Knight Rider Rides Again on NBC
Michael Knight Resurrects KITT and Passes Torch to Son Mike Tracer
Knight Rider, the 80s TV show about a sleek talking car and an overrated driver with huge hair, personifying the cheesiest decade ever, makes a comeback on NBC.
Knight Rider, the iconic 80’s television show about a talking car named KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) and his partner without a past, Michael Knight, made a television comeback in the two hour movie event in February 2008 on NBC.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen David Hasselhoff in a television series. But after a stint on America’s Got Talent and a dreadful drunken video of him eating a burger off the floor, The Hoff is back to his dark roots, for a very brief cameo at least.
Meet the New Knight Rider: Mike Tracer
The new Knight Rider stars Justin Bruening (formerly Jamie Martin from All My Children) as Mike Tracer, a jaded, former Army Ranger who has acquired a huge debt since returning from a tour in Iraq.
When the life of Sarah Graiman (Deanna Russo) is threatened by the Black River Corporation, KITT, a creation of Sarah’s father, brings the pair together to track down the bad guys and stop them from cracking computer codes that would give them control of KITT as well as Military Artillery.
The new souped up KITT, played by a trio of 2008 Ford Mustangs, now voiced by Val Kilmer, has become cooler than the original car with a “supercomputer capable of hacking almost any system; its weapons systems efficient; and its body -- thanks to its creator's work and nanotechnology -- is capable of actually shifting shape and color” according to knightrider.com.
How Knight Rider Defined a Decade
What made this series so popular for four years (1982-1986) was the heavy cheese factor, lead by star Hasselhoff. Although it was a drama, the show didn’t take itself too seriously and appealed to a generation raised on Transformers.
The fight scenes were laughable and the dialogue completely ridiculous, no one ever got killed and everything wrapped up nicely after 50 minutes, tied together by a cheesy comment from KITT before driving off into the sunset.
Knight Rider, a show about a sleek talking car and an overrated driver with huge hair, played like an extended music video and personified the cheesiest decade ever.
The Future of Knight Rider
Should Knight Rider the movie have debuted during a regular television season, and not one plagued by the writer’s strike, it would have been a television show lost in the shuffle not an event. Though highly entertaining, especially for those who remember the original series, the new Knight Rider, like the new Bionic Woman, has a long road ahead of it before it becomes an established show on its own right and not a reminder of a greater show from years ago.
If Knight Rider does become a weekly series, it has the potential to dazzle audiences each week with stunts and effects unimaginable back in the 80’s (with hopefully a bigger budget).
With any luck it will develop into a highly watchable show for years to come and not a failed attempt of capturing an audience fixated on nostalgia.
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