When High Potential season 2 returns with new episodes in January 2026, the hit ABC comedy-drama series will have lots of surprises in store for not only fans but its main characters. The series has been on hiatus since late October, and as the weeks without new episodes continue to pass, we're on the hunt for teases and spoilers to tide us over, and we just got a big one.
High Potential showrunner Todd Harthan chatted with TV Insider and revealed some juicy teases about what's coming up for Karadec when the show resumes season 2 in January. According to the boss, Karadec will get a shake-up in his life and career with the arrival of a new character, and it's supposedly unlike anything that the show has written for the character so far.
As Harthan explained to TV Insider, someone "comes into Karadec’s orbit, that is really gonna shake things up, both personally and professionally. It’s something we haven’t quite done yet on the show with his character. We just started filming with the actor playing the part. It’ll be an exciting, splashy piece of casting." Personal shake-up? Splashy piece of casting? Hmmm... Who could this be?
With a season and a half under High Potential's belt, the one thing that the series really hasn't explored when it comes to Karadec is a love interest. Of course, he's mentioned that he was previously engaged to Lucia, his ex-fiancée, and there have been some obvious romantic chemistry between him and Morgan that has been placed on the back burner. But could an actual love interest be on the way?
Harthan didn't reveal much more about the character, including their gender or who could be playing them, whether a familiar face or a fresh face. But it seems like a safe bet that romance is coming for Karadec! Since the shake-up is both personal and professional, we can also assume that whomever this mystery person is, they have something to do with a case or the police department.
A potential love interest for Karadec arrives right when Morgan's own personal life becomes complicated. While her sparks with Karadec have been on ice in season 2 in favor of building a stable friendship and partnership at work, she had some tension with Nick Wagner, the station's new captain, and shared a kiss with Rhys (who turned out to be the art thief she was chasing) in the season 2 midseason finale.
It's unclear in what direction Morgan's love life will go, because it's not as if she can date the chief. But if Karadec does get a love interest in 2026, whether it's Lucia or a new character altogether, it will be interesting to see if there's some jealousy. Morgan's a passionate person, and she's never really had to share Karadec with someone else.
More than anything, the prospect of meeting another new character couldn't be more exciting. Oftentimes, breakout shows introducing a ton of new characters in their second season could spell disaster, but High Potential has been hitting it out of the park with its new characters, from Wager to Roman's acquaintance Arthur. We can't wee to meet who's shaking things up for Karadec!
High Potential returns Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026 at 9/8c on ABC and streams on Hulu.