Mark-Paul Gosselaar Reveals What Show Cancellation Made Him Want to Quit Acting

Mark-Paul Gosselaar nearly quit acting after his Fox series Pitch was canceled. Via PEOPLE, during the Saved By the Bell reunion panel at ’90s Con Tampa over the weekend, Gosselaar admitted that his role on Pitch was one of his favorites. He also said he “gained a lot of weight and muscle” because of it. His character was a catcher for the San Diego Padres, who worked alongside the league’s first female character, played by Big Sky‘s Kylie Bunbury.

The drama, created by Dan Fogelman and Rick Singer, only lasted for one 10-episode season before getting the boot due to low ratings in 2016. The cancellation made Gosselaar wanting to “quit the industry” after the series ended. “That’s one of those, you feel like in your lifetime you’re not going to be handed opportunities like that, so for that to pass in the fashion that it did was sort of a gut punch,” the Found star shared. “That’s a role, though, that I don’t make light of it, but I had to go to therapy with my wife.”

Since Pitch filmed just a half hour from his home, he was able to see his wife and kids every day after filming wrapped, which is rare. A lot of shows film on location in a different city and sometimes in a different country. So the didn’t take it for granted and cherished every moment he had. He also got really into playing his character, the Padres’ captain and veteran catcher, so much so that he would sometimes bring the attitude home with him. It makes sense that the actor would feel this way for a number of reasons. If only Pitch lasted longer than it did.

While Mark-Paul Gosselaar hasn’t had too much luck with some of his recent TV roles, fans can look forward to his new series. He will be starring in the new NBC series Found, one of the few scripted originals airing on the network’s fall 2023 schedule. The series follows public relations specialist Gabi Mosely and her crisis management team looking out for the forgotten missing people. Only Gabi is hiding a chilling secret of her own. The series is set to premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

Hopefully, Found finds success because, just from the synopsis alone, it seems like it’s going to be a pretty good one. Plus, with not much on TV in the coming months, it’s the perfect way to bring in fans. Fans will just have to tune in on Oct. 3.