ABC Officially Awards High Potential Superior TV Positioning For Season 3

Published Oct 17, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Mads Misasi is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. Before joining the ScreenRant team they wrote for TellTaleTV for 9 years working their way up from contributor to Associate Editor. TV has been a passion of theirs since a very young age. Mads typically watches all of the things, especially dramas and sitcoms. High Potential has quickly become one of ABC's biggest success stories, with Kaitlin Olson's unconventional crime procedural cementing itself as a ratings powerhouse in just two seasons. The series stands out in an increasingly crowded television landscape, proving that audiences still have a strong appetite for traditional network procedurals when they offer something different. Now, ABC is preparing to reward that success with one of network television's most desirable opportunities. Following the show's impressive season 2 run, ABC has officially announced that High Potential season 3 will receive a special broadcast immediately after Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027. The decision puts the crime drama in front of a potentially enormous audience; it's a chance to attract new viewers while reinforcing its position as one of the network's most important properties. With the third season expected to premiere earlier in 2027, the Super Bowl broadcast will serve as a special event rather than the season premiere. The coveted post-Super Bowl time slot has historically been reserved for television's most promising new series or established hits that networks want to elevate even further. For High Potential, the opportunity represents more than a temporary ratings boost. It also raises some intriguing questions about what ABC has planned for High Potential's third season and just how significant its special episode could become. High Potential Season 3 Gets Special Broadcast For Post-Super Bowl Slot MovieStillsDB ABC officially confirmed on October 12, 2026, that High Potential will receive the post-Super Bowl broadcast during a special promotional video featuring Kaitlin Olson. The announcement aired during Monday Night Football, with Olson appearing as Morgan Gillory in a playful teaser revealing the show's upcoming television event. The announcement's timing was particularly fitting, introducing the crime drama to football viewers months before its highly anticipated broadcast. According to TV Insider, High Potential season 3 is expected to premiere in early 2027, with new episodes regularly airing Tuesdays on ABC and streaming the following day on Hulu. However, the February 14 broadcast will break from that established schedule, airing immediately after Super Bowl LXI on both ABC and Disney+. The simultaneous Disney+ broadcast provides an additional opportunity to reach audiences who might not typically watch the network's weekly programming. The decision is especially significant considering just how successful High Potential has become for ABC. During the 2025–2026 television season, the series ranked No. 1 among adults ages 18–49, earning a 3.35 rating in the demographic most valued by advertisers. It also finished as the third-most-watched entertainment series overall, averaging an impressive 16.01 million viewers across ABC and its associated streaming platforms over 35 days of viewing. Those figures help explain why ABC is willing to devote such a valuable broadcast opportunity to the Kaitlin Olson-led procedural. What makes the scheduling decision even more interesting is that High Potential isn't a struggling series in need of additional exposure. Its existing audience has already shown considerable loyalty, while its combination of weekly mysteries, humor, and ongoing character development gives the show plenty of opportunities to attract new fans. By selecting an established hit rather than launching an entirely new series, ABC is effectively betting that High Potential can transform an already successful formula into an even bigger television phenomenon. The network's decision also speaks to its long-term investment in the series. With Nora and Lilla Zuckerman taking over as showrunners for season 3, High Potential is entering an important new chapter behind the scenes. Giving High Potential such prominent exposure suggests ABC wants to maintain its momentum through that creative transition while ensuring Morgan Gillory remains one of the network's most recognizable characters. Why The Post-Super Bowl Slot Is So Coveted The Super Bowl remains the biggest annual event on American television, consistently attracting audiences that dwarf even the most successful scripted series. In February 2026, Super Bowl LX averaged an incredible 125.6 million viewers across NBC and its associated platforms, making it the second-most-watched Super Bowl in history. The previous year's game performed even better, drawing a record-breaking 127.7 million viewers. For networks, retaining even a fraction of that enormous audience makes the programming immediately following the game particularly valuable. Historically, the post-Super Bowl broadcast has produced some of television's most impressive ratings. In 1996, Friends aired its two-part episode "The One After the Superbowl," which attracted a staggering 52.9 million viewers and remains the most-watched episode in the sitcom's history. NBC achieved another massive success in 2006 when Grey's Anatomy aired the first half of its memorable bomb-squad episode. Meanwhile, the second-season premiere of The Voice drew 37.6 million viewers in 2012; the opportunity isn't limited to scripted television. One of the most significant examples came in 2018 when This Is Us used its post-Super Bowl episode to reveal how Jack Pearson died. Appropriately titled "Super Bowl Sunday," the emotionally devastating installment attracted nearly 27 million viewers, becoming the show's most-watched episode. Including such an important revelation during the broadcast demonstrated how networks could use the occasion to transform a major storyline into a television event. More recently, CBS proved the strategy's efficacy by launching Tracker immediately after Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. Despite beginning at 11:14 p.m. Eastern following an overtime game, the Justin Hartley-led procedural debuted to 18.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched primetime entertainment program of that television season at the time. The series has become one of CBS's biggest hits, finishing the 2024–2025 season as the most-watched broadcast show with an average of 17.5 million multiplatform viewers. Of course, a massive premiere doesn't automatically guarantee long-term success, especially when viewers are simply leaving their televisions on after the game. Nevertheless, the historical numbers illustrate why networks continue to treat the post-Super Bowl broadcast as such a significant opportunity. For High Potential, the real test won't necessarily be how many people tune in on February 14, but whether the series can turn that unprecedented exposure into sustained interest throughout the remainder of season 3. What High Potential Season 3's Post-Super Bowl Episode Might Be About Although ABC has confirmed High Potential will receive a special post-Super Bowl broadcast, the network has yet to reveal any specific details about the episode's storyline. However, considering the occasion's importance, it seems unlikely that the series would devote such a prominent broadcast to an ordinary case. Instead, season 3 could deliver one of High Potential's most ambitious episodes yet, potentially combining a particularly dangerous investigation with major developments in Morgan Gillory's personal life. One possibility is that Morgan and the LAPD's Major Crimes Division will investigate a case with significantly higher stakes than usual. While High Potential has already proven its ability to construct complicated mysteries, an investigation involving multiple victims, a particularly dangerous criminal, or an immediate threat to the team could provide the spectacle expected of a major television event. Such a storyline would also allow the show to highlight Morgan's extraordinary intelligence while giving the rest of its ensemble opportunities to shine. However, the most compelling possibility involves the ongoing mystery surrounding Roman, Morgan's missing former partner and the father of her daughter, Ava. His disappearance has been one of the series' most important serialized storylines, making it a natural candidate for a significant revelation. Whether that means finally uncovering the full truth about what happened to Roman or introducing another unexpected complication, a major development could fundamentally change Morgan's understanding of her family. It would also reward longtime viewers who have followed the mystery since the beginning. High Potential could also use the occasion to advance Morgan's complicated personal relationships, particularly her growing connection with Karadec. Interestingly, Super Bowl LXI falls on Valentine's Day, creating an opportunity for the series to incorporate romance into the episode without abandoning its procedural identity. Whether that leads to an important moment between Morgan and Karadec or an entirely different romantic complication remains to be seen. Ultimately, the strongest approach might be an episode that combines these possibilities rather than choosing between them. High Potential works because Morgan's professional responsibilities and personal struggles frequently intersect, making an emotionally charged investigation particularly appropriate for such a major broadcast. Whatever ABC has planned, the challenge will be delivering an episode that feels significant to established fans while remaining accessible to millions of potential first-time viewers. That balance could determine whether High Potential's February 14 special becomes simply another successful installment or one of the show's defining moments. Release Date September 17, 2024 Network ABC Showrunner Todd Harthan, Rob Thomas, Lilla Zuckerman, Nora Zuckerman Directors James Roday Rodriguez, Viet Nguyen, Alethea Jones, Nancy Hower Writers Drew Goddard, Marc Halsey, Todd Harthan Creator(s) Drew Goddard