From The X-Files (1993) to Bones (2005) and now, High Potential (2024), few things on TV are as gripping as a deliciously-penned slow burn, procedural romance. Longtime viewers of Law and Order: SVU (1999) are still holding out hope that one day, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler will get together, too. It's why we tune in week after week, wanting an ordinary workday to turn into something bigger as two partners realize that what they feel for each other isn't just platonic. There are a few of them who make our shows all the more exciting, but as I keep saying, no one is doing it like Kaitlin Olson's Morgan Gillory and Daniel Sunjata's Adam Karadec.
It always starts as a will they/won't they, until the shift in their dynamic starts to gradually gleam in moments that are ordinary, yet simultaneously swoon-worthy. If slow burns are your bread and butter, High Potential, which is now streaming on Hulu, is worth watching for countless reasons.
High Potential's Morgan and Karadec Are the Quintessential Grump and Sunshine
Few tropes are as incredible in the romance genre as the grumpy-sunshine dynamic, and from the start, Morgan and Karadec are effortlessly enticing. He likes things the way they are—structured, specific, in order—but she revels in all the small details. His outfits are made up of basics and mostly dark colors, but she's mismatched and bright. Her way of operating is the polar opposite of his, but slowly, he starts to welcome it all, embracing her sunlight in ways that help him soften throughout the course of the two seasons so far.
Despite being completely different, the two of them start to work well together, showcasing that no one else could be more fit to be a better partner. Season 1 is all about establishing trust in each other, but in Season 2, we start to dive into the more vulnerable revelations. They're more open with each other and fully comfortable. She can sit in a car and openly ask him about his relationship with his ex-fiancée. He knows when she's upset, and can remind her of her value. And when she has a panic attack for the first time and the light fully leaves her for a beat, he's the one who jumps to pull her out of the waves.
Typically, this trope often does an exceptional job of keeping people on their toes because we're never quite sure what we're going to get. Like Bones and Castle (2009), the partnership functions as a tight thread that fuses the best and worst of both characters into a stunning marriage that basically leaps off the screen. One person annoying the other is a whole lot of fun, because once they do something nice, like bringing over a sandwich or giving a simple pat on the back, the gravitas of the gesture speaks even louder. So if you're a fan of the grump-and-sunshine trope, but are still sleeping on Morgadec, I can promise you'll adore these two.
The Slow Burn Continues to Make Every Episode of ‘High Potential’ Enthralling
The best part of High Potential right now is that it's a slow, slow burn. The writers and actors could tease all they want, but the hints of this partnership becoming something more in the future is etched into the show's floor plan. And the most exciting part of a slow burn is that so much can happen until then. Karadec is currently back with his former fiancée, guest starring Susan Kelechi Watson, and understandably, when the show finds Morgan's previous partner and eldest daughter's father, Roman, his inclusion in the show could also throw a wrench in their potential relationship.
How or what will finally thrust the two of them together doesn't matter because the appeal of a slow burn comes from drawing things out. It comes from every little moment where they don't realize that their feelings are bigger than they're capable of processing at the moment. There's excitement in the brief beats of longing that they'll have to combat because of the case or the current situation. There's something to look forward to in how Karadec always carries an extra pair of gloves for her or the fact that he knows her food orders by heart. There's excitement in knowing that if she's ever holding his phone, she'll change his ringtone to something ridiculous. There's a lot to appreciate about the fact that on the job, these two are first and foremost looking out for each other.
The groundwork is all there for Morgadec as partners who are best equipped to be together on and off the field. The differences they share don't clash, and they provide exactly what the other needs. Their similarities in all the right areas make their interactions that much more exciting. More importantly, the performances and chemistry matter significantly. We have to believe in what the pair is trying to deliver, and Olson and Sunjata's performances make that effortless. Their chemistry as partners on the field makes the dynamic wildly fun, but at the same time, the romantic chemistry is all there, tucked inside in all the small ways the characters show each other just how important they are to one another.
