With the renewal of her hit ABC series ,. Comedy fans have appreciated her work for decades, particularly on ; Olson's Dee Reynolds is arguably one of the most influential sitcom characters of the century. In 2019, TV Guide praised her for being “a vulgar female narcissist before it was cool” as part of their “Salute to TV’s Most Underrated Female Characters.” That sums up Kaitlin Olson: she’s the actor everyone brings up as someone who’s underrated and has been on the verge of a breakout moment like this since It's Always Sunny premiered. She's just finally getting the appreciation she deserves thanks to her role on High Potential, one that's perfectly suited to her talents.

Olson may have been a standout on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia from the beginning, but it never led to the same level of breakout moment that her co-star enjoyed with movie franchises like and . Like the rest of the cast, Olson has never received an Emmy nomination for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, despite episodes like 2013’s “The Gang Broke Dee” that perfectly show off her incredible physical comedy chops. It’s Always Sunny has been so reliable for so long that it almost feels like Olson and her castmates are taken for granted, despite their obvious exceptional talents. Aside from one nomination in the short form category for the Quibi series , it was only once Olson was cast in a recurring role on that she started earning awards buzz. While the attention she received for that HBO series was well-deserved, it was still only for a guest role.

In 2017, the FOX sitcom . On this show, she was the clear lead rather than part of an exceptional ensemble, and while Mickey was distinct from It's Always Sunny's Sweet Dee, the crude physical comedy was similar territory for Olson. The two-season series definitely demonstrated that Olson could carry a show, but not enough people tuned in, and unfortunately, despite some early ratings success, the show fizzled out, and was ultimately canceled in 2018.

However, the success Olson is experiencing with High Potential is . Unlike Hacks and It’s Always Sunny, the ABC series allows her to demonstrate that she can completely carry a project. Unlike The Mick, it also allows her to do something totally new that doesn’t feel like a riff on It’s Always Sunny’s sensibilities. The moment Olson is having feels reminiscent of another actor who found their perfect role on a procedural: on . Like Olson, Shalhoub had already done consistently great work for decades in projects from to . People in the know understood how talented he was. But, with Monk, he found a role that was perfectly tailored for him, one that could also prove to wide audiences that he was a true star.

One obvious reason High Potential feels so refreshing is that. When Morgan has heart-to-hearts with her daughter Ava () about Ava’s missing father, it hits an emotionally resonant note that viewers haven’t seen from Olson before. While Olson’s ability to be a punchline has led to all-timer comedy, it’s nice to finally see her play someone with so much dignity and confidence. In a character-defining scene in the pilot of High Potential, Morgan walks the detectives through why their current lead suspect couldn't have done it, shrewdly sizing up LAPD Major Crimes head Selena Soto (), then explaining her reasoning point-by-point. The exchange couldn’t be further from the pratfall-driven comedy audiences are used to from Olson; Morgan’s intelligence commands the room and immediately earns her the respect of others.

For fans who have watched Olson’s work as Dee Reynolds going on twenty years now, and broadens her fanbase in the process. On High Potential, she continues to be just as funny as she was on It’s Always Sunny, The Mick, and Hacks, but she also gets to show off a purely dramatic side while playing a sharp, insightful leading lady. Olson's star turn is a well-earned moment for an actress who has been criminally underrated for too long.