Daniel Sunjata Discusses Adam and Morgan's High Potential for Romance

[Warning: This story contains spoilers for High Potential, Season 2, Episode 12, "The Faust and the Furious." Read at your own risk!]

Daniel Sunjata knows that High Potential viewers are rooting for his by-the-book LAPD detective Adam Karadec and Kaitlin Olson's savant consultant Morgan Gillory to get together, in the same way that audiences have tuned in year after year for the slow-burn romances between crime-solving partners on Bones, Castle, and The Mentalist.

In fact, Sunjata would be lying if he said he didn't see the high potential — pun intended! — of a Morgan-Karadec romance at some point down the line. "I would be cool with whatever direction [the writers] decide to take it," he tells TV Guide. "It all kind of works because all of those dynamics are there. You have all the ingredients for any number of outcomes."

Regardless if showrunner Todd Harthan ever chooses for the characters to cross that line from platonic to romantic, Tuesday's episode of the ABC procedural dramedy — the last episode for a month due to the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan — marks an important step forward in Morgan and Karadec's close partnership.

While investigating the murder of a biotech founder obsessed with anti-aging and life extension, the partners got locked in the same room where the entrepreneur had died. Morgan deduced from the dead bugs and plants that the room had been filled with toxic gas with the founder locked inside, prompting him to end his own life rather than suffer a more excruciating death.

Despite Karadec's reassurance that a team was being sent to help them unlock the door, Morgan begins to have a severe panic attack, worrying that the same deadly gas was about to be pumped through the vents. Morgan quickly spirals out of control, expressing her greatest fears about leaving her three young children behind without a mother. After she yells that she can't breathe, Karadec takes it upon himself to give her a hug, which allows her to calm down her nerves. "Morgan, it's going to be OK. I've got you. I'm not going anywhere," he says as she hyperventilates in his arms. It is easily the most physically intimate moment these partners have shared thus far.

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At the end of the episode, while leaving the memorial that their colleague Oz (Deniz Akdeniz) hosted for his late father, Morgan very awkwardly tries to get back to her and Karadec's old dynamic. She admits that she is "horrified" about completely falling apart and being a "giant, useless mess" in front of her partner.

"Are you really apologizing for being human, Morgan?" Karadec says. "Come on, we're a team, we count on each other. You would have done the same for me."

"When? In what world is Adam Karadec falling apart on the job?" Morgan responds.

"Well, just 'cause it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean that it won't," he says. "And when that time comes, I know that, out of all the people in my life, you will know exactly what to do."

Below, Sunjata takes us behind the scenes of shooting that pivotal Morgan/Karadec scene (where he says he did not need to act the distress on Karadec's face) and offers a window into his character's psychology in romantic relationships. Perhaps most surprisingly, even though Karadec has just decided to give his relationship with his ex-fiancée, Lucia (Susan Kelechi Watson), another shot, the actor believes that his character "probably was having a thing for" Morgan "and wasn't aware of it" before outside factors threw a wrench in that dynamic for the time being.

A lot of people credit Kaitlin's performance as Morgan for being the "secret sauce" that has transformed High Potential into a hit show, but the relationship between your characters has also clearly driven a lot of the fan interest. What stands out to you about the evolution of Adam's partnership with Morgan over these first 25 episodes, and how do you think working with her has changed him?

Daniel Sunjata: I think it was more of an uncomfortable introduction because of her quirkiness and then Adam's, I guess, insistence on the rules. I think what Morgan revealed to Adam is that the rules do matter, but there are workarounds. There are [different] ways to arrive at a final outcome, especially when you have an IQ of 160 like she does. So she kind of shatters the rules, and then she does it in such a way that's undeniably charming, hilarious, and cute. So I think it softens Adam to a degree. At this point in their relationship, he doesn't question her genius, and he does not question her efficacy. I think at this point in their relationship, he's a little more maybe protective, if anything, because he understands that other people might not understand how amazing she is and the reasons why, if that makes any sense.

The scene that really stands out in the two-season arc of Morgan and Karadec's partnership thus far happens in Tuesday's episode. Morgan and Karadec get locked inside a room temporarily, and Morgan starts to spiral out of control, expressing her greatest fears about leaving behind her three children. There is so much genuine concern on Adam's face because it's a side of Morgan that I don't think he has ever really seen before. Can you give voice to what is going through Adam's mind as he watches Morgan hyperventilate?

Sunjata: I don't think I can, because her performance was so visceral that I wasn't Adam in that scene. I was Daniel watching her performance, and I was realizing, "You're not supposed to be getting emotional." She made me cry. I watched her go through every level of a full-blown panic attack, and I believed it. And I know how we make the donut. [Laughs.] What I'm saying is, I know [we're] acting [and how it works]. But she was so incredible in that scene. I tried to tell her afterwards, and then she was also very humble. She would barely accept the compliment, but she was so good.

When I hugged her in that scene, I felt like, as Daniel, I wanted to protect Kaitlin. But she was just being Morgan and she just did it so well. It's impossible to over-esteem. Kaitlin gets a tremendous amount of praise for her comedic chops, and she's very funny. But she's also a very sensitive person. Her dramatic acting is underrated, and I was just amazed by that scene.

And back to the world of the show, I think that it advances the evolution of the relationship between Karadec and Morgan. I think it's one of those moments where [we're leaning into] the will they/won't they. Is it romantic, or is it platonic? Is it a mutual care and respect, or is it a mutual attraction, or is it some weirdness between those lines? That moment was two human beings connecting, and Adam deeply cares for Morgan. I remember the line. I think she said, "Adam, I can't breathe. I can't breathe." And just that [moment] — I am getting emotional right now, just remembering her performance. She was amazing in that moment, really. That's Emmy level. That's top-tier acting.

Adam seems to be a little more tactile with Morgan in these last few episodes — he's touching her shoulder and back when he reassures her; he's giving her a hug while she's having a panic attack in this episode. Has that been an intentional shift in that dynamic? Is that just a sign of how comfortable he feels around her now?

Sunjata: To be frank, sometimes those things are talked about, are discussed, and decided upon. When you become more familiar with someone, a touch on the shoulder, like a tactile reassurance of "Hey, I'm here" — I think that's normal. I don't know what world we live in right now. [Laughs.] But I'm pretty sure that's kind of normal, and I think that that is an indication of the evolution of the relationship. But it's not necessarily indicative of something of romantic interest. I think it's more about human connection. I think it's made about friendship.

And, hey, the longest-lasting marriages or romantic relationships — friendship has to be the foundation of that. So it's not that this is not a wink to possibility between the two of them because they're comfortable with each other, but [it's more like] we see each other. So [if people recognize] a little touch here and there, I get it. It's amplified in the context of a television show. [Laughs.]

Your showrunner Todd Harthan has told me that he is notorious for playing out will-they-won't-they relationships on his shows.

[Sunjata laughs.]

He has not ruled out the possibility of a Morgan/Karadec romance, but he also seems to want to stretch out that relationship for as long as he can by introducing new love interests and giving Morgan different options. Todd and Kaitlin are both executive producers and you're not, so I don't know how privy you are to these conversations. But how have you worked with them to figure out when to lean into the will-they-won't-they of that central dynamic between Morgan and Karadec?

Sunjata: I'm kind of ancillary or adjacent to [them]. I'm not really privy to those conversations as to, how's the show going to move forward in that way? I know what my preference would be, personally. [I hope] that they will-they-won't-they us into ... they never really do, but they're the deepest of friends and the best of partners with the most penetrating insight into each other. Sometimes, it's like that in real life. You think, "Oh, I met somebody. It's going to be this. It's going to be that." And it turns into something that you have no idea what it might be.

But in terms of the conversations that are being had between Todd and Kaitlin and Drew Goddard [an executive producer who developed the show], that's above my pay grade, but I think that they understand [the dynamic]. I know they understand what good TV is in this context, and you don't rush to a conclusion. You tease it out — you use the gas, you use the brakes, you use the gas, you use the brakes — and you see how to keep the audience engaged and intrigued. But I don't know if I'm answering your question.

Let me ask you this then: Do you, as the kids say, "ship" Morgan and Karadec?

Sunjata: I do, potentially. High potential! [Laughs.] I definitely ship them potentially, but I would be cool with whatever direction they decide to take it. If they want to go full blown and they fall in love [and have] a romance kind of thing, sure. And if they want to walk the razor's edge, I think that's interesting too. And if they decide to go to the other side ... It all kind of works because all of those dynamics are there. You have all the ingredients for any number of outcomes, if that makes sense.

But do I think that they would be great as romantic partners? I kind of do. I think that in the back of Adam's mind, even though his attention may wander, I think he was moving in that direction for a period of time, and I think she's had thoughts in his direction for a period of time. But now, we've got so many other things going on. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

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Adam, now more than ever, seems to be hyper-aware of where Morgan is, what she's doing, how she's feeling. That final scene at the cemetery is the perfect example of him always checking up on her. There have also been moments when Adam has been looking at Morgan and new captain Nick Wagner (Steve Howey) together from across the room, and the viewer is left to interpret what is in Adam's stolen or lingering glances. Karadec and Wagner have talked about Morgan privately while working on cases together, but how does Karadec really feel about Wagner's noticeable interest in Morgan?

Sunjata: I think that if you're starting to get in your feels and you might not realize it, you start looking at a situation and you're like, "Wait a second. Is this really me?" I think Adam checks in with himself first. He notices situations. He doesn't really know. [Laughs.] So I think that little things that he picked up on [between Morgan and Wagner] might have given him, first of all, pause, and then second of all the space to ... I don't know.

I think subconsciously Adam probably was having a thing for her and wasn't aware of it, and then there were certain things that happened, and it wasn't necessarily [having to do with] just Wagner. There had been some other instances where [Adam] was just like [to himself], "Wait a second, bro. What are you doing?" You're checking in with yourself, and you're like, "Dude, dude, chill, chill, chill." [Laughs.] And then he just kind of defaulted probably to, "This is a professional relationship. What is wrong with you? That would be weird. That wouldn't even work. You got to stay by the book. We want to solve these cases. We want to bring justice to the bad guys and solve murders. This is Major Crimes. This isn't Major Romance." [Laughs.]

So I'm kind of half-talking as Daniel and half-talking as Karadec at the same time. But I think that's kind of where [the relationship] is [right now]. And, again, I think this is good TV because we definitely have a deep care and concern for one another, a deep understanding of one another. It's so important to be seen, to be heard and to be understood, foundationally, [for] friendships, romantic relationships, relationships with your family or whoever. We all need that. So I think with Adam and Morgan, we have that. So if we have that — no matter what transpires in the meantime, the other [romantic relationships] that happen in the meantime might not have that. The things that happen in the meantime might not have that level of mutual, I don't know, apprehension or understanding. I don't know what the word is, but I think that Adam and Morgan are developing that.

[Pauses and seemingly walks back with his previous answer.] And … you know what? It's romantic. That's romantic. I'm sorry, that's romantic to me. And then I would be like, "Oh my god, I hope they get together." I hope that they do, but I don't know what my bosses are going to decide. But they have all of the ingredients for any outcome that they choose. I just think that's romantic. [Laughs.]

We'll see where Todd and his creative team choose to take that relationship, but in the meantime, Adam has gotten back together with his ex-fiancée, Lucia. Adam admits to Morgan that it's weird how comfortable it is to be with Lucia again. And when Morgan asks him if he's happy, he very sweetly says that he is happy right now, although he is worried that he will mess up his relationship with Lucia all over again. Why do you think Adam has always had a tendency to hide behind his work? Why hasn't he been able to find that work-life balance?

Sunjata: I think that it is the line of work. The answer is in the question. It is exactly what came between him and Lucia. I think his work has come between him and his personal relationships romantically. At least now he's in a situation where he has a personal relationship that is also a part of his work. That's where Morgan comes in. She is the enigma. She's the unicorn. He's like, "OK, wow." He's coming to a place [with Morgan] where he accepts and probably defaults to, "This is probably not the best course of action. She's got other things going on. Maybe I didn't realize I was starting to have care or interest romantically in this person." [The reality of their work] makes it easier to let that go.

And then there's the reintroduction of Lucia — he did really care for this woman. He loved her. He was on the verge of making a lifelong commitment with this person. And by the way, shoutout to Susan [Kelechi Watson]. She is so transcendently gifted. She's so easy to work with, so professional, so talented. When I found out that she was going to be our Lucia, I was just over the moon. She's the bomb. I don't know any other way to put it. But in the context of the world of the show, yeah, I mean it just made sense [for him to get back together with Lucia].

Morgan has all these other possibilities and distractions. I think that Adam does tend to be so into his work that other aspects of his life kind of fall to the wayside, or they end up dying for lack of water. He just can't pay attention to anything else. He brings his work home with him. Imagine being in a relationship with a major crimes detective who's literally bringing case files home and staying up till three o'clock in the morning, and he's got to be at work at seven. [If you're his partner, you're] like, "Babe, can we cuddle? Want to watch a movie? Hey, what's up?" [Laughs.] He is definitely a workaholic.

I think Adam does have a desire — there's something that he wants filled that is more emotional and less professional, and I think it's probably below the threshold of his consciousness. I don't really think he even understands that, so I can't really explain it to you either.

High Potential returns on March 3. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.