Kaitlin Olson and Judy Reyes have “great potential” for a new hit mystery comedy series

Kaitlin Olson can't let go of Sweet Dee Reynolds in her latest TV show. High potentialABC's remake of the high-concept French mystery comedy series HPI. She's not asked to step out of her comfort zone, but Olson moves into more emotionally nuanced territory as an aggressive, dysfunctional genius. Opening the pilot episode of High Potential, which aired Tuesday, September 17, Olson dances to the voice of her Portland co-star Beth Dittos on “Heavy Cross,” which raises the question of whether Gossip has become mom-rock.

Olson plays Morgan, a single mother of three children by two men who, despite an IQ of 160 and an encyclopedic knowledge of almost all documentaries, cleans a Los Angeles police office at night. Morgan throws over a police file and obsessively points out the flaws in the case. Selena, the head of the department (Judy Reyes plays her strong role as a nurse), hires Morgan as a consultant who breaks the law and tramples on the feelings of the witnesses in her case, who become suspects. Morgan is approached by grumpy Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata, save me) and his partner Daphne (Javicia Leslie, Batwoman), emotionally intelligent detectives who care about the law.

Plausibility issues aside, Olson's famously irreverent, offbeat sense of humor is on full display thanks to writer/executive producer Drew Goddard's material (The Martian, The Cabin in the Woods, Lost). Olson's role as the stressed-out but supportive mother to teenager Ava (Amirah J), who doesn't share her brother's or father's IQ, is believably tender, while Karadec's constant anger at Morgan simmers in “Don't You Want To?” she chemistry. High potential will immediately appeal to high-concept fans in need of an entertaining, compelling comfort show that transcends documentaries. It's always sunny in Philadelphia And Peels. The first two episodes provide enough intrigue for a loyal fan base to find the series – what happened to Ava's potentially hot dad? – but doesn’t place too high demands on the cast or audience. TV-14. ANDREW JANKOWSKI. ABC (KATU), Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Sling and YouTube.