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Television has continued to evolve for good, bad, and sometimes ugly.
We’ve lamented many things, from the obsession with prequels, sequels, reboots, and revivals to the departure from family-focused dramas and the obsession with procedurals.
But there’s one era of television we desperately miss and long for Blue Sky TV.
The Tides are Finally Turning with a Shift Towards Lighter Series
There’s no nostalgia quite like the longing for USA Network and TNT’s staple Blue Sky series, from White Collar to Suits to Leverage.
And thankfully, in some capacity, networks and streamers have tried to capitalize off the massive success, popularity, and longing for those shows via the aforementioned reboots and revivals.
But original pieces will always reign supreme!
Fortunately, the tides are changing, and it’s safe to say that we may be ushering in a new era of Blue Sky television.
You feel it too, don’t you?
Dark, Gritty Series and/or Prestigious Series Have Become the Norm
Network, cable, and streaming content have been such an endless stream of dark and gritty tales.
The general consensus seems to be that in order to chase after accolades and devote oneself to prestigious television, everything from procedurals to forever-extending limited series has to be darker fare, with complex characters shrouded in gray.
These series explore depraved arcs and storylines while diving headfirst into the nuances of humanity’s flaws and the bleak reality of the world.
And there’s nothing wrong with that, truly, but there’s ample space for more options, be it escapist forms of television or the perfect balance between dark and humorous.
For some time, it felt like shows were no longer allowed to be fun, humorous, and cheeky.
It seemed like a shortage of multifaceted characters who didn’t feel like perpetual downers or had us flipping through the DSM-5 once they were reduced to this sole, narrow facet of why they are as a person.
But now, blessedly, we’re seeing a shift, and if this continues, we may finally have a proper balance, let alone an entirely new era of Blue Sky television for our viewing pleasure.
High Potential Modernizes the Blue Sky Genre with Fantastic Results
There’s a reason why ABC’s High Potential has become such a massive hit and is critically acclaimed.
Kaitlin Olson is absolutely remarkable in the role.
The fun chemistry between Morgan and Karadec encapsulates everything we know and love about the “unorthodox buddy-cop” formula with a heaping dose of “will they/won’t they.”
These are formulas that consistently work right alongside the procedural formatting.
Blue Sky shows always manage to genre bend and blend with the perfect mix of drama and comedy that appeals to a broader audience.
They also have compelling enough characters to keep us invested, and we want to follow them through every plot point, however absurd, and nail the character development and the dynamic exploration.
High Potential Masters the Formula for Fun, Heartfelt TV
High Potential barreled onto the scene like the Kool-Aid Man (look it up for those too young to remember) and showed us exactly who and what it would be with the kickass High Potential Series premiere that instantly won viewers over.
And the hour struck the perfect balance throughout.
Morgan Gillory is such a genuinely fun character; she could stand toe-to-toe with Neal Caffery or Shawn Spencer and hold her own every time.
From the quirky, gaudy fashion that feels reminiscent of The Nanny’s Fran Fine to the refreshing Working-Class energy she exudes, Morgan is a character who feels familiar yet fresh, and she’s a well-thought-out character.
She’s not some collection of tropes and archetypes pieced together with no rhyme or reason behind it.
Morgan Gillory is the Perfect Blue Sky Lead Character
Morgan is, well, Blue Sky Barbie, a main character with real energy, an icon in the making, and someone with lasting power because it’s evident that, at least with its leads, High Potential recognizes that characters actually matter.
The comedic notes and vulnerability have resulted in a well-rounded, fully realized character that appeals to viewers, and it’s all done without this perpetual cloud of darkness.
Morgan is a character with layers.
She has very real struggles, pain, flaws, and more — she’s a wonderfully complex woman and character.
And yet, like Blue Sky characters of yesteryear, she’s not wholly defined by her worst experiences or darkest traits.
High Potential brings the humor and the drama, the darkness and vulnerability and the comedy, all in equal measure, whether forgoing one for the other.
Karadec Balances Morgan Out Well in Ideal Leading Duo
Karadec is much the same, playing one of the strongest “Straight Man” we’ve seen onscreen in some time.
He’s a character who took a bit to settle in, but deliberately so, and once he did, it all clicked into place.
Their dynamic brims with potential exploration, and there doesn’t seem to be any rush to fast-track them to something romantic, as if the writers are checking off their list of goals they want to accomplish at the expense of organic storytelling.
Morgan’s antics at crime scenes and in the bullpen provide the comedic relief and fun that makes the series endearing; it’s the light-hearted fare that viewers naturally gravitate to like a fish to water because of how rare it is to find.
But High Potential handles the more grounded dramatic notes just as well.
Morgan’s motivations for consulting with the police are heartfelt.
She is a testament to a mother’s love for her child and desire to learn the truth about the type of person who slips through the cracks.
Compelling Family Focus Provides Resonant Drama without the Grit
The family component of the series is just as strong as the workplace humor and shenanigans, scratching the itch for the more personal touch of family-focused and centered storytelling.
Morgan’s compassion toward victims and even persons of interest is above the fray of a standard procedural and gives the series that human element that simply makes it click.
High Potential is just light enough to be a reprieve from the gritty or dark dramas while still having so much heart, being generally relatable to the average viewer.
Watch High Potential Online
In a newer era of Blue Sky programming, the series truly grasps the best of both worlds, leaning heavily into dramedy and not so much providing us with escapist television that pulls us out of our everyday lives as depicting them in a more realistic but less bleak way.
Wild Cards is a Criminally Underrated Breath of Fresh Air
Similarly, The CW import, Wild Cards, is executing the same thing.
Even more so than High Potential, Wild Cards clearly demonstrates that characters matter and that character-centric storytelling appeals to the masses.
We don’t care what Max and Ellis are up to, which types of cases they take on, or how outlandish or fun their antics are as long as we learn more about these two characters and they tackle everything together.
Wild Cards understands that the appeal of the entire series hinges on plucky, fashionable, deceptively elusive, and fun Max, a con woman and thief who can pull off nearly any heist imaginable with such a flair that you love her for it.
As far as playing the straight man to Max’s shining star, Ellis is a wonderfully complex character with a deep history that comes to the forefront early on in the series and endears viewers to him instantly.
You’re invested in this pair instantly, and arguably even better than High Potential; the chemistry between Max and Ellis is so alluring that you’d follow them to the ends of the earth merely to watch how they handle the journey together.
If there is a series currently on air that feels modeled exactly after the best of what the Blue Sky Era had to offer, it’s Wild Cards, where the characters matter just as much, if not more, than cracking the cases.
It mesmerizes us with its glossy Vancouver setting, elaborate sets, fun fashion, and cases that are more amusing than dark.
Wild Cards’ Characters and Fantastic Chemistry Among the Leads is Everything We Could Ask For
We care about Wild Cards because we care about the characters.
Max and Ellis are just genuinely interesting to watch, and they work as well individually as they do together.
By devoting so much time and attention to character-building, everything else around the series happily falls into place.
It’s more of an escapist series than High Potential, but it’s all the better for it, and it doesn’t mean the series is devoid of some of the hard-hitting and dramatic moments that balance things out.
Offhand, Max’s relationship with her father is compelling to witness because it’s complex. You see how much he loves her and how easily he leads her astray by romanticizing a lifestyle of crime.
Max also serves as a captivating character because behind all the glitz and glam and the carefully curated and crafted bubbly facade is a woman who is unknowable and longs to be known and seen.
Slowly, it’s evident that Ellis is close to doing that, breaking past her defenses, not because he’s chipping away at her, but rather because in attempting to get past his guard and defenses, she’s vulnerable with him in a way she isn’t typically with others.
Their dynamic is at the center of Wild Cards and where the series thrives, and it’s perfectly reminiscent of the coveted duos who carried similar series: Harvey/Mike, Neal/Peter, Shawn/Gus, and, of course, the romantic offerings that add that extra layer via Covert Affairs‘ Annie/Auggie and Michael and Fiona.
Wild Cards delivers a dynamic duo that operates as an unorthodox buddy cop duo and a will they/won’t they.
It culls the best out of familiar tropes to produce a series that’s universally appealing.
And that’s what we’re seeing again: the emergence of universally appealing dramedies that prioritize characters and result in stronger storytelling.
High Potential and Wild Cards are Fortunately Not Alone
Watch Wild Cards Online
High Potential and Wild Cards are perfect examples of series that perfectly embody the Blue Sky Era of the past and depict a modern version of it now.
And they’re not alone.
With the massive success and appeal of CBS’ hit new series Matlock, following the equally acclaimed Elsbeth, it feels like we’re finally making headway with shows that mirror the Blue Skies genre and have some lasting power.
It seems that after an onslaught of darker fare and/or prestige television, recognition that viewers desire something lighter, relatable, and character-focused has led to actual results.
If viewers are receptive to these series and they find success and generate strong ratings, there’s a likelihood that the patterns will change and similar programming is on the horizon.
As we patiently wait for USA Network to revive its Blue Sky programming with original content, something that will likely be on the horizon come 2025, it’s a vote of confidence that other networks may have gotten a headstart.
From Wild Cards and High Potential to Matlock and Elsbeth, it’s refreshing to have something other than The Rookie to maintain a trend or kickstart a new one.
And it’s a welcomed one. What do you guys think?
Are shows like Wild Cards and High Potential scratching that Blue Sky itch?
Does it feel like the dawn of a modern era for Blue Sky television?
Let us know below!