What’s Next for Gabi and the Team? Showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll Teases ‘Found’ Season 2’s Dark Twists

Nkechi Okoro Carroll

Nkechi Okoro Carroll is the visionary mind behind Found, a series that seamlessly weaves high-stakes drama with poignant explorations of the human condition. As showrunner, she has shaped a narrative that not only grips audiences with its intricate twists but also delves deeply into themes of trauma, resilience, and redemption.

In the United States, over 600,000 people are reported missing each year, with more than half of them being people of color who are often overlooked. Gabi Mosely, played by series star and producer Shanola Hampton, is determined to change that narrative. Drawing from her own harrowing past as one of the forgotten, she leads a dedicated crisis management team that ensures every missing person has someone fighting for them. However, Gabi harbors a dark and dangerous secret: in her grief, she captured and imprisoned her childhood abductor, Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar). Now that Sir has escaped, Gabi’s most carefully guarded secret threatens to unravel everything she has built.

Pop Culturalist spoke with Nkechi to discuss what’s ahead for Gabi and the team, her collaboration with this extraordinary cast and creative team, and more.

PC: The writing on Found is incredible, and then you have this ensemble that takes the material to another level. As you’ve headed into Season 2, were there specific aspects of these characters that you were most excited to further delve into, given the performances and interpretations by the cast?
Nkechi: I don’t have words for this cast. After we shot the pilot and I truly understood what we had in this ensemble, I thought, “How lucky are we? This is amazing.” As a writer, that’s your dream—it means you can truly honor the vision for the project because there’s no hesitation about whether someone will be able to pull off a scene or if the chemistry will work. They’re all so brilliantly talented that they take the best of what we’ve written and elevate it to another level.

From the very beginning, I always knew the order in which I wanted to explore the story. I understood the closeness of the different pairings of characters. Then the actors elevated that. It was all in the script, but what really took it to the next level was the incredible chemistry between Sir and Gabi. Mark-Paul [Gosselaar] and Shanola [Hampton] are phenomenal on and off the set. I’m having so much fun with the cat-and-mouse dynamic and what they bring to these characters. It was always going to be this cat-and-mouse journey, but I may have leaned into it even more because they’re just fantastic.

PC: It’s crazy to me that people are shipping them. [laughs]
Nkechi: I know. I’m always like, “People, can we raise our bar for what we’re looking for in a man? I mean, I know he’s attentive, but he’s still a serial kidnapper and stalks people.” [laughs]

PC: Throughout Season 2, we learn that in Sir’s twisted mind, he believes the only path to being with Gabi is if her team heals from their trauma and no longer needs her. How does that warped rationale influence not only his dynamic with Gabi but also the rest of the team, specifically Margaret, whose pain is so deeply tied to finding answers?
Nkechi: That’s the thing with Sir—he’s so smart. At first, it was all about force. He took Gabi and thought, “I need to get rid of all the people around her.” But then he realized that would never work for Gabi. If he hurts any of them, it’s only going to make her rage even more epic. So his twisted logic became, “I’ll heal them.” This is where his distorted mind kicks in—he truly believes they have such a deep connection that she’ll eventually see him the way he wants her to. He thinks she’ll be so overjoyed that her team doesn’t need her anymore that it will free her up to choose him. God bless him. [laughs] That’s how his mind works.

Not to defend Sir, but they do have a complicated connection, and those ties aren’t easy to break. Over the back half of the season, we’ll see Gabi needing help to address the fact that this cat-and-mouse game has gone on for over twenty years. She’s lived with him looking over her shoulder for that long, and on top of that, there’s the grief surrounding her dad, which led her to do the unthinkable. None of this gets neatly packed away.

The secret is out—even though the people closest to her at M&A know, and Trent knows, it doesn’t mean everything is healed or easily resolved. We’re going to see her struggle to explain why she still feels this connection to Sir. As much as it’s fueled by anger and rage, there’s still something there she can’t let go of, and she’ll need help coming to terms with that.

I’m excited for fans to see how she explores that part because the true key to Gabi’s healing is her willingness to pull back the curtains on all of it and be truly honest—with herself and everyone else—about why she feels she needs him for cases and why this connection persists. From that perspective, you can understand why Sir keeps twisting it in his mind. He’s like, “There’s a pathway to this. There’s always a pathway to this.” And he’s going to keep looking for it.

PC: That’s a great teaser. This show is so grounded in truth, which makes it so compelling to watch. Through these characters, we see how the hardest person to forgive is often ourselves, and for Gabi, it’s led her down this dark path. What can you tell us about what her turning point might be in her journey toward self-forgiveness? Will there even be a turning point? Because with this show, nothing feels guaranteed, and everything has to be earned.
Nkechi: There is going to be a turning point, but as with everything on this show—and one of the things we’re most proud of—it’s realistic and honest about the fact that healing is a journey. There is a turning point for Gabi, but it’s just one moment on her long path toward healing.

Part of that stems from the journeys of the other members of the team. Up until now, they’ve all credited Gabi with saving their lives—whether literally, emotionally, or mentally. That’s why their loyalty to her runs so deep, and why her betrayal cut so deeply when they discovered she’d been lying to them about Sir. We’ll see their healing journeys play out, and one of the most significant arcs in the back half is Margaret’s.

We’re really diving into what is arguably the most important case for M&A: Jamie. Margaret has this desperate need to finally solve it—to figure out who took him and why. This storyline unfolds both in the present day and through flashbacks, becoming such a centerpiece of the season. Margaret’s journey leads to a major epiphany for her, and it ends up being an eye-opener and an inspiration for Gabi on her own path to self-forgiveness.

It all ties together in a beautiful way. We’re going to see Gabi make huge strides on her journey and face one of the hardest moments in that process. Her growth is deeply connected to the cases they’re working on and the big storylines involving the people she loves most—the team at M&A.

PC: Those flashbacks are so impactful. You’ve talked in the past about how the writers have often had personal connections to the episodes they were involved in. I feel like because of those connections, it makes the material that much stronger. Did that translate to the upcoming episodes that Kelli [Williams] and Mark-Paul are going to direct?
Nkechi: Absolutely, 100%. That’s the beauty of having such talented directors who are also my actors—they know their characters so intimately. Now, as directors, they’re also part of the bigger vision of what’s coming up and what we need to achieve in those episodes. Having them on the inside, able to process both as their characters and as directors, elevated everything.

They both directed incredible episodes that were already deeply personal and heartfelt for the writing staff and for me. Then they added their own layers of personalization, both as directors and as the characters they play. My editors constantly tease me because I’m lying on their couches weeping all the time.

PC: I also cry every episode. Speaking of elevating the material, there have been so many impactful moments throughout the series that have been enriched by the music department and their ability to find the right song for the right moment—often featuring undiscovered artists, which feels so serendipitous to the show. Can you talk a bit about that collaboration?
Nkechi: All hail the queen, Madonna Wade-Reed, our music supervisor. That’s her gift—finding incredibly talented, often lesser-known artists. She meticulously breaks down every scene and presents a smorgasbord of song options. Between Madonna, myself, and the episode editor, we carefully comb through to find the perfect song and song edit to enhance the emotion of the scene. It’s one of my favorite collaborations because I always get excited when Madonna says, “Listen to this. I found this. Hear me out on this idea.” It’s so much fun, especially because music plays such a huge role in the show.

The same goes for our composers—these badass women. I do my sessions with Sherri Chung on Saturday mornings because we can’t fit it all in during the week. I always say, “If I’m giving up time with my kids, it’s because I love this session.” The music composition, the whispers, the haunting elements that Sherri creates, and the way she incorporates them into the score with the various instrumentals—it’s all incredibly intentional. It aligns perfectly with the types of songs we use.

There are even specific themes that are consistent for Sir. Watching it all come together is such a rewarding process. I’m so glad that you picked up on it and that it resonated with you.

Found returns on January 16th at 10 PM ET/PT on NBC.

Photo Credit: JSquared Photography/NBCUniversal

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Kevin

Kevin is a writer living in New York City. He is an enthusiast with an extensive movie collection, who enjoys attending numerous conventions throughout the year. Say hi on Twitter and Instagram!

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