Saagar Kote
Based on the French-Belgian series ‘HPI,’ created by Stéphane Carrié, Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, and Nicolas Jean, ABC’s crime drama series ‘High Potential’ explores the life of an intelligent and skilled single mother named Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson), who is unexpectedly hired by the LAPD as a civilian consultant to solve complex murder cases. Armed with her skills of deduction and her charm, she goes through the ups and downs of her family life, while also crossing paths with criminals and other dangerous people. In her journey, she mainly teams up with Detective Karadec (Daniel Sunjata), who has a different method of approaching cases. If the Drew Goddard creation entertained you, these shows, similar to ‘High Potential,’ will intrigue you.
10. Prodigal Son (2019-2021)
Fox’s ‘Prodigal Son’ is a tale of redemption narrated through the experiences of a former FBI profiler named Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne), who gets hired by the NYPD to solve complex crimes through his genius. However, one of the most important challenges he faces is his identity, as he is the son of a convicted serial killer named Dr. Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen), with whom he has a complex father-son dynamic based on enthusiasm for murder. Created by Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver, the crime drama series, akin to ‘High Potential,’ deals with a highly intelligent protagonist who is hired by the police to assist them. The main characters in both stories must balance familial ties with the world of crime.
9. Psych (2006-2014)
Created by Steve Franks, ‘Psych’ is the story of Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez), who works for the Santa Barbara Police Department due to his intelligence, along with his friend Burton Guster (Dulé Hill). In USA Network’s comedy-drama series, Shawn is able to handle complex cases due to his observational skills, but the police believe that he has psychic abilities that make him extremely effective in his work. On the lines of ‘High Potential,’ it features a civilian protagonist who is hired by the police to solve cases, while he deals with his personal life. The elements of deduction and crime forge a spiritual connection between the stories.
8. Monk (2002-2009)
‘Monk’ chronicles the journey of Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a homicide detective in San Francisco who loses his job due to the murder of his wife and the subsequent case of OCD he develops as a result of the tragedy. Despite dealing with his psychological condition, he attempts to handle cases as a civilian consultant for the police. In his crime-obsessed life, he also works with Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Lieutenant Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) to solve difficult cases. Created by Andy Breckman, USA Network’s comedy thriller drama series is connected to the world of ‘High Potential’ due to its portrayal of crime-solving, and a protagonist who helps the cops from the outside. Both shows feature characters obsessed with crimes and with deductive abilities.
7. Bones (2005-2017)
Created by Hart Hanson, Fox’s ‘Bones’ narrates the story of Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic expert who helps Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) by investigating cases involving bones as evidence or clues. As the two work together, they also face the trials and tribulations of love, which adds a layer of intrigue to their relationship. The police procedural drama series deals with the ideas of intelligence, relationships, and crime through the lens of the two main characters. Akin to ‘High Potential,’ it involves someone on the outside helping the cops to solve cases through their special gifts. Both shows feature a partnership between a highly intelligent female civilian and a male cop.
6. Castle (2009-2016)
ABC’s ‘Castle’ follows the life of a novelist called Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), whose works inspire a murderer to follow the style of killings mentioned in his books. He is approached by a police officer named Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) to help her solve the complex case. In his journey, his feelings for Kate also complicate matters, as well as his desire to use his experiences tailing Kate in investigations as material for his future writings. Created by Andrew W. Marlowe, the crime comedy drama series delves into the themes of friendship, murder, and love. On the lines of ‘High Potential,’ it traces the complexities of the involvement of a civilian in official cases. Both stories feature the personal dynamics between a duo of a cop and a civilian who navigate their complex and unlikely partnership.
5. White Collar (2009-2014)
Created by Jeff Eastin, USA Network’s ‘White Collar’ follows the life of a con artist named Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer), who gets a surprising opportunity to redeem himself and stay out of prison by working for the FBI to help solve crimes he has an expertise in. In this journey, he assists FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay), leading the two of them to form an unlikely crime-solving team. In the crime drama series, just like Morgan in ‘High Potential,’ Neal is an outsider with a specific skill set and area of expertise that makes him a valuable asset to law enforcement. The perspectives of outsiders in police cases are explored poignantly in both stories.
4. Lie to Me (2009-2011)
In Fox’s ‘Lie to Me,’ the knowledge of a body language expert named Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) comes in handy for law enforcement agencies that consult him and his team, which includes Dr. Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams) and others, to solve crimes. Created by Samuel Baum, the crime drama series follows the mind games played by the protagonist as he tries to solve crimes and detect lies through his skills. The idea of an outsider helping official departments solve cases is reminiscent of ‘High Potential,’ wherein Morgan also does the same for the cops, though in a different manner.
3. Elementary (2012-2019)
CBS’ crime drama series ‘Elementary’ is a modern American twist on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, wherein Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) moves from London to New York, while also dealing with issues of substance addiction. In the city, he teams up with Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) to solve crimes and also help the NYPD. Created by Robert Doherty, this unique take on Watson and Holmes delves into the skills of the two main characters and also looks at the turbulence of their personal lives, as they continue to work with the cops on cases. On the lines of ‘High Potential,’ it deals with civilians consulted by the police department to solve cases, while also dealing with the ups and downs in the lives of highly intelligent individuals.
2. The Mentalist (2008-2015)
‘The Mentalist’ is a tale of obsession and redemption narrated through the experiences of Patrick Jane (Simon Baker), who works as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation. He uses his brilliant observational skills and seemingly psychic abilities to solve complex cases. But, discreetly, he intends to hunt down the man who was responsible for the death of his family members and get revenge. In CBS’ crime drama series created by Bruno Heller, the idea of a brilliant and skilled outsider helping the cops to solve murders and other cases connects the narrative to the world of ‘High Potential,’ and its characters. Both shows deal with the consequences of hiding personal motivations in dangerous jobs.
1. Sherlock (2010-2017)
Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, BBC One’s ‘Sherlock’ is a modern reimagining of the story of a genius deductive analyst and consulting detective named Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), who lives a life of isolation in 221B Baker Street in London. His life takes a turn when he gets a new flatmate named John Watson (Martin Freeman), a former military doctor, who joins the brilliant man as he attempts to solve difficult mysteries amidst the hustle and bustle of the city and help Scotland Yard. The two face several challenges and the ups and downs of a complex partnership in the British mystery crime drama series created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. Similar to ‘High Potential,’ it deals with the idea of a genius protagonist using skills to solve crimes that the cops find difficult to do on their own. The personal lives of the protagonists are also explored poignantly in both stories.
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