The back half of May is always a tumultuous time for TV audiences, with oodles of season finales (and series finales) shaking up various statuses quo for the summer. Personally, I’m still mentally stuck back in early April, when High Potential closed out its second season with fateful secrets revealed and relationships seemingly destroyed, while also leaving Cpt. Wagner knocking desperately on death’s door. Alas, not even potentially fatal gunshot wounds can fully close the door on the show’s biggest debate: Morgan + Karadec or Morgan + Wagner?
There are obviously no truly correct answers just yet, as High Potential welcomed in two new showrunners to replace the now-exited Todd Harthan, so even if there were tentative plans to lean in one direction or the other, Nora and Lilla Zuckerman could very well decide to completely reverse course. That said, cast members are certainly within their rights to feel one way or the other about it, and the co-stars portraying Daphne and Oz have thoughts.
Speaking with TVLine, Javicia Leslie and Deniz Akdeniz were asked to share their preferential thoughts about whether they were on Team Karadec or Team Wagner, and I’m not mad at the Batwoman vet’s gut instinct. As she put it:
I’m lowkey kind of shipping Morgan and Wagner… I thought that was a hot ass couple… like that elevator scene was crazy.
Javicia Leslie
When Steve Howey's character was first introduced with his semi-creepster mustache and semi-suspcious behavior, I thought it was ludicrous to think that Morgan would ever reach a point where she'd be into that. But then Wagner shaved and became more of a personable human being with Daddy issues, and suddenly making out in an elevator wasn't the worst thing that Morgan could have been doing with her lips. So I can get behind Leslie's instincts here.
But then along comes Deniz Akdeniz with an even more logical take on things. Here's how he voices his stance in the debate:
You gotta be Team Morgan.
Deniz Akdeniz
I mean...how does one argue against that? Obviously fans are going to want what they want, and anything getting in the way is blasphemy, but at the end of the day, it's all about the character's happiness. If Morgan started off Season 3 by feeling some kind of way about Leslie's Daphne, it would be surprising, but I wouldn't rail against it if the way it was introduced made sense for the story. I trust the creative team to traverse such storytelling obstacles without breaking reality.
To that end, it's possibly telling that this debate is only between Daniel Sunjata's Karadec and Steve Howey's Wagner, without Taran Killam's Ludo even in the conversation. Fans still don't know the specifics behind why they broke up, but I'm hoping for a dedicated flashback or two in Season 3 and beyond.
In the face of Akdeniz's sensible opinions, Leslie stepped back from her Morgan & Wagner shipping to take a more all-encompassing view, saying:
I’m just team her happiness. So if it is Wagner, great, and if it’s Karadec, great. Just as long as she’s happy and she’s able to do what she does.
Can you imagine if High Potential's new showrunners scripted Morgan to be with Karadec, and both of them became miserable and terrible at their jobs, and the entire LAPD collapsed beneath the weight of it all? Here's hoping nothing so dramatic takes place when High Potential returns to ABC.
Sadly, Season 3 will not be back on the 2026 TV schedule, as ABC has pushed the popular drama back to a midseason premiere, so we'll be waiting longer than ever to see where Morgan's love life goes next.
