"It was tricky": High Potential showrunner Todd Harthan explains ABC crime drama's twist Season 1 finale

The first season of ABC’s hit crime drama, High Potential, came to an end on February 11, 2025. The season concludes with a twist that nobody sees coming as it is revealed that Morgan’s ex-husband, Roman, is alive.

Meanwhile, the cleaning lady-turned-detective has another threat looming over her head as a serial killer is after her. Showrunner Todd Harthan has addressed these cliffhangers in an interview with ScreenRant, saying he wanted to explore a dark tone but at the same time did not want the finale to become too depressing:

“It was tricky. I always wanted to do it because I love a serialized villain, but it was a hard one to nail tonally. This is where we landed, and I think it's a little bit blurry, but I think it worked.”

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Todd Harthan opens up about the cliffhanger ending of High Potential Season 1

Throughout High Potential season 1 episode 13, a serial killer plays games with the LAPD while attacking his victims. After solving various puzzles, Morgan comes across a card game that tells her she is the next target.

Todd Harthan talked about the shocking ending in his interview, and revealed he wanted to explore a dark theme in the finale, but did not want to move away from the show’s lighter tone. He said:

“When we got to talking about the finale, I thought, ‘Well, if we're going to do it, it has to be somebody really, really smart that's playing a game.’ But I couldn't let it dip too close into that level of darkness and brutality because it felt like a tonal departure and too depressing. It was like, ‘Okay, how can we have our cake and eat it too?’”

The showrunner added it was difficult to strike the right balance, but it worked out in the end. To make sure that the show does not become too brutal for the audience, he made sure the LAPD and Morgan also had some victories along the way. He said:

“We just cooked up this idea of, ‘Well, it is dark and it is tricky and it is scary in many respects, but let's give our team victories along the way to offset that darkness,’ so it wasn't drifting too deep into serial killer territory.”

Soon after finding out that she has become the killer’s next target, Morgan learns her ex-husband Roman, who disappeared 15 years ago, is alive. This adds another layer of mystery to the narrative.

Fortunately, High Potential has already been renewed for a season 2, so the serial killer and the Roman storylines will likely be explored in depth in the upcoming episodes.

The series stars Kaitlin Olson as Morgan. The cast also includes Daniel Sunjata, Javicia Leslie, Amirah J as Ava, Judy Reyes, Matthew Lamb, Taran Killam, JD Pardo, Garret Dillahunt, and Deniz Akdeniz.

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High Potential Season 1 is available to stream on Hulu.