‘Found’ Star Mark-Paul Gosselaar Talks ‘Biggest Hurdle’ of Directing (Exclusive)

Thursday’s new episode of Found is directed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and the actor spoke to PopCulture.com about what the experience was like.

Gosselaar is no stranger to directing, having previously directed episodes of Franklin & Bash, Murder in the First, and the Saved by the Bell reboot on Peacock.

However, he says that Found is a “really ambitious show to direct,” as compared to the other ones. “We have a lot to tell in 44 minutes of screen time, and that was probably the biggest hurdle was trying to get everything that’s on the page, and you don’t wanna leave anything off of the screen,” Gosselaar continued. “I think we did a really good job of doing that. The crew is phenomenal. The actors are amazing. Shanola [Hampton], of course, is great. I mean, do we need to say that? But it was a great experience. I’m hoping to do it again next season.”

Found has yet been renewed for a third season and is one of many NBC shows in danger of cancellation, but it sounds like Gosselaar is already making some plans for a potential Season 3. And he’s not the only one. Shanola Hampton, who did a joint interview with Gosselaar, expressed interest in directing again after directing an episode of Shameless in 2021.

“Shameless was such a nurturing environment,” the actress said. “I have my mentor there, John Wells, and directing is actually my first love. I mean, most people don’t know that, but I get such a high from it. And I’m fired. This is a very unique position with the amount of demand that’s on me as Gabi Mosely as number one on this show. And the answer to that is yes, given the right circumstances and still being able to serve the crew in a positive way, I absolutely would love to direct an episode of our very ambitious show.”

As for what fans can expect from Gosselaar’s episode of Found, airing Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on NBC, in “Missing While Manipulated,” an emotional father “takes drastic measures to find his missing son, causing Gabi to be caught in his crosshairs. M&A races against the clock to uncover the truth. Margaret makes a shocking revelation about Sir’s accomplice.”