Shanola Hampton‘s role in NBC’s upcoming series Found is unlike anything fans have seen from her before.
“Found is about a woman who was abducted and whose life mission is to help other forgotten ones like her,” Hampton, 46, explains in Us Weekly‘s exclusive behind-the-scenes clip of the drama series, which is set to premiere on Tuesday, October 3.
The actress, who portrays recovery specialist Gabi Mosely, praises the show’s vision. “Gabi is the glue that holds this entire thing together and she has taken in this group of people,” Hampton says. “We’re not police officers. It’s a PR firm. We are vigilantes and we go looking for people who are underrepresented.”
Found follows Gabi and her team, who stop at nothing to find missing people due to their own past experiences. Gabi’s passion for her work stems from her personal trauma of being abducted as a child by Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar).
“Gabi is fierce. She was a victim and now she is victorious. I wanted to be able to put my stamp on this, not only as an actor but as a producer,” Hampton continues in the sneak peek. “I have been waiting to do a story that is so socially significant. Now is the time for this show.”
The clip shows a glimpse of a major twist when it is revealed that Gabi is holding her past abductor hostage in a basement. Hampton notes that Found is not what some people may expect.
“A lot of people of color go without being found. In this show, we try to close that gap. You have to make it to the end,” she concludes. “It will be really worth it. Trust.”
Found was created by Nkechi Okoro Carroll. Along with Hampton and Gosselaar, the series stars Kelli Williams, Arlen Escarpeta, Brett Dalton and Gabrielle Walsh. Hampton, who also serves as a producer on the show, previously discussed how her character was shaped by her past.
“Her passion is to find others and to save them. It’s to keep them from feeling that pain that [she] felt,” she told NBC Insider in an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began in July. “And then it comes together. The universe lays out all of these people.”
The Shameless alum highlighted Gabi’s bond with Lacey (Walsh), adding, “Their history is that she was able to save Bella when Bella was a little girl and she was just a little girl herself. Then it became her mission to make sure that Bella [who now goes by Lacey] could go on and live life. And maybe even part of her wants her to forget that that ever happened, because life is so good now. But the Lacey character is still so wounded.”
Hampton also confirmed that Gabi’s secret about Sir’s whereabouts will play a large role in the first season.
“Even though Gabi is doing this horrible thing, at the end of the day, this is going to be her family.” she added. “So if there was anyone that’s ever going to know this big secret and this crazy thing that she did, it’s these people that she’s put together under the guise of healing.”
Found will air on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET and will be available the next day on Peacock.
