High Potential

I loved, loved, loved the original. I'm not expecting this to be the same (the original was French for goodness sakes, with an amazing cast, and that certainly added to the flavor and frantic pace of the show). Still, the high potential concept and stories are solid (assuming they tell some of the same stories), so I'm giving the US version a chance, certainly more than one episode, and I'm allowing this cast to make it their own. At the end of the season I hope it turns out to be as good as the original or is close, even if it's slightly different and Kaitlin isn't the incredible Audrey Fleurot (but who is?). This version certainly has high potential of its own.

I'm really a sucker for any series/movie that shows someone who has a unique ability hidden behind a persona that just doesn't match. Kinda like a secret super power. The main character has just that. Seems like her life is a bit in shambles, she's all over the place, but...she's crazy smart and notices details other well experienced people miss. I was already a fan of Kaitlin, so no surprise I love her here as well. She plays frazzled so well! I appreciate that each episode resolves the case. I'm over a series dragging out over an entire season or multiple. Just give me a solid story and conclusion in under an hour! This delivers. Well paced, has some funny lines and overall just enjoyable to watch. Really looking forward to additional episodes. Just hope they don't cancel it after one season like everyone is doing these days. Solid MC you want to root for.

Why does Hollywood use the same old formula whenever they start a series where a genius has insights with evidence that others miss? They can't be normal with high intelligence. They need to have some odd condition that makes them quirky in some manner. Unless it's an updated Sherlock Holmes then he's just plain a jerk to most people he comes into contact with. The genius here is pretty so naturally she being a genius with three children is going to fashion herself so she looks like a street walker. Her mind is like an encyclopedia, but apparently her real expertise is in all things related to what a domestic cleaning lady knows. None of that is necessary. She has a famil to create enough actual back story without making her an oddball. Start letting her dress nice without looking like a lot lizard down at the truck stop. Watching her solve things is the real attraction after all..

Show is okay but why is Morgan dressed like a streetwalker although men probably like the look. This does add some distinction from other crime shows. Morgan's character is smart and she grows on you. Her daughter dresses better than she does. Morgan could be dressed a little more classy. Story lines are good and other characters are good. Love the smart son and the interaction she has with her children. Not sure on the ratings and time will tell if it will be renewed. Maybe it will be given another season. It's not as good as some other shows that were cancelled and should have been given more time.

At first I thought this was going to be a comedy along the lines of Psych! Or an absurd comedy like Always Sunny. I mean, the only characters I've ever seen Kaitlin Olson play are trashy women with a very caustic sense of humor. If that's what you like about her, don't worry, she definitely brings both of those qualities to this role. But she somehow does it in a mature way.

Although the first episode is all I've seen so far, it does appear to be a series similar to the aforementioned Psych! And it's fraternal twin, The Mentalist. It features Olson playing a character with an extremely high IQ who also suffers from a type of OCD, where she obsesses about things that are out of place. She also has a very fine sense of observation, and she uses these quirks to assist the local police in solving crimes.

This isn't a drama detective show, but it's not a comedy played for laughs either. It's a light action crime show like ABC's The Rookie and even gives me vibes of FX's brilliant Rescue Me series from the early 2000s.

The first episode was enjoyable and I hope the show continues along the same lines, with just enough dark humor to make it enjoyable, but without turning into a joke.