High Potential's Latest Cast Exit Is Also Season 3's Biggest Hurdle

Published Sep 4, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV. ABC's High Potential has spent the last two seasons establishing itself as one of the network's most consistent procedurals, but the latest cast exit ahead of its third season is going to be a major hurdle for the series as it moves forward. An adaptation of the French series HPI, High Potential stars Kaitlin Olson as Morgan Gillory, who begins the series as a nighttime custodian for the LAPD's Major Crimes unit and becomes one of their most valuable consultants as the series continues. While Morgan's exceptionally high IQ is an asset, her relationships are what ties the show together. High Potential season 2 put an even higher emphasis on its character dynamics than the show's first season, which quickly established what Morgan's relationships with the team and her family looked like. While the first season laid the groundwork for what Morgan's relationships with characters like Daniel Sunjata's detective Adam Karadec looked like, the second introduced some new obstacles in the LAPD for her to work through. Steve Howey, best known for his roles on shows like Reba and Shameless, joined the series as Captain Nick Wagner, a new addition who disrupted the current status quo of the LAPD team. While Wagner was a huge part of the second season, High Potential season 3 won't see the return of the character, as Howey's contract was only for a season-long arc. With much left unresolved, ABC's hit is going to hit a major hurdle in its coming season because of Wagner. High Potential Season 3 Must Embrace A Quick Story Shift Despite Last Season's Cliffhanger ABC As High Potential season 3 gets underway, the show is set to face a massive shift right away, as the last season's unresolved cliff hanger left Wagner's fate unresolved. With Morgan discovering Wagner gravely injured after he met with an FBI source that was connected to the larger looming Roman investigation, it was unclear whether the captain would survive. The finale deliberately left the stakes high surrounding Morgan discovering Wagner, but with reports that Howey won't be returning to High Potential as a regular, his fate may not necessarily matter as much as what the show chooses to do next. High Potential season 3 has to address the elephant in the room, but quickly thereafter, needs to pivot in an entirely new direction regardless of whether Wagner lives or dies. This may be tough for the series, because the show now has to move forward without the character's presence, but also has to feel the impact of his departure in a way that may seem unfinished or unsatisfying. While an appearance from the actor could be possible, knowing that he's not returning in a full-time capacity makes it clear that High Potential has to shift gears in an urgent way. Steve Howey's Absence Will Instantly Change The Dynamic In High Potential Season 3 ABC Even if and when High Potential season 3 resolves Wagner's storyline, the impact that Howey's departure will have on the ABC series will be massive. Howey, who is set to be working on other projects throughout High Potential season 3's filming schedule, quickly brought life to Wagner and became a part of the ensemble cast, changing the dynamics from the show's first season as the second rolled out. While High Potential is a standard procedural, there are more character driven elements to the series than some others, and the core dynamics of the show shifted significantly when Wagner joined in. Wagner has been a huge part of Morgan's journey, and the show spent a lot of time throughout High Potential season 2 developing the pair's rapport. As one of the people most invested in helping Morgan navigate her professional challenges as well as her personal ones, losing Wagner's involvement in the core case of the series that leads the majority of Morgan's decisions is going to be a tough blow. As High Potential enters another season, this one with the dynamics shifting again, the show has to swiftly attack the transition into a whole new era to avoid fumbling entirely. 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