High Potential (Season 1)

High Potential is about a chaotic single mother of three with an IQ of 160 who accidentally solves an active investigation while working her night shift as an LAPD janitor. By rearranging evidence on a major murder board to fix a glaring mistake made by detectives, she catches the eye of the Major Crimes Division and is quickly recruited as a civilian consultant.

It is a great show to watch with your teens and see all the fun and the crazy aspects of neurodiversity in a modern family and work environment. Because Morgan is highly intellectual and has no filter at all, she frequently feels isolated and misjudged by a world built for standard thinkers. This opens up conversations with your teens and you can ask them how we can better recognize and support the unique ways people around us think, and why it is important to value someone's skills even if they don't fit into our traditional views.

The show also explores the conflict of not sharing the truth with our teens. For over a decade, Morgan and her eldest daughter Ava have carried completely conflicting narratives about why Ava's father vanished, leading to hidden resentment and protective walls between mother and child. Parents can use it and ask their teen if they would prefer to know the truth, even if we know they would be hurt.

You can also talk about working in a team and breaking down professional biases. The major crimes unit is made up of disciplined, elite career officers, yet they must learn to rely on the instincts of a former cleaning woman who completely defies standard police procedure. You can ask your teen, why a team is much stronger when it welcomes someone with an entirely different life experience.

High Potential Season 1 is one of my most loved shows of the year with mystery, fun and entertainment in beautiful Los Angeles. For me it is a great show to watch with your teens and talk about what we think of standards and people who don't fit into our way of thinking.