Found: Mark-Paul Gosselar Used Ted Bundy as Inspiration

Found is a new NBC series that follows a team led by former kidnap victim Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton) as they try to find missing persons who fall through the cracks of the system. In the series, Gabi is secretly keeping the man who kidnapped her when she was younger hidden in her basement, and he helps her solve cases. The role of “Sir” is played by none other than Mark-Paul Gosselar, who is best known for playing Zack Morris in Saved by the Bell. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to chat with Gosselar, and we asked if he pulled any inspiration from Hannibal Lecter, another sinister character who would help solve crimes. 

“No, I was a huge fan of those movies. I mean, I still vividly remember Silence of the Lambs and you know, some of the actors in that,” Gosselar shared. “I thought it was a brilliant movie. Some people have asked you know, ‘Were you inspired by Dexter or Criminal Minds?’ There was another, Blacklist. But no, the only thing, cause I had asked our showrunner, Nkechi Okoro Carroll… I had asked her, I like to do research on roles that I’m playing. ‘Is there anything that I should be looking at? …  Did you have a muse for Sir that inspired you?’ And she said, ‘You know what, try to look at documentaries on Ted Bundy.’”

“And I thought, ‘Huh, that’s an interesting one,’” Gosselar continued. “She goes, ‘Because he was a charismatic guy. He was not your typical-looking serial killer.’ She said, ‘You’re not gonna do the things that he did, but the way that he was charismatic and the way he charmed and looked and was able to sort of not define the typical person that we think would do these horrendous things. That’s who you should sort of base a lot of things that Sir does.’” 

Found Gets Renewed For Season 2:

NBC recently renewed Found for a second season. Before the renewal was officially announced, ComicBook.com spoke with Found star Brett Dalton, who plays Mark Trent, a cop who often toes the line in order to help Gabi with her cases. During the interview, Dalton revealed what he hopes to see in Season 2. 

“That is a good question. And unfortunately, the creators don’t ask me my opinion on any of this, but I would love to do 22,” Dalton shared when asked about a possible renewal. “I think that it deserves 22 and it can hold up to 22. I agree with you that everything is changing right now. And so even to have 13, we feel very lucky,” he added. 

“Whatever they take me back for, I will do. But of course, I would love a full season, and you are right. And actually speaking to your point too, I feel like even though this is a procedural and it is on network television, I do think that this is not just a garden variety procedural where we solve some random case. I do think that this is stepping up with the network television game and trying to bring something relevant, and it’s not shying away from a very sensitive topic. And it’s doing something, it’s a procedural with purpose.”

“Yeah, very much so,” Dalton replied when asked if he has hopes for Mark’s development. “I mean, we’re not going to know everything in the first season. I do think that there’s a lot in season two that will be explored with Mark. I can’t say too much, but he has a different backstory than everyone else. Everyone else on that team is a kidnap survivor, and so their trauma has bonded them and they’re all pulling in the same direction. They all have intimate knowledge of what it’s like to be on both sides really. Not on both sides, but kidnapped and then also the one solving the case.”

“But yeah, I think that it’s going to be really interesting to see where this goes. Clearly, Trent is drawn to Gabi, and he relates his best, but she has gone through experiences that he can only imagine. And I think that he views himself as a protector and a safe harbor in these wild seas. And he’s there with his arms open as a very patient person who really just wants the best for Gabi and her team,” Dalton continued.  “But I think that we will see, because there is a big secret that she has hiding in her basement, and it’s not just sitting there patiently reading.” 

Found‘s next episode airs on NBC on December 12th. In the meantime, you can catch up on the series on Peacock.