ABC has swapped out High Potential at Tuesday 10 pm and put R.J. Decker in the slot this week, giving Scott Speedman a new home in the network’s prime-time lineup while the hit procedural dramedy moves to midseason.
The change lands now because ABC is reshaping Tuesday nights around its current schedule, and R.J. Decker is the show taking over the hour. The series follows a former newspaper photographer who starts over as a private investigator in South Florida after time in jail, with Jaina Lee Ortiz, Bevin Bru, Kevin Rankin and Adelaide Clemens in the cast. It is also based on Carl Hiaasen’s Double Whammy, and Rob Dohery serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer.
That makes the move more striking. High Potential had been one of ABC’s strongest shows, becoming the leading scripted series in its debut season and setting a network record after breaking out as a streaming favorite. For two seasons, it had done well enough on Tuesdays at 10 to look secure. ABC still cleared the hour for a different drama, then chose to keep R.J. Decker there while pushing High Potential to midseason.
The trade-off also tells you what ABC wants from the back half of the year. By moving High Potential, the network can air the season without interruptions from major holidays in the final months of the year and into early January. That leaves the question of how long R.J. Decker will hold the 10 pm slot before ABC decides whether to leave it in place or shift again. For now, the answer is simple: Speedman has the hour, and High Potential waits.
