Found - TV Series Review

In the United States, there are more than 600,000 reported missing people each year. Gabi Mosely and her crisis management team, facing Shanola Hampton, use unconventional methods to find those people missing from the media landscape. It travels down personal and professional paths, investigating the neglected and foregrounding the plight of the hidden people and carries a deeper, darker secret as well.

It blends the mystery and drama with the dark truth about the hidden people. A plot of interwoven storylines with heavy themes of justice and truth prevail. It’s tangible empathy for the forgotten, but there’s also a dangerously undercurrent that tests what it means to be a hero and an especially morally flexible actor.| Shanola Hampton stars as Gabi Mosely and gives a performance that cracks with intensity and vulnerability. Her character requires us to be both empathetic and intrigued. Supporting the performance of Williams and Dalton is the supporting cast, consisting of Kelli Williams and Brett Dalton, who each imbues their characters in compelling and integral roles within the overarching plot, and along with Found directors Nikhil Paniz, Keesha Sharp and Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, they know the balance of the narrative has to be equalled out with emotional depth. The direction is visionary, and everything flows together in a package, seamlessly mixing personal stories with broader societal narratives.

And the soundtrack also plays to the series’ tension and emotional beats. As with every good series that celebrates its fitting of film, itʼs a perfectly subtle and poignant touch that enhances the mood without distracting from the weightiness of the narrative.

As with most great series that fit the bill for film, the cinematography is both grand when showing the vast urban landscapes and intimate as needed, and captures the seriesʼ duality well. Visually, it’s engaging with the muted tones and sharp contrasts that help create the thematics of the character’s hiding and revealing.

In the production design, you’ve got the sets which mirror the characters’ pre and post personal and professional lives, and the props which anchor the series in the crime drama world. The play of everyday props and lighting and in the dialog are a telling indicator of the level of work being put into the visuals: it all comes together to create a becoming a believable, immersive world.

Special effects don’t stand out in Found, but the prismsICAL application of the trivst effects and attention to detail in the way it portrays missing person cases with precision pays off for it’s authenticity which helps earn this series its authenticity The cuts between personal drama and bigger mystery all blend together seamlessly, keeping the audience engaged and emotionally invested and never losing track of narrative threads.

The pacing is swift but thoughtfulness. Show, besides intense moments of pursuit and revelation, has quieter, more compassionate ones, which help bring the story to life -- and depth to it.

Dialogue in Found is sharp and purposeful, it drives the narrative and the development of characters. It plots such complex points without slipping into melodrama and delivering moments of profound insight and emotional resonance.

The series does much to employ complex art, emotional heft and provable narrative arcs, but it can be a slog — particularly in episodes replete with exposition. Character development does get chalked up a little, too often allowing cliff edge drama to overpower it and cause some arcs to go about unexplored.

Found is often relegated to the side of ignored stories within mainstream narratives, with a crime drama not only that but lifting itself into new terrain with a focus. It’s a hard sell — a timely theme, gripping performances, and strong narrative architecture are all there, but it’s one that stays with you long after the screen goes dark. If you need a hefty dose of drama with depth, thick with a timely societal message, this series is a must see.