Highly intelligent, obsessive, and strangely magnetic — Sherlock Holmes is one of the most familiar fictional figures in modern history. There’s little in the mystery genre right now that isn’t at least a little bit inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s brainchild. If a show or film isn’t about Sherlock (or an iteration of him), it’ll be about Watson. Or in more modern cases, his sister (see: Enola Holmes). Or even his apparent daughter (re: the aptly named Sherlock & Daughter on the CW).
That also means it can get tiring. Of course, seeing the same beats and themes is hard to avoid, but with about 15 direct screen adaptations of Sherlock Holmes since 2010, finding something fresh is difficult. How do you add another aspect to a widely beloved character? How do you continue to explore a dynamic as popular as Holmes and Watson?
High Potential does all of that and more. Based on the French-Belgian show HPI, it follows a cleaning lady who becomes a consultant to the LAPD due to her high IQ, analytical skills, and wide breadth of knowledge. Funny and heartfelt, High Potential is the kind of procedural that delivers more than it promises, using its format to weave an engaging, deep story without minimizing the crimes that surround it.
It also happens to have the best iteration of Sherlock Holmes in at least the last two decades.
The Sherlock Holmes of It All
Of course, there’s a reason why there are so many versions of this character. Sherlock Holmes is one of the first fictional detectives of his kind. Conan Doyle pretty much set up the trope for every detective that followed. Since his first appearance in 1887, Sherlock Holmes has gathered a following that has become the basis for superfandoms today.
His “brilliant-but-damaged” persona lends the perfect thing to latch onto in stories, a hook that adds to his charisma and depth, and stops him from becoming a “Gary Stu,” but still lends to his competency in his adventures. “He’s a genius, therefore he’s a bit strange,” as Mark Gatiss, co-creator of BBC’s Sherlock series, explains, becoming a force that works beside the main lines of justice due to his abilities.
Most adaptations follow this general characterization, as in the aforementioned BBC series, Robert Downey Jr. movies, or Elementary. Sherlock is a genius, but he’s socially inept. Often rude and struggling with his own issues, but continuously able to get down to the root of the mysteries he’s faced with.
In High Potential, Morgan Gillory (played by Kaitlin Olsen, best known for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) is the Sherlock character modified and made better. Of course, with an IQ of 160, she’s supremely intelligent, with a hyperfocused brain that’s a perfect asset to the major crimes department. She’s not a detective, though. Far from it. She gets her job at LAPD by happenstance after tampering with a crime board that she had access to only because she’s the cleaning lady.
Instead of being a functioning sociopath like most Holmesian characters, she’s deeply empathetic and kind. In nearly every episode, she shows a level of care for victims and their families that is direct and humanizing, using her power and abilities to help them because she wants the best for everyone. She can be abrasive and blunt, but ultimately, the coldness is replaced with a fun, almost quirky personality. And arguably, it makes her more interesting, and a clever way to reframe old tricks and explore things with a new lens.
Holmes-Watson Contemporaries
Sherlock is nothing without John Watson. The connection between the two (whether perceived as platonic or romantic) is in part why Holmes has stood the test of time, having a narrative foil and a confidant that steadies him. In fact, this parable is probably more directly adapted to the screen compared to the characters themselves. Shows like Bones, The Mentalist, and Castle (all three were airing around the same time, interestingly) depict the dynamic in their own way, but keep the “hot and cold” core of it steady.
Adam Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) is the lead detective of major crimes and Morgan’s Watson. The classic dynamic is twisted on its head with this duo — the detached, calculated character is Karadec, while the emotional, humanistic one is Morgan. They butt heads, especially in the beginning, with Karadec seeing Morgan’s lack of respect for authority as a hindrance. She’s much louder than him too, which takes him aback. In fact, rather than being socially inept, Morgan thrives with people and her connections, has three children, and ends up befriending some of the detectives in the police station. Often, she gets relevant information for cases by talking to ordinary people around the cases. So it’s not only her brilliance that makes her a good consultant, but also her humanity.
From London to Los Angeles and Beyond
All the major and minor inspirations High Potential takes from the British detective only emphasize how its differences make it better.
The gender switch plays into this especially. Sherlock Holmes was a man of privilege and class in Victorian England, which gave him the mobility to live a “bohemian” lifestyle outside social conventions. Morgan grounds the character type by being a working class single mom who, while aware of her abilities, has had it be more of a hindrance all her life until she gets hired by the LAPD. Because she didn’t colour inside the lines, she was vilified and didn’t get chances to show her potential, which is much more realistic, especially for modern audiences.
Morgan even visually contrasts with many Sherlock characters (as well as other characters in her show). Her eccentricities come out in her personality, of course, but they also show in her bright outfits, short skirts, and snazzy patterns, creating a different kind of image, not only for a Holmes iteration but also for a motherly character. She’s allowed to express herself loudly and unapologetically, which is a welcome change.
As a whole, High Potential injects something fresh into the already crowded “genius consultant” story. Morgan Gilloroy mixes the logical with heart; the order with chaos. Instead of making this about how opposing forces create friction, they work in parallel and almost blur the difference, turning its Sherlock Holmes character into a modern, maybe more believable figure. So, yes, undoubtedly the best version of it we’ve seen in a long while.
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