It's a new season, and the ABC Renew/Cancel is back for another year of predictions. While ABC's scripted lineup remains leaner than usual, it's still good to have their shows back in the fall at all, as last season was sorely missing any scripted content from ABC. Only one scripted show has debuted so far this season, but it's a brand-new show we've not discussed before, so keep reading for my initial thoughts on High Potential!
Certain Cancellation:
N/A
Likely Cancellation:
N/A
Leans Cancellation:
N/A
Leans Renewal:
N/A
Already Ending:
The Conners
Yet to Premiere:
9-1-1
Abbott Elementary
Doctor Odyssey
Grey's Anatomy
The Rookie
Shifting Gears
Will Trent
High Potential: ABC's only new pilot picked up in the 2022-23 season, High Potential finally made its debut last week after a year-long delay caused by the WGA and SAG strikes. Though Tuesdays at 10 have historically been a disastrous slot for ABC, Dancing with the Stars now airs ahead of that time slot. This provides High Potential with ABC's strongest lead-in, a huge show of confidence. Last week, DWTS returned in phenomenal shape, tying Survivor as TV's #1 non-sports program for the week. High Potential started with a 0.35 in the key demo, which is strong for any 10 PM show, even if its retention from DWTS wasn't all that impressive. This is higher than anything The Good Doctor did in that slot earlier this year, and higher than most airings of both Will Trent and The Rookie, ABC's other Tuesday dramas. It's also just a few hundredths below Will Trent's series premiere in the same slot nearly two years ago, with ratings having dropped dramatically since then. Obviously, this show has a lead-in higher than those other shows had, but this is still a solid rating that ABC is surely content with. Even before the premiere, ABC had three repeats of the show scheduled to air in the week following its debut. It's clear that they're going all-in on making this show work for them, and in a time when first-run ratings matter less than ever, sometimes even that is enough to keep a show going. That High Potential premiered in solid territory only strengthens the renewal prediction I was already anticipating giving it. Also heavily assisting it is that it's looking very strong on Hulu, remaining in the top three since its debut and currently ranking as the #1 show on Hulu as of writing this. Obviously, those sampling on Hulu aren't guaranteed to stick around as the show continues, but it's a good sign that it has a pulse on both linear TV and on streaming early in its run. It may show signs of decline as its run goes on, which could cause me to reconsider this confidence, but it looks well-positioned for renewal right now, especially considering how much space ABC has. It's a LIKELY RENEWAL.
What do you think of my prediction? What do you think will happen to High Potential? Let me know in the comments and vote in the poll of the week!
