Television is weird right now. We have a million procedurals where a grumpy detective stares at a whiteboard until they suddenly "see" the clue that solves the case in the last five minutes. It’s a formula. It’s safe. Then High Potential One of Us (the English-language adaptation of the massive French hit HPI: Haut Potentiel Intellectuel) crashed into the scene and reminded everyone that characters matter way more than the crime itself.
Kaitlin Olson plays Morgan, a single mom with three kids and a massive brain. She’s got an IQ of 160. She’s also a cleaning lady. This isn't some Sherlock knock-off where the lead is a cold, calculating machine. Morgan is messy. She’s loud. She wears leopard print and bright colors that probably shouldn't go together but somehow do. When she starts fixing the police department's "unsolvable" cases while mopping the floors, the show taps into that universal fantasy of being the smartest person in the room while everyone else underestimates you.
Why High Potential One of Us Actually Works
Most "genius" shows fail because the writers think being smart means being a jerk. Think about House or Sherlock. They’re brilliant, but you wouldn’t want to grab a beer with them. Morgan is different. She’s struggling with bills. She’s dealing with the reality of being a "high potential" person in a world that mostly wants her to just shut up and do the dishes.
The term "High Potential" isn't just a catchy title. It refers to a specific psychological profile. In France, where the original show HPI broke records with over 10 million viewers per episode, the concept of "Haut Potentiel Intellectuel" is a huge cultural touchstone. It’s about people whose brains are wired differently—they see patterns where we see noise. They have "arborescent" thinking, which basically means one thought branches into ten others in a split second.
Morgan's brain is a gift and a curse.
Honestly, the chemistry between Olson and her "straight man" partner, Detective Karadec (played by Daniel Sunjata), is what keeps the engine running. It’s the classic Odd Couple dynamic, but with a twist: she’s actually better at his job than he is, and he knows it. That tension—the professional jealousy mixed with genuine respect—is where the show finds its heart.
The Science of the "High Potential" Brain
We need to talk about what an IQ of 160 actually looks like in real life. It’s not just about knowing facts. It’s about processing speed. The show does a great job of visualizing this without resorting to cheesy "CSI" graphics floating in the air. Instead, we see Morgan's eyes darting. We see her connect a specific brand of floor wax to a chemical reaction she noticed on a victim's shoe.
💡 You might also like: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
- Pattern Recognition: This is the core of the HPI profile. It’s the ability to see a break in a sequence. If a room is staged to look like a robbery, a high-potential person might notice that the dust on a fallen vase doesn't match the dust on the table.
- Hyper-Empathy: This is a part of the HPI profile people often overlook. Many high-potential individuals are incredibly sensitive to the emotions of others. In the show, Morgan isn't just solving puzzles; she's solving people.
- Asynchronous Development: This is a fancy way of saying someone can be a genius in one area and struggle with basic life stuff in another. Morgan can solve a murder in ten minutes but struggles to keep her car from being towed.
The French Connection: HPI vs. High Potential
If you haven't seen the original French version starring Audrey Fleurot, it's worth a look. The American version, High Potential One of Us, keeps the DNA but shifts the tone to fit a US audience. The French Morgane Alvaro is perhaps a bit more chaotic, a bit more "punk rock" against the system. The US version leans into the "struggling American mom" trope, which makes her deeply relatable to anyone who has ever felt like they were meant for more than their current paycheck.
Director Drew Goddard, who worked on The Martian and The Good Place, brought a specific kind of wit to the pilot. He understands that for a show like this to work, the stakes have to be personal. We aren't just watching a mystery; we're watching a woman claim her power for the first time in her life.
Why We Are Obsessed With "Underdog" Geniuses
There’s a reason Good Will Hunting is a classic. We love seeing the person at the bottom of the social ladder prove they are the smartest person in the room. It’s a power fantasy. But High Potential One of Us adds a layer of modern reality. It acknowledges that being smart doesn't automatically make life easy. In fact, it often makes it harder.
Morgan’s high potential makes her bored. Boredom leads to trouble.
The show also tackles the "invisible" work of women. Morgan is a cleaning lady—a job where people literally look through you. By making the protagonist someone from the service industry, the show makes a stinging point about how much talent is wasted because of class and circumstance. How many "high potential" people are currently stocking shelves or driving Ubers? Probably more than we’d like to admit.
Real-Life High Potential Challenges
If you think you might be "one of us"—meaning someone with a high potential profile—you know it isn't all solving crimes and witty one-liners. Clinical psychologists like Jeanne Siaud-Facchin, who has written extensively on HPI, note that these individuals often suffer from:
📖 Related: Is Lincoln Lawyer Coming Back? Mickey Haller's Next Move Explained
- Hypersensitivity: Sounds are louder, lights are brighter, and emotional slights cut deeper.
- The "Imposter" Feeling: Despite their intelligence, many feel like they are faking it because they don't solve problems the way others do.
- Bore-out: This is the opposite of burn-out. It’s the mental exhaustion that comes from not being challenged enough.
The show captures that "bore-out" perfectly in the early scenes. When Morgan is cleaning the precinct, you can see her brain itching for something to do. She can't help but look at the evidence board. It’s a compulsion.
How to Watch and What to Look For
When you dive into High Potential One of Us, pay attention to the background details. The showrunners have stated they like to hide clues in plain sight, much like the cases Morgan solves. It’s a show that rewards you for paying attention, which is fitting given its subject matter.
The supporting cast is solid, too. You’ve got Judy Reyes (who everyone loves from Scrubs) playing the captain. She provides the grounding the show needs. She’s the one who realizes that while Morgan is a liability, she’s a liability the department can’t afford to lose.
Actionable Insights for the "High Potential" Mind
Whether you’re a fan of the show or you suspect you have a high-potential brain yourself, there are ways to lean into this way of thinking. You don't have to be a police consultant to use your brain better.
Embrace Non-Linear Thinking
If your brain jumps from point A to point F, stop trying to force it back to B. Sometimes the shortcut is the best way. In your work or personal life, try "mind mapping" instead of making traditional lists. It mirrors the arborescent thinking of an HPI brain.
Find Your "Karadec"
Everyone needs a foil. If you’re a big-picture, chaotic thinker like Morgan, you need someone who is detail-oriented and grounded to help you execute your ideas. Don't fight the "straight man" in your life—partner with them.
👉 See also: Tim Dillon: I'm Your Mother Explained (Simply)
Address the Sensory Overload
High potential often comes with sensory processing issues. If you find yourself getting irritable in loud offices or under fluorescent lights, that’s not a character flaw. It’s your brain taking in too much data. Use noise-canceling headphones. Create a "low-stim" environment for deep work.
Don't Settle for "Cleaning the Floors"
If you feel underutilized, acknowledge it. The tragedy of the "one of us" narrative is the wasted potential. Whether it’s a new hobby, a side hustle, or a career change, your brain needs "food." Feed it before you get bored and start causing chaos just to feel something.
Watch for the Nuance
The next time you watch High Potential One of Us, look at how Morgan handles failure. The show is at its best when she gets it wrong. Being high potential doesn't mean being perfect; it means having a higher capacity for complexity. Learn to love the complexity, even when it’s messy.
The success of the show proves that we are tired of the same old "genius" tropes. We want someone who feels real. We want someone who has to worry about daycare and car engines while they're also explaining the nuances of forensic toxicology. We want someone like Morgan because, at the end of the day, a lot of us feel like we have untapped potential just waiting for the right moment to be seen.
To truly get the most out of the "High Potential" lifestyle, start by tracking your peak mental hours. Most HPI individuals have specific windows where their processing speed triples. Identify those windows and guard them fiercely. Stop trying to be productive in a 9-to-5 box if your brain only wants to "switch on" at 10 PM. Own your weirdness. That’s what Morgan does, and it’s her real superpower.
Invest in your own curiosity. Read the books that have nothing to do with your job. Follow the "rabbit holes." That's where the best ideas live. If you aren't exploring, you're just stagnating, and for a high-potential person, stagnation is the quickest path to misery. Find your crime scene—figuratively speaking—and start looking for the patterns everyone else is missing.