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Found: Gosselaar "Wanted to Quit" Hollywood After "Pitch" Cancellation

Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Found, Saved by the Bell) discussed how close he was to quitting Hollywood after FOX canceled his baseball series Pitch.


Mark-Paul Gosselaar, set to star in NBC's upcoming drama Found, has been a television veteran for nearly four decades, making the occasional film appearance. Best known for his starring role as Zack Morris on the NBC Saturday Morning series Saved by the Bell and, recently reprising his role on the Peacock Legacy sequel of the same name. Unfortunately, that almost wasn't the case as the actor almost quit Hollywood following Fox's 2017 cancellation of his dramatic baseball series Pitch, which focuses on pitcher Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury), the first female player called up at the Major League Baseball level for the San Diego Padres. Gosselaar played catcher Mike Lawson. The actor appeared in 90s Con in Tampa, Florida (via People) to speak about the experience.

Pitch: Gosselaar
Mark-Paul Gosselaar in "Pitch." Image courtesy of 20th Century Television

Gosselaar admitted going method and "gained a lot of weight and muscle" for "one of his favorites," which is saying a lot, considering his long career with runs of the most successful TV shows post-SBTB like Franklin & Bash, The Passage, Mixed-ish, and NYPD Blue. "I wanted to quit the industry after that ended," he confessed. "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, it was sort of a gut punch. That's a role, though, that I don't make light of it, but I had to go therapy with my wife [Catrionna McGinn]."

Pitch: Gosselaar
Kylie Bunbury and Mark-Paul Gosselaar in "Pitch." Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios

It turned out he lost too much of himself in Mike – even while at home. "I'd come in through that front door and like my wife said in therapy sessions, 'That's not the guy I married,' " Gosselaar said. "And you're playing this guy, and then the next day, you have to jump right into that. It is actually really difficult to go back and forth, especially when you have kids." Created by Dan Fogelman and Rick Singer, the series lasted 10 episodes and also starred Mark Consuelos, Mo McRae, Meagan Holder, Tim Jo, Dan Lauria, and Ali Laters. For more on Gosselaar talking about his family, Mixed-ish, and more, you can check out the piece here.


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Tom ChangAbout Tom Chang

I'm a follower of pop culture from gaming, comics, sci-fi, fantasy, film, and TV for over 30 years. I grew up reading magazines like Starlog, Mad, and Fangoria. As a writer for over 10 years, Star Wars was the first sci-fi franchise I fell in love with. I'm a nerd-of-all-trades.
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