In September 2024, ABC released the number 1 drama on broadcast television, High Potential. High Potential is a police drama about a single mother, Morgan, who has 3 kids. What makes Morgan special is that she has an IQ of 160. More specifically, she has HIP (High-Intellectual-Potential). This gives her a photographic memory, and she easily retains knowledge. Her mind works fast and notices every little detail.
At the start of the show, Morgan is a cleaner for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). One night, while she is cleaning the station, she notices that the police have mistaken a victim for a suspect. She corrects it, and the next morning, she is called in for obstruction of justice. However, she explains the small clues that the detectives missed, and the force realizes that she is a huge asset. On the spot, she is hired to be a consultant and goes on to solve a string of cases.
High Potential stands out from other portrayals of HIP, mostly because it doesn’t reinforce the stereotype of HIP on television. Usually, in shows like Young Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, or Sherlock, the character is male, rude, socially inept, and independent, while High Potential features Morgan, a female character who contradicts these stereotypes in every way. Morgan is not just kind and approachable, but she also quickly makes friends and allies wherever she goes.
In many popular television shows, characters with HIP, no matter how humble their origins, always end up in Ivy League colleges or running an elite detective agency. Conversely, Morgan embodies another realistic representation of HIP individuals. Morgan is a working-class citizen and a night cleaner. This shows the stark reality of our world: intelligence is often overlooked in underresourced areas and in people who don’t fit the modern stereotype of HIP.
Within the week of its release, over 13.2 million people watched the season premiere of High Potential. With this reach, the directors and producers have the opportunity to change how society thinks about HIP individuals. By presenting Morgan as both intelligent and emotionally gifted, the series challenges popular stereotypes and allows people to see the whole story of HIP individuals.
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