High Potential is an American crime drama television series created by Drew Goddard, focused on Morgan, a single mother of three who is a cleaning lady for the Los Angeles Police Department who happens to be particularly brilliant at solving cold cases and is hired as an LAPD Major Crimes consultant.
ABC's objective was to introduce viewers to the new series, demonstrating what they could expect from Morgan's story and enticing them to tune in.
To build interest in the new series, ABC created a social trailer specifically tailored to appeal to fans of crime dramas, while introducing Morgan, the protagonist of "High Potential," and her unique approach to solving crimes.
The TikTok "top layer" video gives a sense of Morgan's character, her role as a cleaning lady, and her penchant for solving cases using her uncanny, brilliant mind. Her social prowess and carefree attitude combined with her attitudes honed as a mother allow her to find a place in the LAPD's major crimes unit while displaying an unusual amount of ease.
The video's iconography and framing help establish the fourth wall, while simultaneously breaking it, as Morgan's awareness of the viewer allows her to speak to them in narration, even tapping on the screen separating her from the audience. Emojis, casual parlance, and attitude help bridge the gap between viewer and protagonist to ensure audiences can share in her view of the world and her role in it.
"High Potential" saw a highly successful launch. The series holds a 93% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and the pilot episode garnered 3.59 million viewers initially. After three days, it had reached 11.5 million viewers across platforms. On Hulu, the series ranked in the Top 15 and held the No. 1 spot for three consecutive days starting September 22. "High Potential" later became the most-watched new series on ABC in six years, surpassing the record set by "The Conners" in its 2018-2019 season. The "High Potential" episode that aired on October 22 was watched by 6.83 million viewers, marking ABC's top spot in the Tuesday night scripted lineup for the first time in four years.
