High Potentialepisode 13 already raised the stakes for season 2, but the finale’s secret link toPsychmakes the wait all the more agonizing. Since details were first revealed for Kaitlin Olson’s new ABC drama,High Potentialhas been seen as a modernPsychreplacement. Olson’s Morgan Gillory, an eccentric woman with a genius IQ, was instantly reminiscent ofPsych’s main character, Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez). While Shawn was a fake psychic tricking the Santa Barbara police department, Morgan joined the LAPD as a special consultant under no false pretenses.
Yet, despite their storylines diverging in critical places,Morgan and Shawn are characters cut from the same cloth. TheHigh Potentialprotagonist and thePsychlead both have unparalleled observational skills and feel compelled to correct investigators who miss clues that, while obvious to them, fly over most detectives’ heads. Instead of ignoring the similarities or trying to avoid comparison,High Potentialhas made the wise decision to lean into the connecting pieces and take it a step further.High Potentialepisode 13, aside from closing out a stellar pilot season, only tied the procedural toPsychmore explicitly.
James Roday Rodriguez Directed High Potential Episode 13
The Psych Star Was Involved In The Season Finale
High Potentialseason 1 ended by setting up the first recurring villain of the series: an anonymous serial kidnapper mistakenly thought to be David Peck (played by David Giuntoli). The kidnapper’s modus operandi of setting up convoluted games and puzzles for the LAPD felt eerily similar to one ofPsych’s most memorable killers, Ally Sheedy’s Mr. Yang. The similarities, while striking, could have been pure coincidence, but the fact that James Roday Rodriguez directed theHigh Potentialseason 1 finaleindicates that it was an intentional resemblance or even a direct homage.
High Potential Season 1 Ending Explained: Morgan Faces A Worthy Foe & A Big Roman Update
Kaitlin Olson’s hit ABC procedural just wrapped up its hit freshman year, with High Potential episode 13 setting up storylines for season 2.
Roday Rodriguez ledPsych’s best episodesthroughout its eight-season run, meaning he knows the ins and outs of the quirky police procedural and was even a founding member of the modern case-a-week renaissance. Roday Rodriguez directingHigh Potentialnot only demonstrates how his handle on the genre hasn’t waned sincePsychended, but it also symbolically represents Shawn passing the torch to Morgan.High Potentialcan successfully emulate some ofPsych’s eccentricitieswithout feeling like a copycat, and it’s due to the care the ABC drama is taking to pay tribute rather than simply imitate.
Psych’s Secret Easter Egg Opens The Door For More References In High Potential Season 2
The New Procedural Can Pay Tribute To Its Predecessors
Now that the ABC procedural has taken the initiative to collaborate with Roday Rodriguez and acceptHigh Potential’s place asPsych’s spiritual successor, the possibilities are endless for future allusions.High Potentialseason 2offers another batch of episodes to expand the drama’s original identity, but the momentum behind Kaitlin Olson’s procedural suggests a bright future if it continues delivering quality storylines like those introduced in season 1. IfHigh Potentialis really the next great modern procedural, it has the freedom to acknowledge that status by continuing to pay tribute to its predecessors.
All episodes ofHigh Potentialseason 1 are streaming on Hulu.
Whether aPsychstar cameos in an episode, Morgan watches a rerun ofMonk, or someone inHigh Potential’s ensembleoffhandedlycompares Morgan toSuits’ Mike Ross(Patrick J. Adams),there are tongue-in-cheek ways for Olson’s show to embrace its similarities to former hit series. If ABC prefers a more subtle approach, additional recognizable names from modern procedurals can guest-direct episodes ofHigh Potential. Regardless of how the ABC smash goes about it,High Potentialhas the opportunity to cement itself as a lasting entry into the genre while honoring the titles that paved the way for its success.
High Potential
Cast
Morgan, a single mother of three with a brilliant but unconventional mind, partners with a methodical detective after solving a crime during her job as a cleaner. Together, they form an unlikely but effective duo, blending her unique problem-solving skills with his by-the-book approach to tackle challenging cases.
Psych
Shawn Spencer happens to possess some uncanny powers of observation thanks to his father, Henry, a former police officer who taught his son to remember even the smallest details of his surroundings. When Shawn is accused of committing a crime that he actually solved, he convinces the cops that he’s a psychic – and with the reluctant help of his best friend, Gus, Shawn starts solving cases for a skeptical but increasingly impressed police force.
