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Do we truly grow bored of the genius detective? I suspect not – the thrill of seeing a fantastically gifted person crack incredibly intricate cases remains among fiction’s surest draws. As always, our screens are swarming with them: over the last twelve months we’ve met Ludwig, David Mitchell’s puzzle-setter turned brilliantly perceptive investigator; been reunited with Natasha Lyonne’s truth-divining Charlie Cale in Poker Face; and crossed paths once again with legal genius Elsbeth.

A Unique Breed of Genius Detective

Also back for more mental gymnastics is Morgan Gillory, the protagonist of breezy procedural High Potential, now back for a new season. With an IQ of 160 – earning her “exceptional mental ability” – Morgan’s ability to unravel mind-bendingly complicated sequences of events is truly remarkable. But there’s something distinctive about this particular brilliant crime-solver.

Ever since an reclusive drug addict named Sherlock Holmes established the genius detective mold, these types have usually had some flaws. Ludwig is withdrawn, his talents paired with intense social anxiety. Cale is a chaotic, commitment-phobic loner partial to a drink or two, while Elsbeth is a no-filter weirdo who gives people the creeps.

Morgan – portrayed by Kaitlin Olson – has no such weaknesses. Initially, she’s working as a janitor in the offices of the police department. After accidentally knocking over a pile of investigation notes and spotting some critical mistakes, she provides a hint to point the officers in the right direction. Soon, she’s recruited to work alongside the police, where she duly solves a series of extraordinarily labyrinthine crimes almost single-handedly.

A Multifaceted Lead

Morgan is not only exceptionally intelligent, she’s also a fearless, charming, glamorous, stunning go-getter with perfect intuition and exceptional emotional intelligence. She may be somewhat assertive at times, but given her role in the business of protecting people and catching killers, a bit of urgency isn’t entirely inappropriate.

If Morgan is almost ideal in every way, that isn't the case for her life – initially. A solo parent of three, she struggles to cover expenses, and often uses her mind palace to get the most out of her discount-driven supermarket shop. Motherhood can, naturally, hinder women’s professional lives, but Morgan’s willingness to accept the demands and pay of a minimum-wage job seems unrealistic.

Balancing Believability and Entertainment

Equally difficult to buy is the show’s primary subplot: underpinning all her disparate cases is Morgan’s resolve to track down the father of her eldest child, who disappeared without a trace 15 years ago. Despite her remarkable skills of deduction, she remains clueless where he is.

But High Potential doesn't focus heavily with realism. Made by ABC in the US, this is polished, easy-watching network TV. It’s popular and easy on the eye, the sort of thing typically found more with ITV than BBC Two. Morgan’s new colleagues are consistently pleasant, underdeveloped guys: smooth detective Karadec, investigators Daphne and Oz, plus Lt Selena Soto, perhaps the most reasonable and least fearsome police chief in detective show history. No dark protagonists, little grit: the vibe is cosy and heartwarming and rather basic.

Tension and Excitement

Naturally, the crimes aren’t cosy or heartwarming or straightforward. The season one finale saw Morgan taunted by a kidnapper who forced her to solve ludicrously difficult puzzles to rescue the victims. He returns in the opening double bill here, kidnapping a young mother on her way home from a night out – but his true objective is clearly Morgan, whom he sees as a formidable rival in his real-life game of chess.

Seeing her get tantalisingly close to outsmarting this man is tense and thrilling, but something this extreme requires a watertight ending. The question is: is High Potential as clever as its protagonist?

Final Thoughts

Simply put, no. The show is very good at keeping the tension going, but it fails to deliver the landing, and the storyline wraps up with a preposterous twist. Nevertheless, there’s always next time. In fact, Morgan’s following investigation – while equally bizarre – is more coherently plotted, ending with a satisfying and surprisingly moving finale. The consistency of the plotting may be somewhat inconsistent, but similar to other predecessors and peers, this virtuoso citizen detective can always be relied upon to save the day.