After just three episodes, it may still be too early to officially crown ABC's High Potential as the biggest new hit of the Fall 2024 TV season thus far, but Kaitlyn Olson’s return to network TV (following the fan-angering cancellation of The Mick) is absolutely making a case for itself. Even the actress herself shared a surprised reaction after learning the second episode earned the kind of stats I only wish It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia could brag about.
With audiences’ building curiosity and interest in what happened to Morgan’s husband years prior, Olson took to Instagram to celebrate the early success that High Potential has already earned, and it’s a testament to her universally enjoyable talents. In response to the report that the show’s second installment brought in over 10.72 million viewers after seven days of delayed-viewing stats, the actress and series producer shared the following message ahead of the third episode dropping:
Whoa! Thank goodness there’s a new episode tonight! Someone is out there watching the first two 11 million times!? (I just skimmed it…) See you for episode three tonight!
Specifically, the second ep "Dancers in the Dark" recorded a total of 3.68 million viewers watching on the night of September 24, but that number nearly tripled across the next six days. In its first week out, the ep reached an audience of over 10.78 million people, and also saw its 18-49 demo rating increase seven times over, from a 0.31 to a 2.2 rating. According to THR, the combined total amounts to around 3.09 million viewers.
Directed by Amazing Spider-Man helmer Marc Webb, this installment actually landed a bigger audience than the premiere, which isn’t the most common outcome in network TV. The first ep initially brought in 3.59 million viewers (0.35 / 18-49 demo), with that number jumping to 9.75 million (2.12 demo) after seven days of streaming and DVR viewing. With additional ABC repeats in the mix for the premiere, the total audience surpasses 17.79 million people.
Kaitlin Olson Gets Some Love From Co-Stars Past And Present
It wasn't just the actress' fans and followers who were chiming in with congratulatory messages after she celebrated the dramedy's early success. A trio of her It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-stars, including her hubby, shared the love, as did the High Potential star portraying the immaculately named Walter Melon.
- Mary Elizabeth Ellis: Kaitlin! 🙌🙌🙌
- Rob McElhenney: 😳
- Mary Lynn Rajskub: 👏👏👏
- Garret Dillahunt: Boss! 🔥
And speaking of...
I Hope High Potential's Ratings Results In A Big Audience Boost For It's Always Sunny
Most High Potential viewers hopefully also know Olson for her A+ talents as Sweet Dee Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny (not to mention her recurring role on Max’s Emmy-winning Hacks). It’s perhaps silly to compare numbers between her new show and her FXX series that holds the record for being the longest-running live-action TV comedy — and holds a spot in our 100 greatest sitcoms of all time — but I kind of love that Olson can be a small screen queen at both ends of the ratings spectrum.
Just for a brief side-by-side, though, consider that It's Always Sunny's biggest same-day audience appears to have been for its Season 3 premiere, "The Gang Finds a Dumpster Baby," which aired back in 2007. (Before shows started leaning so hard on delayed-viewing numbers.) Its Season 16 premiere, which aired in June 2023, was watched by around 305,000 people on the night it aired.
So it's clearly more of an apples to oranges situation where the numbers are concerned. But considering High Potential's night-of audience rose once more with its third episode (3.78 million / 0.34 demo), it's legitimately possible that Olson's broadcast TV popularity will inspire a bigger audience to tune in when It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 debuts in the 2025 TV schedule.
I don't expect it to happen, per se, and it'd be impossible to draw a direct line between the two stats even if It's Always Sunny did enjoy an uptick in popularity. But I don't think it'd take an unofficial detective like Morgan to put 2 and 2 together.
Keep spreading the word to keep High Potential's numbers rising higher and higher when new episodes air on ABC on Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET.