What's the Deal with Garret Dillahunt in 'High Potential' Anyway?

I was a big fan of the first season of Kaitlin Olson’s High Potential, easily the standout among the recent wave of female-led procedurals. It was also a ratings hit, finishing its debut season as the top scripted series on broadcast in the 18-49 demo.

The show is a genuine delight: quirky (but not too quirky), smart (but not too smart), and formulaic (but not too formulaic). It helped that the cast was terrific: Olson, Judy Reyes, and Daniel Sunjata, who finally managed to shake off the stink of his time on Manifest.

What I don’t quite understand is Garret Dillahunt’s role in the show. He showed up in the second episode as Lt. Melon, head of the robbery division, immediately butting heads with Olson’s character, Morgan. He was skeptical of her talents and dismissive of her role in the department. It seemed like he was being set up either as a full-on antagonist or the kind of gruff skeptic Morgan might eventually win over. He appeared again in the third episode, still playing the oppositional jackass.

And then … nothing. He disappeared until episode seven, returned briefly in episode eleven, and that was it. High Potential brought in a well-known and well-liked character actor and then barely used him.

My guess is that’s all we’ll see of him. He’s got a major role in Damon Lindelof’s Green Lantern series, Lanterns, along with several films on the horizon. So what happened?

It could be a scheduling conflict — maybe another role took precedence. (Though I don’t think Lanterns came along until after High Potential wrapped season one.) I doubt it was a personality issue. Dillahunt is reportedly beloved wherever he goes, and if you follow him on Instagram, you know he’s a loyal friend to his coworkers.

More likely, it was a creative decision. The show just didn’t need additional friction within the department. With Reyes’ Lt. Soto as the boss and Sunjata’s Adam Kerouac already bringing the skepticism, Dillahunt’s Lt. Melon may have felt redundant. Plus, the show had strong recurring players in Taran Killam (as Morgan’s ex) and JD Pardo (as a potential love interest).

Still, it’s a bummer. I had high hopes for that character and was excited to see more Dillahunt on my screen. While he wasn’t entirely Brother Chuck’d, it’s still frustrating to see an actor of his caliber quietly shuffled off a hit show. There will be plenty of consolation, however, in seeing him opposite Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Jason Ritter, Nathan Fillion, and Kelly Macdonald in Lanterns, a series that apparently read inside my mind to come up with its cast.