ABC‘s last time carrying the Super Bowl in February 2006 was a memorable one, with then-hot sophomore drama Grey’s Anatomy delivering one of the most talked about lead-out programs in the history of the Big Game, Part 1 of a bomb-themed two-episode arc that drew 38.1 million viewers.
Twenty years later, ABC is picking up where it left off, slotting its flagship series that is also early in its run, High Potential, immediately following Super Bowl LXI on ABC and Disney+ on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2027. Like Grey’s Anatomy, I hear High Potential is planning a two-parter, with the special post-Super Bowl episode as Part 1, ending on a cliffhanger that will be resolved in Part 2 airing in the show’s regular time slot the following Tuesday.
FCC chairman Brendan Carr and the logo for ABCCatherine Laga’aia and Deacon Phillippe
The upcoming Season 3 of High Potential will not launch after the Super Bowl; the series starring Kaitlin Olson is expected to return earlier, likely in January. (For the first time in its run, High Potential is not on the fall schedule this season.)
Olson announced the news of the special post-Super Bowl epsiode Monday night in a promo that ran on-air and online during Monday Night Football.
Super Bowl LXI will air on ABC, ESPN and Disney+, which explains why High Potential will stream on Disney+ for the first time outside of the bundle. Its streaming home is on fellow Disney platform Hulu, both for next day episodes and previous seasons.
In 2000, ABC also aired Part 1 of a two-part episode of a popular drama series, The Practice, after the Super Bowl.
High Potential finished the 2025/2026 broadcast season as the No. 1 show in adults 18-49 (3.35 rating) and the No. 3 show among total viewers (16.01 million) over 35 days of viewing on ABC, Hulu, Hulu on Disney+ and digital platforms.
The series follows a single mom with an exceptional mind (Olson), whose unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual and unstoppable partnership with a by-the-book seasoned detective.
High Potential stars Olson as Morgan, Daniel Sunjata as Karadec, Javicia Leslie as Daphne, Deniz Akdeniz as Lev “Oz” Ozdil, Amirah J as Ava, Matthew Lamb as Elliot, and Judy Reyes as Selena. 20th Television produces the series, which is based on the French format Haut Potentiel Intellectuel (HPI) and was created in the U.S. by Drew Goddard.
Goddard and Sarah Esberg of Goddard Textiles, new showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman and Olson serve as executive producers. Andrea Massaro (Goddard Textiles) is a co-executive producer.