Which ‘High Potential’ episodes did James Roday Rodriguez direct in reunion with ‘Psych’ EP Todd Harthan?

High Potential returned to ABC and Hulu for a second season on September 16, 2025, continuing Morgan Gillopry's (Kaitlin Olson) story as a single mom working with the LAPD solving mysteries. Psych actor and director James Roday Rodriguez directed the first two episodes of High Potential season 2, Pawns and Checkmate.

His directorial stint in the premiere of the second season of the crime drama series reunited him with the executive producer of Psych, Todd Harthan, who is also the executive producer and showrunner of the ABC crime drama. However, it's not the first time the two crossed paths in the series, as Rodriguez also previously directed two episodes of the first season.

James Roday Rodriguez directs episodes of ABC's High Portential (Image via Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Per his IMDB page, he directed both episodes 7 and 13, the finale episode, of the first season. The Psych star's involvement in the finale resulted in a secret Psych connection. The final episode set up a potential recurring villain, an anonymous serial kidnapper who sets up convoluted games for the LAPD, who is eerily similar to Psych's Mr. Yang, the show's most memorable killer, played by Ally Sheedy.

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What to expect in High Potential season 2 and where to watch it

The second season of the ABC drama kicks off a week after the events of the first season of High Potential, which means it wasn't long ago that the Game Maker made his threats against Morgan and attacked Oz. This sets up the Game Maker as a recurring foe for the LAPD and Morgan's deadliest enemy so far.

Besides pitting Morgan against the anonymous and highly dangerous Game Maker, High Potential season 2 will also continue to explore Morgan's relationship with her children. Roman's re-emergence and the revelations about his identity could also be another highlight, allowing the show to dig into Morgan's unresolved feelings and her daughter Ava's (Amira's J) relationship with both parents.

Showrunner Todd Harthan also shared his hopes for season 2 in an interview with TV Guide in February 2025. He said that he hoped to continue finding compelling cases for High Potential season 2, adding:

"I think the things that people were loving about the show are going to stay and hopefully even get better, and the things they have a big appetite for that we barely did last year are going to bloom."

He also mentioned that he thinks Roman's story is "going to bloom" in the second season. There's also the growing chemistry between Morgan and Karadec (Daniel Sunjata) that season 2 could explore. Harthan also teased that he was notorious for creating slow-burn relationships (The Resident, Rosewood), but that it's still early to entertain a 'will-they-won't-they' storyline for Morgan and Karadec.

However, he also said that he and the writers are consciously writing about the dynamic between the two and that he will not rule out anything romantic happening between them.

New episodes of the series will be released every week on Tuesdays, at 10:00 pm Eastern Time on ABC, and they will be streaming on Hulu the following day.

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on High Potential as the second season continues.

Edited by Kinette Sumadia