Kaitlin Olson in a scene from “High Potential.” ABC photo

Actor Kaitlin Olson has appeared for 13 seasons on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and two seasons on “Hacks.” She now gets to show her gifts for comedy and drama all in one new show.

This gives us the chance to watch Kaitlin in Drew Goddard’s “High Potential,” a slightly wacky — sometimes serious — police drama with limited possibilities, but saved by Olson’s knack for blending natural comic timing with pockets of hidden tears.

Olson gives us Morgan Gillory, a struggling, cute, sort-of-young mom working part time as a cleaning lady deep in the Los Angeles police department homicide office.

In an opening segment set late at night, she dances around to hidden music, knocks over important crime scene photos and stops to ponder them.

In the next day’s scenes, the stunned detectives (the very good Judy Reyes as Selena and Daniel Sunjata as Adam Karadec) who have been assigned to the case discover that someone took a red pen to their murder board and boldly changed one of their conclusions.

She’s soon found out.

“You guys made mistakes,” she whispers guiltily.

It’s here we have to just take a breath and enjoy parts of another series that is flawed but somehow enjoyable enough to get us weary viewers through the plethora of the New Year’s really terrible shows.

Of course we do discover that our Morgan has an exceptional mind (IQ 160), capable of providing answers to questions that stump L.A. cops even in real L.A. precincts.

When the smart cops discover her “talents,” she is brought on as a consultant. Sunjata we know is a Tony Award nominated actor (“Take Me Out”) and played famous writer Langston Hughes in 2004 feature “Brother to Brother.” Reyes became well known for playing Carla Espinosa on the NBC/ABC medical comedy series “Scrubs” (2001-09). So we’re in good hands.

Together they take us along to the next chapter where we’ll be happier.

I won’t give away the ending to this segment, but will say the “kids” (Amirah J. as rebellious teenage daughter Ava and Matthew Lamb as Elliot, who shares his Mother’s special skills) are lovable. Ava’s father Roman disappeared 15 years ago. We suspect he will pop up before this show ends. “Roman” is too good a name not to come back. I hope it’s Michael Richards.

“High Potential” is streaming on Hulu, and new episodes will air on ABC starting Jan. 3, streaming on Hulu the next day.

J.P. Devine of Waterville is a former stage and screen actor.