"High Potential" is an American crime drama television series created by Drew Goddard, focused on Morgan, a single mother of three who is a cleaning lady for the Los Angeles Police Department. Morgan also happens to be particularly brilliant at solving cold cases and is hired as an LAPD Major Crimes consultant.
ABC's objective was to introduce viewers to the new series, demonstrating what they could expect from Morgan's story and enticing them to tune in.
To promote the brand new series, ABC worked with Amazon to create a "wakescreen" based on the series for Amazon's Fire devices, putting the premiere season first and foremost in the eyes of viewers logging onto the platform.
The wakescreen utilized a clever shift in focus as the words "Unsolved Murder" appear on the device's screen—before Morgan, dressed in her cleaning attire, approaches and wipes it away as if she's cleaning the viewer's screen from the inside. As the words are wiped away, Morgan's clothes shift, giving a sense of her true, flashier character.
Promoting the series' new weekly episodes, the wakescreen utilizes a unique fourth-wall break and focuses on the main character, while efficiently establishing the premise of the show, all without dialog. The subtlety of Morgan "wiping out unsolved murder" while transforming her appearance hints at the premiere episode's core concept.
Overlay text not only advertises the show air dates and times but also replicates various other display elements common to wake screens, such as a live clock and battery indicator, all in the form of a tablet. The presentation is highly relatable to busy parents like Morgan, whose kids often use tablets to watch streaming platforms, creating a connection that helps make her character even more interesting.
"High Potential" saw a highly successful launch. The series holds a 93% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and the pilot episode garnered 3.59 million viewers initially. After three days, it had reached 11.5 million viewers across platforms. On Hulu, the series ranked in the Top 15 and held the No. 1 spot for three consecutive days starting September 22. "High Potential" later became the most-watched new series on ABC in six years, surpassing the record set by "The Conners" in its 2018-2019 season. The "High Potential" episode that aired on October 22 was watched by 6.83 million viewers, marking ABC's top spot in the Tuesday night scripted lineup for the first time in four years.
