High Potential‘s replacement in ABC’s Fall 2026 lineup won’t return to the network in 2026. Although ever since its debut in 2024, High Potential has always begun airing after the summer break, its third season didn’t premiere in the fall. Instead, High Potential season 3 is set to return in 2027, with a release schedule that has yet to be announced. Even with High Potential season 3’s premiere date unknown, the ABC crime drama will receive a special broadcast on February 14, 2027, following Super Bowl LXI, thus broadening High Potential‘s reach.
With High Potential not starting ABC’s scripted TV series season in Fall 2026, its Tuesday evening slot had to go to another TV show. The Disney network chose a similar TV series to take over High Potential‘s slot, both in terms of genre, as its replacement is a procedural firmly belonging to comedy and drama, and location, as it’s set in a coastal city. By choosing this TV show, ABC decided to spotlight a series that wasn’t as established as High Potential, as its season 2 was the one premiering on September 15, 2026.
After first premiering as a midseason TV series in March 2026, ABC chose to renew RJ Decker for a second season two weeks after its season 1 finale aired in May 2026. Its move to the Fall 2026 lineup thus meant all RJ Decker episodes available until now aired in 2026, but the High Potential replacement won’t return to our screens before the year ends.
RJ Decker Is No Longer Returning In 2026 Explained
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Even after RJ Decker season 2 premiered, how many episodes were included in the season was unknown. It was nevertheless likely that the ABC crime drama wouldn’t have had a full season, as RJ Decker season 1 had nine episodes in total. However, RJ Decker season 2 ended up having seven episodes.
RJ Decker season 2’s premiere date being in mid-September and the season having only seven episodes thus meant that its season 2 finale was on October 27, 2026, ensuring that no new episodes would be released by the end of the year. It’s unclear when it will return, as RJ Decker season 3 has yet to be confirmed.
However, even if RJ Decker were renewed for a third season, its return in early 2027 would be highly unlikely, as High Potential season 3 is due to come back at that time, and it has been confirmed that it will retain its Tuesday evening position in the schedule, which was the same RJ Decker season 2 had.
ABC’s Gamble To Replace High Potential With RJ Decker In The Fall Pays Off
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High Potential is undeniably ABC’s hit drama series. Its status as ABC’s most successful recent scripted TV show is highlighted by season 1 averaging 4.342 million linear viewers, with season 2 upping that number to 4.980 million. High Potential consistently bringing that number in the double digits when viewers streaming the TV show in the seven days after its airdate are considered makes its slot placement after Dancing with the Stars completely superfluous.
RJ Decker instead needed the boost from a successful show the likes of Dancing with the Stars, as its season 1 didn’t perform as well as ABC expected it to. Having that as a lead-in proved the right choice, considering that 9.61 million viewers saw RJ Decker season 2’s premiere across platforms in the first seven days since it aired.
With no other linear and delayed ratings available for RJ Decker season 2 in its entirety, it’s impossible to know whether the ABC crime drama maintained its success. Only considering linear ratings, RJ Decker decreased from an average of 3.20 million viewers per episode to 2.88 million from season 1 to season 2. However, it’s important to consider that 2.88 million viewers is an average based on the ratings available for RJ Decker season 2’s first three episodes (via TV Series Finale), making the comparison incomplete.
It’s also worth remembering that RJ Decker season 1 was a streaming success over summer 2026, and its shorter run compared to other TV shows makes it particularly adaptable to different timelines, whether ABC decides to slot it at the beginning of the TV season or during midseason. Considering all this and RJ Decker season 2’s cliffhanger ending, it would be unlikely for ABC to cancel it, especially after its gamble paid off. However, we won’t know the fate of High Potential‘s replacement for sure until ABC officially says something on the matter.
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