Steve Howey‘s exit from High Potential might be shocking for some — but others already know how booked and busy he is.
Howey became a household name for his role as Van in the hit sitcom Reba. After that, he had a consistent presence on Shameless as Kevin before ultimately being cast as Wagner on season 2 of ABC’s High Potential.
“Nick comes in and does ruffle some feathers. But his motives and his intentions are not to do that. He wants to help, and we start seeing that in different episodes,” Howey exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2025 about his arc. “That was my fear and my concern.”
He continued: “When you have such a lightning in the bottle strong dynamic of these characters, throwing in another character can potentially throw that off. I’m still working on not doing that. This is going to evolve into something really cool.”
Most Shocking TV Exits of 2026: From ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to ‘Virgin River’
Howey was thrilled at the chance to join one of his favorite shows.
“The first season was amazing. It is not your usual procedural. I love the insert shots and I love their style. But I have friends in real life that are police officers and are part of the sheriff’s department. So I talked to them and they definitely made fun of me because that’s what they do,” he told Us. “I’m taking my own leeway a little bit about who this guy is and that comes from the writers about who his family is and how they were in law enforcement and now in politics. So he has something to prove to the department and to himself. So it’s fun to work on it and see what comes out of it.”
Wagner was seemingly killed off in the season 2 finale following a divisive run on the show. While Deadline confirmed that the April 2026 episode marked the last time Howey would appear as a series regular after he signed a one-year deal, it wasn’t much of a surprise. Multiple casting alerts previously revealed that Howey had secured roles in other TV shows such as Ransom Canyon, Off Campus and more.
Keep scrolling for a guide to every new project Howey has coming up after his High Potential departure:
‘Ransom Canyon’
Season 2 of the hit Netflix series will introduce Steve Howey in a recurring guest star role as Staten’s (Josh Duhamel) half-brother, Levi. The character is described as “a mountain man of sorts who lives off the land.”
Shocking TV Exits Through the Years
‘Off Campus’
Prime Video has already renewed Off Campus for season 2 where Steve Howey makes appearances as Belmont Cameli‘s onscreen dad.
‘The Lincoln Lawyer’
Netflix is adapting the seventh book in Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer series, Resurrection Walk, for season 5. Not much is known about Steve Howey’s role yet beyond him being cast as a character named Brian Cunningham.
