Warning: Major spoilers for Found
Summary
Found, NBC’s latest crime drama, reveals its biggest twist in the trailer, and the showrunner explains the reasoning behind it. At a time when few broadcast networks are debuting new scripted shows, impacted by the strikes that began in May, NBC has the advantage of premiering a few new returning hits, like Quantum Leap season 2, and freshman series. Found, led by Shanola Hampton (Shameless) and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved by the Bell) belongs in the latter category, focusing on a recovery specialist. But those who have seen the show’s trailers are already familiar with its big twist.
In an interview with Variety following the Found premiere episode, showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll explains why the NBC drama spoiled the twist of Gabi (Hampton) kidnapping her kidnapper, Sir (Gosselaar). The twist is revealed in both the official trailers and the official synopsis. Carroll, who is also an executive producer on The CW’s All American, says she isn’t sure the decision to spoil the twist is the best move. But in the quote below, Carroll explains some of the marketing rationale that went into spoiling the twist:
“They just felt it made such an impactful difference in terms of setting the show apart from anything else that has been on the air, in terms of a missing person show, and giving the audience a taste of what the whole series really is. It’s not just the heartfelt cases. I still don’t know if we made the right call revealing it or not, but I do know that they’ve done an exceptional job in the marketing so I’m running with it.”
“[What] happens when the healing doesn’t quite go right. How far is too far to save a life? Where is the line — or what happens when you don’t feel you have a line? It is also a show that does tackle all of those things.”
What To Know About The NBC Series Found
The decision to reveal the twist of Found can be tracked through its summaries. NBC initially pitched the drama as focusing on the missing people of color who are often neglected by the system. A more detailed summary highlights Gabi Mosely and her history with Sir – Mosely’s a former missing person herself. She now specializes in PR, leading a crisis management team that seeks out missing persons.
Gabi has a dark secret of her own that nobody knows. She was kidnapped in the past, and she’s managed to track down the man responsible. Now she’s turned the tables on him. Sir, as he’s known, is trapped in her basement. He’s held captive and forced to help Gabi solve kidnapping cases. The series, which also stars Kelli Williams (The Practice), Brett Dalton (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Gabrielle Walsh (9-1-1), Arlen Escarpeta (The Magicians), and Counterpart’s Karan Oberoi, sets up an intriguing dynamic between the characters.
For those worrying that Found will ultimately redeem Sir and position him as an unlikely hero, Carroll offers assurance that it won’t be so simple. In the same interview with Variety, the showrunner says in part: “It’s nice and juicy and complicated, but from my perspective, there is no redeeming the Jeffrey Dahmers of the world, and that would also apply to Sir.” It will be interesting to see, going forward, how the new drama maintains that balance.
Source: Variety
