Ahead of the network's upfronts presentation, ABC revealed its Fall 2026 television schedule, which featured a number of surprising changes. Some of the network's top shows weren't included on the fall lineup and ended up being benched for midseason, and that unfortunately includes High Potential.
For the first time since the fan-favorite procedural comedy-drama premiered in 2024 and turned into one of the network's biggest hits, High Potential won't air in the fall. Instead, ABC has opted to hold the series for a midseason premiere. Being so, don't expect to see the third season debut on our screens this September as always.
High Potential season 3 set to premiere in 2027
As it currently stands, Tuesday nights on ABC will be anchored by Dancing with the Stars at 8 p.m., which will be followed by the second season of RJ Decker at 10 p.m. The midseason replacement starring Scott Speedman premiered in March and aired after High Potential. Getting a fall premiere without High Potential as a lead-in is a huge sign of faith from the network.
But what does this mean for High Potential season 3? ABC's vice president of content, strategy, and scheduling Ari Goldman stated to Variety that pushing the show to midseason will actually benefit viewers in the long run. One of the biggest gripes fans had with the second season's run was the amount of breaks that were taken between episodes. This delay is a way to avoid that.
"The High Potential move to midseason is one that’s really born out of the success that we’ve proven over the last couple of years with Will Trent, The Rookie, and the uninterrupted runs that we’ve enjoyed starting in that January timeframe going through the end of the season. We’re thinking about the behavior of our linear audience, but also the streaming viewers, who really have shown the importance of week-over-week steadiness in planning and rolling out these shows. We do not take lightly the move of High Potential to midseason, but I think this is a real opportunity to bridge through to the end of the year, to keep an uninterrupted run of episodes," Goldman explained.
While it's frustrating that we will have to wait longer for the show's return, especially after that shocking cliffhanger left a character's fate up in the air, the fact that we won't have weeks off here and there without new episodes sounds incredibly appealing. And according to Goldman, this delay to midseason also might not mean that we will be getting fewer episodes than normal.
Season 3 will air uniterrupted and could have a full order
An official episode count for High Potential season 3 hasn't been revealed, but Goldman said that ABC is "still looking at a really full season" for the upcoming season. The first season of the series contained 13 episodes, and the second season's order was extended to a "full season" of 18 episodes. Should a full season actually be ordered, we're looking at another 18-episode run.
Regardless of how great some of these changes sound on paper for High Potential, some fans might still be worried about ABC keeping one of its most-watched series off the air until next year. The network's VP insists that the show obviously remains a massive priority for the network and that there won't be any less promotion for the show since its airing in midseason.
High Potential season 3 is expected to once again air on Tuesday nights alongside Will Trent (which is also being held for midseason again) and RJ Decker. ABC will also debut The Rookie and its new spinoff series The Rookie: North (the network's only new series) sometime in midseason, along with Shifting Gears, which will take over for Scrubs on Wednesdays ahead of Abbott Elementary.
See? High Potential might have been pulled from ABC's Fall 2026 schedule, but there are silver linings that come with the change, including the uninterrupted airing and the potentially full-season order. The push gives the new showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman to expertly craft the season's new mysteries without rushing to put something out ASAP and risk quality.
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