Kaitlin Olson’s performance as Dee on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is one of the funniest sitcom performances to me. She has been on the show since its very beginning, along with her husband, Rob McElhenney, and she truly brings a certain charm to the otherwise sort of unlikable Philadelphia bar owner. Now she is lending her acting talents to a new show for ABC. It is an interesting take on the procedural format, and I’m intrigued.
Olson’s pilot for High Potential was recently picked up by ABC after many networks vied for a chance to produce the upcoming procedural. It’s a remake of a successful French series, HPI, which has a lot of similarities to the sensibilities of American shows. According to Deadline, there's a lot of faith in High Potential translating to a United States audience. The series is about a single mom with an incredible mind, who works as a cleaner for the police department. After solving an unsolvable crime for the department, she forms a partnership with a seasoned, straight-edge detective.
I personally can not wait for what this has in store. It sounds like a fresh new female-led take on the classic police procedural we all know and love. Olson has a great personality, and I’ll be interested to see how she will inject this into her new character. There will probably be plenty of opportunities for the sitcom actress to play with the comedic elements of the show, as she’ll likely act as a counterpart to a more by-the-book partner. While there are a ton of procedurals on air at the moment, this one sounds different, and so I’m excited to see how it revamps the genre, especially with a comedy star at the center.
If ABC is looking for a hit, High Potential seems like a great show to take a chance on. Comedic police procedurals, like Brooklyn 99 and Psych, have been big hits for networks before. Also, Olson has a built-in fan base with It’s Always Sunny. The Danny DeVito-led series has had an unprecedented, record-breaking run, and is currently airing its 16th season on FX. The irreverent comedy series was renewed for two additional seasons as well, so it seems like Olson will be quite busy once production on High Potential begins.
Along with Olson taking the lead, there are plenty of other reasons I’m excited for High Potential. For starters, the show is going to be written and produced by Drew Goddard, who is known for projects like The Martian and The Cabin in the Woods, as well as The Good Place. He always seems to have a knack for infusing humor into serious themes, so it’ll be cool to see what he does with the procedural formula. Currently, production on the series has been halted due to the 2023 WGA Writers strike, but it’ll certainly be something to look out for when productions start back up again.
Due to the Hollywood work stoppage, it may be a while before we get to see Kaitlin Olson in High Potential. In the meantime, you can check out the actress’s decades-spanning performance on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia with a Hulu subscription.
