lot of feedback from people just loving that part of it. The fact that there’s a lot of really exceptionally intelligent people in the world who don’t necessarily find it all that amazing. I think it must be very lonely at the very least, and then all of the other things that Morgan states in that first episode. I felt like it really touched a lot of people, and I was like, oh, yeah, there are people who are identifying with that and would like to see more of how difficult it can be.

Olson also talked about wanting to see Morgan make more mistakes, hoping that the ABC drama will continue to shed light on the main character’s relationships with her kids, and mentioned the unresolved Roman mystery:

I definitely want to do more of that, and I also want her to make mistakes, like I said before. It’s not fun to watch somebody just hit it out of the park every single time, it’s going to get boring. I love the stuff with the kids. I would love to see some more examples of her son and the way that he’s gifted and how that’s challenging for him. I mean, we touched on it a little bit with friendships at school this past season, but I think that there’s so much to be explored there. Same with Ava and how it’s a struggle for her maybe, or maybe not. Maybe Ava starts to have a really, really great life and great social life, and that’s enviable to Morgan and Elliot.

Also, obviously, I want to know what’s going on with Morgan. I want to know what’s going on with Ava’s dad. There’s a lot of stuff, I want to do it all. I want to have really fun, dramatic stuff, and I want to have really funny moments and explore relationships. I think it’s important to dive deeper into the other characters on the show. We didn’t have the opportunity to do that as much as I think we should, and so we’re going to definitely be digging in there, too.

For its first season, High Potential needed to establish the formula that the series would essentially run on. That meant highlighting Morgan’s competency and ability to solve cases rather than her struggles and occasional slipups. But a second installment is just about the perfect time to start to chip away at the formula to reveal some of those dark edges that resonated so fulsomely with viewers.

High Potential‘s Main Cast & Characters

Actor
Who They Play

Kaitlin Olson
Morgan Gillory

Daniel Sunjata
Detective Adam Karadec

Javicia Leslie
Detective Daphne Forrester

Deniz Akdeniz
Detective Lev “Oz” Ozdil

Amirah J
Ava Gillory

Matthew Lamb
Elliot Radovic

Judy Reyes
Lieutenant Selena Soto

That specific goal could be in sync with the broader aims of High Potential season 2. It could be the case that Roman’s reappearance, or something else altogether, causes Morgan to slip up more often and miss the mark. It’s an important factor coming into the show’s sophomore year, especially in light of the pressure to at the very least continue its storytelling quality from its hit debut year.

Our Take On Olson’s High Potential Season 2 Comments

Olson Is Right

ABC has not announced a premiere date for season 2. But when it does, of all the unanswered High Potential questions, a deeper look at Morgan and what she’s going through will likely be the one thing that gives the second installment a level of depth that the first installment did not have. Further exploring Morgan’s backstory will fully flesh out her character beyond her role as a mother and genius. It makes it all the more exciting to watch for in the weeks and months ahead.

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