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Will we truly tire of the genius detective? I suspect not – the satisfaction of witnessing a remarkably talented person solve absurdly complex cases is one of fiction’s surest appeals. As always, our screens teem with such characters: over the last twelve months we’ve been introduced to Ludwig, David Mitchell’s riddle-creator turned incredibly astute detective; been reunited with Natasha Lyonne’s truth-divining Charlie Cale in Poker Face; and encountered once again with brainiac attorney Elsbeth.

A Different Kind of Brilliant Investigator

Also back for further intellectual feats is Morgan Gillory, the protagonist of breezy procedural High Potential, which returns for a new season. With an IQ of 160 – giving her “high intellectual potential” – Morgan’s ability to decode mind-bendingly complicated sequences of events is downright astonishing. Yet there’s something distinctive about this clever-clogs crimestopper.

Since an antisocial drug addict by the name of Sherlock Holmes established the genius detective tone, such characters have typically had some flaws. Ludwig is withdrawn, his talents tempered by intense awkwardness. Cale is a unpredictable, non-committal loner fond of a drink or two, while Elsbeth is a no-filter weirdo who unnerves others.

Morgan – portrayed by Kaitlin Olson – has no comparable 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 serious errors, she provides a hint to guide the detectives in the right direction. Before long, she’s brought on to work with the police, where she duly solves a series of extraordinarily labyrinthine crimes with practically no assistance.

A Multifaceted Heroine

Morgan is not just exceptionally intelligent, she’s also a fearless, charming, glamorous, gorgeous go-getter with flawless instincts and exceptional emotional intelligence. She may be a little pushy at times, but now she’s in the business of protecting people and apprehending criminals, a bit of urgency isn’t exactly inappropriate.

If Morgan is almost ideal in every way, that isn't the case for her life – initially. A single mother of three, she struggles to make ends meet, and mostly uses her mind palace to get the most out of her coupon-assisted supermarket shop. Motherhood can, of course, stymie women’s professional lives, but Morgan’s willingness to put up with the demands and pay of a low-paying job seems unrealistic.

Juggling Believability and Drama

Similarly hard to buy is the show’s longest narrative thread: running through all her varied cases is Morgan’s determination to track down the father of her eldest child, who vanished without a trace a decade and a half back. Despite her incredible powers of deduction, she remains clueless where he is.

But High Potential isn’t overly concerned with realism. Produced by ABC in the US, this is slick, narcotic network TV. It’s crowd-pleasing 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 cop drama history. No dark protagonists, little grit: the vibe is cosy and touching and somewhat simple.

Suspense and Thrills

Obviously, the crimes aren’t cosy or sentimental or straightforward. The first season's conclusion saw Morgan provoked by a kidnapper who compelled her to solve extremely challenging puzzles to save the lives. He returns in the premiere episodes here, kidnapping a young mother on her way home from a night out – but his real target is clearly Morgan, whom he sees as a worthy opponent in his real-life game of chess.

Watching her get agonizingly near to outsmarting this man is tense and thrilling, but something this out-there 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 concludes with a far-fetched twist. Still, there’s always next time. Actually, Morgan’s following investigation – although equally bananas – is more coherently plotted, ending with a neat and unexpectedly moving climax. The consistency of the plotting may be somewhat inconsistent, but similar to other predecessors and peers, this masterful amateur investigator can always be relied upon to save the day.