Feminista Is Watching This So You Don't Have To: Found

By Michelle B. Taylor

In the summer of 2020, my friends and I launched a podcast called Black Girl Missing, a show covering cases of Black girls ages 0-17 who had gone missing and were either returned, discovered deceased, or never seen by family and friends again.

The year prior, I had become a diehard true crime podcast fan and listened to many shows hosted by white people. While I enjoyed the stories of cult leaders and serial killers, I often felt like the stories of missing Black girls and women were scarce or, whenever they were covered, would lack a certain cultural consciousness that I believed was necessary to tell the whole story.

So, I went to my friends—both of whom had experience in social services, mental health services, and being Black girls and women—and asked them if they’d like to join me in producing a show about Black girls who have gone missing. They agreed and, after doing a lot of research and connecting with a producer in DC, we launched the show. Since then, we’ve produced three seasons, done tons of interviews, guest appearances, and conferences, and consulted on a few projects—even appearing in a documentary.

So just imagine my excitement when NBC announced a new show all about finding missing people and featuring a Black female lead! Found stars Shanola Hampton, (known primarily for her work on Shameless), who leads a stellar cast that includes one of the hardest working men in show business, Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved By The Bell, Mixed-ish). I’ve been hooked since day one! There is so much to love about this show and I promise, you need to be watching this one.

The premise is a wild ride. Hampton plays Gabi Mosley, a private investigator who was abducted as a teenager by her English teacher, “Sir” (Gosselaar). Fast forward to adulthood and Gabi decides to start a search firm comprised of others who were either abducted or have had loved ones go missing. Each team member brings different skills. Margaret Reed (played by the phenomenal Kelli Williams) is keen on details others don’t notice; Zeke Wallace (played by Arlen Escarpeta, who eats up the screen every time he appears) is agoraphobic but uses his tech skills to help the team track and locate people. Together, they take on a new case in each episode and, quite often, they’re looking for people who wouldn’t normally get the attention they deserve: drug users, sex workers, the elderly, Black women and girls. In short, they find the missing people most folks don’t think much about.

Oh, then there’s this: Gabi just so happens to keep Sir locked up in her basement. Skrrrt! You read that right. She finds him and, with the help of one of her team members, kidnaps him and holds him captive without anyone else knowing. That’s only the beginning of the drama. One of the team members, Lacey Quinn (played by Gabrielle Walsh) was also kidnapped by Sir to provide Gabi with a friend while he held them both in captivity. Gabi maintains this secret because there is a wildly toxic connection between her and Sir and I kinda hate how so many people are romanticizing this relationship.

Sir was a fully grown man when he kidnapped Gabi, his student, which makes him a predator. He held her captive for an entire year. And while he didn’t physically assault her, he emotionally manipulated her and nearly broke her spirit while skewing her connection to reality. To suggest that they have some romantic bond is pretty twisted when you think about it, and I wish some armchair critics would just stop.

At 47 years old, Shanola Hampton represents what I’ve noticed is a growing interest in featuring women of Gen X in lead roles. This may not seem like a big deal to many, but as a woman of Gen X, a Black woman at that, I am so tired of people acting like Gen X doesn’t exist! Ageism is rampant in Hollywood, and it’s about time people recognize that you don’t have to be a young starlet or a refined elder to be worthy of screen time. Hampton represents so many women from the generation that remembers the golden days of analog life but also kicks ass in the digital age because we made it what it is. Her confidence, fierceness, and stunning beauty are so captivating. Shanola is ACTING acting.

I also appreciate the diversity of the cast and that each character has a unique backstory that brings them to this moment and this team. The show focuses on important issues, like the disregard of sex workers or how money buys, well, nearly everything, and highlights how we can be better as a society if we value everyone as human beings regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc. It’s also a great commentary on how complex humans are and how even with the best intentions, we can all fall short sometimes.

You still have time to catch up on this show and support its necessary messaging. Stream S1 on Peacock and catch S2 each week on NBC and Peacock.