ABC’s High Potential Replacement Proves Its Worth By Boldly Subverting Expectations

Published Sep 23, 2026, 7:30 AM EDT Antonella Gugliersi (she/them) has been a feature writer for Screen Rant since 2021. While studying for her bachelor’s in Economics & Management, they started writing about movies and TV shows for Turin-based The Unconventional Mag. After a brief internship at TPI, she decided she wanted to pursue journalism and graduated with a degree in International Journalism from Brunel University. This article contains SPOILERS about R.J. Decker season 2, episode 2.High Potential’s replacement on ABC’s Tuesday night timeslot proved it is a must-watch with its latest twist. Since its inception, High Potential has always had a fall debut, being one of the first shows to come back from the summer break. That was the case for the 2025-2026 TV cycle, but ABC delayed High Potential season 3 until 2027 for the current TV season, in a move that has long been employed by the Disney-owned channel, as The Rookie and Will Trent were also pushed to have a winter premiere in the past. ABC moving High Potential season 3 to midseason inevitably created a gap in the 2026-2027 lineup, which was promptly filled by a crime drama that premiered during the 2025-2026 TV cycle. Sharing a sunny ambiance with High Potential, albeit being set in the very different location of Fort Lauderdale, RJ Decker is, on paper, its perfect replacement. After all, R.J.’s private investigator business pushes him to collaborate often with the police, mirroring Morgan’s role as a consultant within the LAPD, even if he doesn’t share her singular genius. Its similarities with High Potential don’t stop there, as RJ Decker became a streaming success during summer 2026, ahead of its return. However, RJ Decker season 2, episode 2 proved the crime drama’s success was entirely earned, as its ending included a surprising narrative choice that is wholly indicative of RJ Decker’s worth, one that ups the stakes for R.J. and those closest to him, and makes ABC’s High Potential replacement more interesting. Emi Ochoa's Arrest Subverts R.J. Decker's Premise ABC From the very beginning, R.J. was always the one under the threat of going to prison. RJ Decker’s series premiere beginning with R.J. and Emi Ochoa’s meeting before his trial established that even more so by having the timeline switch multiple times between his re-entry into the community from prison in the present and R.J.’s sentencing in the past. Throughout RJ Decker season 1, the possibility of returning to prison for R.J. was high, made even more prominent by Victor Ochoa’s threat to have his new conditional release officer send him back if R.J. continued to spend time with Emi. The state police arresting Emi in RJ Decker season 2, episode 2’s ending completely changes that. Indeed, by getting arrested entirely unexpectedly for Victor Ochoa’s murder, Emi is threatened with prison. This is a first for RJ Decker, as its season 1 only truly threatened R.J. with that, despite the crime drama revolving around its fair share of formerly incarcerated people. Emi’s arrest thus shifts the burden from R.J. to one of his friends, raising the stakes for the crime drama as a whole after RJ Decker season 1 spent a lot of time reiterating how the Ochoas were untouchable. After all, if even Emi could find herself in such a predicament, with a case described as strong by Trudy as she revealed Emi’s arrest to R.J., it’s clear that no one is safe. RJ Decker season 2, episode 2’s twist thus subverts what season 1 established, and in doing so, it also makes solving the murder of Victor Ochoa imperative. How Emi Being Arrested Supports R.J. Decker Season 1 Theory About Victor Ochoa ABC Even before Victor’s surprise murder in RJ Decker season 1’s final moments, Emi hypothesized that he may have had ties with organized crime. Nothing was uncovered by her and R.J.’s investigation into Victor’s dealings that confirmed the organized crime connection, but its threat clearly hovered over the pair, especially as they had gone against Victor’s demands by working together and finding proof against his closest associate. Victor’s murder not being solved, without even having a clear suspect, was highly unusual in RJ Decker season 2’s premiere, especially considering how meaningful its consequences were. As a result, Emi’s arrest in RJ Decker season 2, episode 2’s ending not only manages to make the solving of Victor’s murder urgent, but it also confirms Emi’s assumptions about Victor’s collaborators being extremely powerful, or they wouldn’t have succeeded at ensnaring an Ochoa like her. All these occurrences make the theory that Victor was involved with organized crime all the more likely. This points to RJ Decker season 2 having a bigger, scarier foe than season 1, one that has the means to get anyone, putting R.J. and all his friends in danger. Such a development sets up RJ Decker season 2 for greatness, making the ABC High Potential replacement a crime drama absolutely not to be missed. Enjoy ScreenRant's primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check "Network TV" in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series. Release Date March 3, 2026 Network ABC Directors Paul McGuigan, Christine Moore, Holly Dale, Kenneth Biller, Michael Lehmann, Seith Mann Cast Enya Flack Georganna Ballard Writers Robert Doherty, Jason Tracey, Liz Friedman, Jamie Savarese, Juan Carlos Fernandez, Kenneth Biller Creator(s) Carl Hiaasen, Rob Doherty