Found (TV Series)

''Found'' is an American procedural drama television series created by Nkechi Okoro Carroll that premiered on NBC on October 3, 2023. The series stars Shanola Hampton, who also serves as a producer. The series is produced by Berlanti Productions and Rock My Soul Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television. In November 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Gabrielle "Gabi" Mosley, a recovery specialist, and her crisis management team work to find missing people who they believe are overlooked by the system. Her team of experts consists of those who have either been kidnapped themselves or have a loved one that has been kidnapped. A kidnapping victim herself as a teenage girl, Gabi secretly kidnapped the man who abducted her, Hugh "Sir" Evans, and has been keeping him locked up in her basement for seven months. Gabi uses Sir's knowledge as a kidnapper and criminal to help her solve cases.

Cast

Main

* Shanola Hampton as Gabrielle "Gabi" Mosely, a former kidnapping victim who manages a crisis management firm named Mosley & Associates that specializes in finding people who have been abducted. She secretly relies on the insights of her abductor, Sir, to get into the minds of kidnappers and understand their patterns. She was Sir's prisoner for one year and eight days before she escaped with Lacey.
* Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Hugh "Sir" Evans, a criminal and highly intelligent manipulator who kidnapped Gabi as a young girl and tried to force her to live as his "daughter". He disappeared after Gabi and Lacey's escape, and it is confirmed that he had at least other victim, whom he threatened to have committed a second time if she alerted the authorities about him and Gabi. He was then kidnapped himself by the now adult Gabi, and is held captive in a cell beneath Gabi's house, used as a resource by Gabi in aiding her investigative efforts. Prior to this, it was revealed that he was stalking Gabi for 20 years after her escape while also searching for Lacey.
* Kelli Williams as Margaret Reed, Gabi's lead investigator. She has excellent deductive reasoning like Sherlock Holmes. Her son Jamie was abducted from a bus station 13 years before, and she spends most nights at the bus station trying to find her son or evidence of his abduction. She has two other daughters and lost custody 10 years ago, when she could not stop looking for Jamie.
* Brett Dalton as Mark Trent, a Missing Persons detective and Gabi's police liaison. He and Gabi also had a brief romantic relationship before he was her liaison.
* Gabrielle Walsh as Lacey Quinn, a law school student who works at Gabi's firm, providing legal assistance. She and Gabi were both kidnapped by Sir when they were kids and share a close sisterly bond. Sir abducted Lacey (Bella) to provide Gabi with a companion days before they escaped from Sir.
* Arlen Escarpeta as Zeke Wallace, a tech expert whose own past experience of being abducted as a child has given him a debilitating case of agoraphobia. He provides Gabi with surveillance and hacking techniques. He is close to his blue blooded family even though his condition makes it impossible for him to leave his house.
* Karan Oberoi as Dhan Rana, a kidnapping victim who now acts as the association's security expert and enforcer when needed. He lives with his husband, who is a mental health professional. He was held captive for three years prior to joining the team. He is described by Lacey as an emotionally distant GI Joe.

Episodes

Production

Development

On August 23, 2019, It was announced that ABC had given a pilot commitment on ''Found'', a drama from Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions. In January 2022, it was announced that NBC had given a pilot order with the production company Rock My Soul Productions. Later in April 2022, it was announced that DeMane Davis would direct the pilot. On July 20, 2022, it was announced that NBC officially ordered the series. Greg Berlanti serves as an executive producer. On November 29, 2023, NBC renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

On March 2, 2022, it was announced that Shanola Hampton would be starring in the pilot in the role of Gabi Mosely. On April 29, 2022, it was announced Mark-Paul Gosselaar had joined the cast as Sir. On May 18, 2022, Kelli Williams joined the cast. On July 20, 2022, alongside the series order, it was announced that Arlen Escarpeta, Brett Dalton, Gabrielle Walsh and Karan Oberoi were all cast.

Filming

After the show was ordered to series, the rest of the first season began shooting in October 2022 and wrapped in March 2023. The first season of the series was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, and consists of 13 episodes.

Music

On September 13, 2023, it was announced that Sherri Chung would compose the show's score.

Release

The series premiered on NBC on October 3, 2023. It was originally set to premiere as a midseason replacement on February 19, 2023. The series is available on the streaming service Peacock the day after it airs on NBC. The series airs on Citytv in Canada, the same day as it is simulcast in the United States. The pilot episode of ''Found'' then premiered on October 7, 2023 on USA Network.

Prior to its October debut, the series was first screened on June 17, 2023, at the American Black Film Festival. The pilot episode had its world premiere on September 23, 2023, at the Boston Film Festival.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 70% approval rating with an average rating of 7/10, based on 10 critic reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Anchored by a very watchable Shanola Hampton, ''Found'' is an uneasy marriage of procedural and serialized storytelling that's slick enough to get lost in." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 49 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Ratings

As of October 11, 2023, the series premiere of ''Found'' was watched by 10.5 million viewers across all platforms and earned a 1.9 rating in the adults 18–49 key demographic. Within six days of release, ''Found'' became NBC's most successful series launch on Peacock.

References

External links

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{{NBCNetwork Shows (current and upcoming)

2020s American crime drama television series
2020s American mystery television series
2020s American police procedural television series
2023 American television series debuts
English-language television shows
NBC original programming
Television series about missing people
Television series by Universal Television
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television shows filmed in Atlanta
Television shows set in Washington, D.C.