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Knight Rider (1982 TV series)

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For the American media company, see Knight Ridder.
Knight Rider
File:Knightlogo.jpg
Knight Rider logo
Created byGlen A. Larson
StarringDavid Hasselhoff
voice of KITT: William Daniels (uncredited)
Edward Mulhare
Patricia McPherson
(Season 1, 3-4)
Rebecca Holden
(Season 2 only)
Peter Parros
(Season 4 only)
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes90 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time45 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 26, 1982 –
August 8, 1986

Knight Rider was a popular American television series that ran between September 26, 1982, and August 8, 1986.

The series was broadcast on NBC and starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a kind of modern-day "knight" who drove an advanced smart car with artificial intelligence. Conceived and produced by Glen A. Larson, the show was an instant hit and inspired a sub-genre of high-tech crimefighter series. "I want[ed] to do The Lone Ranger with a car," Larson said in The Last Great Ride. "Kind of a sci-fi thing, with the soul of a western."

Story

Michael Knight

File:Michael Knight and KITT.jpg
Michael Knight behind the wheel of KITT

In the pilot episode, police officer Michael Arthur Long (played by Larry Anderson) was betrayed and nearly killed by a gunshot wound to the head by an industrial espionage expert named Tanya Walker (Phyllis Davis). A metal plate in Long's skull, the result of a head injury sustained during the Vietnam War, deflected the round, which still inflicted serious facial damage.

Declared dead to the public, his medical care was taken over by the Foundation for Law And Government (FLAG). This part of the story is shown in the pilot, titled "Knight of the Phoenix". The symbolism in this title is related to Michael's car, a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, the likes of which usually featured a giant decal on the hood depicting the fire bird (the Phoenix). The phoenix traditionally is symbolic of rebirth, and the scene of Long collapsing on the hood foreshadows later events.

FLAG is a private crime-fighting arm of the Knight Foundation, an organization founded by a billionaire philanthropist Wilton Knight. In the context of the pilot, Wilton Knight (Richard Basehart) is dying of an undisclosed illness. Given a new face via facial reconstructive surgery, Long is resurrected as Michael Knight. Together with a high-tech automobile called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT), Michael Knight agrees to carry on Wilton Knight's crusade of aiding the powerless. He usually was given mission objectives by the new director of FLAG, Wilton Knight's longtime friend and confidant, Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare). Michael was selected for his high level of self-defense training, intelligence, law enforcement experience, and his ability and preference to work alone without assistance or back-up.

Michael Knight was a special type of hero, a modern knight who avoided violence whenever possible and generally refrained from using firearms. Although most of Knight's cases were based in Southern California where FLAG was headquartered, the operation was not confined there. He could travel to whatever part of the country where trouble arose; sometimes even crossing borders into Mexico. FLAG also had facilities in Las Vegas and Chicago. FLAG's legal jurisdiction, however, was within the boundaries of the United States. The organization also owned an 18-wheeler that served as a mobile office and also offered technical support for KITT.

Knight was played by actor David Hasselhoff, who also played a double role in the Season Two feature-length episodes Goliath and Goliath Returns, portraying not only Michael Knight but also Wilton's biological son Garthe Knight. At the time of Michael's surgery, Garthe was imprisoned in Africa. Believing that his son would never be seen again, Wilton had Michael's face modeled after Garthe's. In the pilot episode, both Devon Miles and Wilton stated that Michael actually resembled the face of Wilton himself as a young man. The novels written after the series aired described Michael's reconstructed face as based on images of both a young Wilton and Wilton's son. In any event, the Garthe storyline would not go beyond the second season, primarily due to Hasselhoff's request that the doppelgänger villain be ended, due to the time it took to be made up and film both the roles of Michael and Garthe. (In episode #47 of the two part "Knight of the Drones" it is revealed that prior to Michael Long/Knight that FLAG had a prospective "Knight" driver who was murdered).

KITT

KITT on display at Universal Studios
Main article: KITT

KITT, short for "Knight Industries Two Thousand", was for many the real star of the show. The car boasted artificial intelligence of sufficient level to reason, talk (the voice of William Daniels), and deliver sarcastic one-liners to Michael Knight as an equal. KITT could drive himself when Michael was otherwise engaged, keeping in contact via a wrist communicator or "comlink" (disguised as a Casio watch). KITT actually was considered two separate machines, the Knight 2000 vehicle, and the Knight 2000 microprocessor. According to series creator Glen A. Larson, as quoted from "Knight Rider Legacy", "The car is Knight 2000. KITT is the onboard computer. The car is one, and KITT is the nickname for the computer. I never considered the car was named KITT, just the character inside." The two entities were separated briefly throughout the series (refer to the episodes "Soul Survivor", "Junkyard Dog", and "Knight of the Juggernaut.")

KITT's Pontiac Trans Am chassis was reinforced with Wilton Knight's revolutionary Molecular Bonded Shell, which was resistant to most known weapons below heavy artillery. The vehicle's drivetrain consisted of a turbine engine, capable of accelerating to 300 mph; furthermore, the car featured numerous other special abilities, the most notable being a frequently used 'Turbo Boost' for jumping over obstacles. This is a stunt similar to that being used by the famous General Lee in The Dukes of Hazzard, where the car (assisted by the aid of ramps and/or air compression) leaps into the air, usually flying over hazardous obstacles. In fact, the same stunt coordinator, Jack Gill, was involved in both series. In Give Me Liberty... or Give Me Death, where an alternative-fuel race takes place, a race car bearing great resemblance to the General Lee is racing with KITT. Though the car is missing the trademark Confederate flag and number 01, it is the same color and sports the same wheels as the General Lee. As an aside, its fuel is moonshine, in comparison with KITT's liquid hydrogen. KITT also had many other varied uses - perhaps the most impressive of these was his ability to print money as seen in Episode Four of the second season. KITT was actually the second smart car developed by FLAG. The first, named KARR (Knight Automated Roving Robot), was built without the directive for the preservation of human life (see Three Laws of Robotics) that KITT possessed. KARR fell into the wrong hands and served as KITT's evil twin during two episodes, "Trust Doesn't Rust", and "K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R.". (See KARR article page for more details on KARR).

KITT was improved greatly in the show's final season. During a mission in Chicago ("Knight of the Juggernaut"), KITT's Molecular Bonded Shell was neutralized by a passing street cleaner. Unaware by KITT, this tanker sprays KITT with the formula that counter acts his shell. His body was severely damaged by an enemy battering ram. He was rebuilt in a miraculous 24 hours, with the help of Bonnie, RC3 (Peter Parros) and his streetwise mechanic friends.

Because they were not initially able to restore the car's Molecular Bonded Shell, they added a "Super Pursuit Mode", giving KITT a 40 percent increase in speed, in excess of 300 mph (483 km/h); made possible by retractable airfoils, and jet boosters. An "Emergency Braking System" was also installed to decelerate KITT from these high speeds using three large airflaps. (The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren actually uses some of this braking flap technology today). As a special "gift" to Michael, the street mechanics added a button marked 'C', which when pressed, brought KITT's top down and turn him into a convertible. The extra functions, designed by George Barris, cost $250,000 to create.

Several episodes saw new technical gadgets added to KITT's repertoire, which were usually subsequently used to rescue Michael and KITT from some perilous situation in the same episode. (See KITT's article page for more details on KITT and a list of his features). The car (actually, a set of them; but is told that the first one out of the line was sent directly to Universal) is a customization of a stock 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. This overwhelmed Pontiac/GM with requests for the "Knight 2000" version of the car (which did not exist). The major exterior difference from a stock Trans Am is the nose, which was redesigned in order to accommodate a cylon-like red scanner (it is notable that in most regions of the USA flashing/strobing red lights are reserved for emergency vehicles and are illegal for street use). In the pilot "Knight of the Phoenix", there are a few noticeable scenes where the nose is a mockup. The car itself still has a worldwide scene with passionate fans, and replicas are known to exist in an unusually high number, at various levels of fidelity.

When asked about KITT's whereabouts, David Hasselhoff indicates that, like Roy Rogers did to Trigger, KITT is now stuffed and mounted in Hasselhoff's living room. In actual fact, Hasselhoff commissioned his own version of the car which sold to a private collection (the Nelson Collection) in 1992. Today the original KITT can be seen at the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, Cumbria, England. The car is in a state of slight disrepair due likely to its age and can be found near an exhibition of the motorcycle from another '80s American TV series Street Hawk.

Supporting cast

File:Devon Miles.jpg
Devon Miles

Devon Miles

Michael and KITT answered directly to Devon Miles (played by Edward Mulhare). Devon played the dual role of friend and leader of the team. He appears in almost every episode, usually to give the background on an assignment or situation in the beginning, and to help conclude the plot lines at the end. His extremely proper, British upbringing (even though the actor was, in fact, Irish) plays a large role in his demeanor, in a similar fashion to Higgins in Magnum, P.I., though a definite social hierarchy exists in Knight Rider (a boss and his employee). Michael always treated Devon with respect and care as that of a father. There were times they disagreed, but always came to the same conclusion.

In some episodes, his handling of situations is aided by his way with words, and in others that same ability is used for comic relief; a foil to American culture. Devon was an experienced and resourceful man who had evaded the Gestapo during World War II, and defended the Foundation for Law and Government whenever it came under negative scrutiny. On more than one occasion, Devon's role as leader of FLAG put him in situations of extreme danger, from which he was always somehow saved or able to recover.

Bonnie Barstow

File:Patriciamcpherson.jpg
Patricia McPherson as Bonnie Barstow in Knight Rider

Bonnie Barstow (Patricia McPherson) served as KITT's chief mechanic. She acted like a female agent "Q" from James Bond; and was just as argumentative with the hero of the show, Michael Knight. She also served as romantic tension for Michael, as well as constructing new devices to aid KITT's performance in the field. Bonnie was chief mechanic in Seasons 1, 3 and 4.

In season 1 - episode 10 - 'Inside Out' - 08:25, Michaels asks rhetorically while in KITT, "I wonder if there's a real woman under those overalls, or just a robot?" KITT displays a schematic of Bonnie and answers, "Under the overalls she's 168 cm tall, 54 kilos in weight, 97 cm bust, other measurements: 61..."

April Curtis

Rebecca Holden as April Curtis in the Knight Rider episode Goliath

April Curtis (Rebecca Holden) replaced Bonnie's role in Season 2 (1983-1984).

Holden was brought in because Patricia McPherson was fired at the end of season one, and producer Robert Foster wanted to add (his own words) "glitz" to the series. April seemed to be more knowledgeable in medicine than Bonnie. She was KITT's technician. However, the relationship between Michael and April was different to Bonnie's relationship with Michael. Michael treated April with more respect and care as that of a sister. Michael and Bonnie's relationship had more sexual tension. April left the series without a trace as Patricia McPherson was re-hired for seasons 3 and 4.

RC3

Reginald Cornelius III (Peter Parros), or "RC3" for short, appears in Season 4. RC brought a different set of talents to FLAG, most notably his "street smarts" and ability to back Michael up in physical confrontations. He also seems to be the new driver of the Semi. His appearance meant that the enemies presented had to also become more organized and numerous. He saves Michael on more than one occasion, but also requires rescuing himself at times since he does not share Michael's high level of martial arts training. The character was added to bring a more multiethnic appearance to the show (though the series regularly featured Hispanics and other minorities in the Guest Cast) and to add storylines.

Michael and KITT generally had different enemies in each episode. No single type of criminal was the norm, as Michael clashed head on with mobile assassins, saboteurs, bio-terrorists, psychopaths, and even nuclear-powered military groups. The only continuing thread was that his adversaries operated "above the law"; that is to say, conventional law enforcement agencies were unable or unwilling to stop them. Most adversaries were permanently defeated or captured after one encounter, though a select few would later return to challenge the duo.

Perhaps most noted for repeat appearances was Michael's physical double Garthe Knight, an international criminal who happened to be Wilton Knight's natural son. Garthe piloted a huge, nearly indestructible truck named Goliath. Goliath also counts as a nemesis of a sort for KITT, since it shared the same Molecular Bonded Shell, although it had no artificial intelligence.

Other repeat enemies included KARR, an "evil" prototype of KITT, and Adrianne Margeaux, a highly educated and wealthy criminal who made appearances in two episodes (one of them a two-parter). In her second appearance, she teamed up with Garthe Knight and Goliath to attempt to defeat Michael Knight (the only occurrence that two previous villains team up).

It is notable that while Knight Rider portrayed a wide variety of situations and enemies, some actors and actresses were re-hired to play different roles later in the series. Both Ann Turkel (first as the aforementioned Adrianne Margeaux, then later as Bianca, the leader of a team of female extortionists) and John Considine (first as Boyd LaSalle, an electronics expert operating in Louisiana in Season 3, then as Phillip Nordstrom, a cybernetically-enhanced international terrorist in Season 4) made repeated appearances, as did other actors in more minor roles. Other television shows such as MacGyver, Dragnet, and Law & Order have also employed "re-casting". Maud Adams was also recast in two separate James Bond Films.

A few episodes, such as Season 3's "Knight of the Chameleon," feature Michael and KITT facing adversaries that dialogue indicated they had encountered in the past, despite such encounters not having been previously depicted in an actual produced episode.

List of Recasted Actors

A number of actors made multiple appearances in the show, and nearly all of these actors played a different character each time they appeared.

Spinoffs

Second season writer Tom Greene originally pitched the episode Speed Demons to be a new pilot, similar to 1985's Street Hawk. The deal fell through.

The two part episode "Mouth of the Snake" served as a backdoor pilot for a short lived series entitled Code of Vengeance, revolving around Vietnam vet David Dalton. The Knight Rider episode featured David exhibiting great gymnastics, not unlike The Six Million Dollar Man sans bionics, but when Code of Vengeance aired, Dalton was an ordinary-skilled drifter. It soon fell off the schedules after only five episodes.

In 1997, the fleet of intelligent vehicles grew in the TV series Team Knight Rider. The show featured Attack Beast, a Ford F-150 all-terrain vehicle; Dante, a Ford Expedition sport-utility vehicle; Domino, a Ford Mustang convertible; and Kat and Plato, twin customized motorcycles. The voice of Domino was Nia Vardalos, later the creator and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The shows lead stars included Brixton Karnes, Christine Steel and Kathy Tragesar.

The television show spawned two movies: Knight Rider 2000, a 1991 sequel movie; and Knight Rider 2010, a 1994 made-for-TV movie loosely based on the show. In Knight Rider 2010, a Classic 1969 Ford Mustang 1 replaces the legendary Pontiac Trans Am. There is talk of a third movie, previously thought to be named Super Knight Rider 3000. It is now known as Knight Rider: The Movie, proposed by Hasselhoff.

According to USA Today, Glen A. Larson is in talks with a major production company to write the script for the new Knight Rider movie. Larson intends that the film be a bit darker than the original series, utilizing "foxhole" humor.

Cultural impact

Similar shows

Debuting in 1982, the show was an instant hit, and inspired several other "crimefighter plus high-tech vehicle" series, such as Airwolf, Viper, Street Hawk, Blue Thunder and The Highwayman. There were also a few animated cartoon series partially inspired by the series; one was Turbo Teen, which featured a teenager who could morph into a talking car. Also, the cartoon series Pole Position, which was based off the popular Namco arcade game featured high-tech talking racecars. Glen A. Larson also produced a short-lived show called Automan that featured a hero with a virtual computer sidekick called "Cursor" that could become whatever was needed at the moment. Cursor often rendered the form of a car that would turn corners at 90 degrees, throwing passengers across the car. According to an interview with Sci-Fi Channel, Glen said he intended for Automan to be (technology-speaking) "a step above Knight Rider."

Automotive Design

Knight Rider had a profound effect on consumer expectations, and the motor industry reacted accordingly. Within a couple of years of the show's runaway success, motor manufacturers began offering vehicles with digital LED instrumentation, and even trip computers and security systems which used electronic voice synthesisers which played back "talking" messages to the driver.

It has been alleged that customers would visit their local Pontiac Dealership and request a Trans Am "Knight Rider" edition. Pontiac then told Glen Larson to refer to the car as a "Black T-Top" instead.

Toys and games

Various toy versions of KITT were released and produced solid profits. Among the more notable of the Knight Rider memorabilia includes the remote controlled KITT, the Knight Rider lunch box, and the deluxe version of KITT. This final model, sold by Kenner Toys, spoke electronically, featured a detailed interior and a Michael Knight action figure as well. Also various electronics firms sold kits to add the running red lights to any car.

Knight Rider was turned into a computer game in 1986 for several popular 8-bit formats, although it only received a partial release. In the modern era, Knight Rider the Game was produced by Davilex International under license. Players drive KITT through 15 missions. With the popularity of Knight Rider the Game, Davilex also released a sequel in late 2004. The second game didn't follow the original series as much because KITT had weapons.

In Japan, between 2002 and 2004, a Japanese toy manufacturer Aoshima which had the official license to produce Knight Rider merchandise, produced the Knight Rider FLAG trailer truck 1/28 scale model and a KITT and KARR mini-Z racers (these were R/C cars).

Charawheels 1/64 scale die-cast toy model of KITT (2004) — Charawheels is “Hot Wheels” in Japan. This toy is very hard to find now.

Also in late 2004, 1/18 scale die-cast models of KITT and KARR were produced from ERTL complete with detailed interior and light up moving scanner just like in the series. KARR was later manufactured by Aoshima. They repainted the KITT models that they got from ERTL with KARR's colours and changed the scanner to amber. Both KITT and KARR sold very well both in stores and online. These models are still available on various websites selling die-cast models, as well as eBay.

In September of 2006, Hitari, a UK based company that produces remote control toy cars, released the Knight Rider KITT remote control car in 1/15 scale complete with the working red scanner lights, KITT's voice from the TV show and the car's turbine engine sound with the "whoosh whoosh" scanner sound effect. This can still be found online at eBay or at some stores in the UK.

In March 2007, Advanced Mobile Solutions Ltd (AMS) published the Knight Rider mobile game in 2D and 3D versions. The game has been released on wireless carriers' networks in Europe with a planned Q2 2007 release in the U.S. and Asia. In the 10 multi-level missions, the user plays avatar Michael Knight and drives KITT to combat enemies such as KARR, Goliath, the Fist and others.

Stardom

Knight Rider was David Hasselhoff's first major television role and it established him as a popular star. He achieved even greater fame in the worldwide syndicated hit Baywatch.

Music

In 1983 the theme music was released on a 45rpm during the holiday season. Produced by Glen Ballard & Brock Walsh under the performer title "Kitt The Amazing Car of Tomorrow" with narration by William Daniels & David Hasselhoff but mostly by an unknown performer. This single was titled "A Knightrider Christmas" on MCA Records 52330. The fondly-remembered theme music, written by* series producer Glen A. Larson and Stu Phillips (who also scored several episodes), was sampled for two 1997 hit singles: Busta Rhymes' "Fire It Up" and Timbaland & Magoo's "Clock Strikes [Remix]". Several other artists, including the alternative metal band System of a Down's "I-E-A-I-A-I-O" from Steal this Album, have copied the tune as well. UK Garage outfit So Solid Crew sampled it for their 2002 hit "Ride Wid Us." Panjabi MC also sampled the theme tune for his 2002/2003 UK and European crossover Bhangra influenced dance hit, "Mundian to Bach Ke (Beware of the Boys)." In 2003 the Mexican electronic-music band Sonido Lasser Drakar performed a remix from the theme, it was called "Pontiac Firebird 82" as a tribute to the car that was potrayed KITT. Pat Thomi, a prolific session guitarist, played the guitar on the original theme.

In metal, Swedish deathrash outfit The Crown adapted the opening notes of the theme tune for the bridge of their song "The Speed Of Darkness", which appears on their 2002 Crowned In Terror album and its 2004 revision, Crowned Unholy. Swedish melodic death metal band In Flames used the theme to open their set during the Unholy Alliance tour in 2006.

Classical music fans will note a striking similarity between the opening motif of the Knight Rider theme and the opening fanfare of the March and Procession of Bacchus by Léo Delibes.

The latest cover addition, released on some parts of Europe during late 2006/early 2007, is called: "Crazy Frog - Crazy frog in the house (knightrider)"

When Stu Phillips left the series, Don Peake became the music composer during the rest of the series. The change of the style between the composers can be felt in the middle of the first season, from Hearts of Stone onward. The style of the music composed by Phillips was more symphonic, Peake's was more electronic and rock.

Knight Rider has the distinction of being one of the first U.S. television series to utilize popular music throughout the episodes. Most of the time, for cost reasons, a cover band was hired to perform the songs (so that the production company only had to pay for a license for the song itself and not the original artist's recording of it). Most of the songs were used in driving montages, although music did figure prominently in the plot of the episode "White Line Warriors," in which a radio disc jockey played the John Cougar Mellencamp song "Crumblin' Down" (albeit performed by a cover band) as a signal to robbers. It would not be until 1984 that Miami Vice would go further in its use of music, both original and popular, for both dramatic scenes and action scenes.

Popularity in other countries

Knight Rider proved immensely popular overseas, and continues in syndication in various countries today. David Hasselhoff remains one of the most recognized stars worldwide thanks to his role as Michael Knight.

  • In Brazil the series was called A Super Máquina (literally The Super Machine, meaning more like "the super ride") and was dubbed in Portuguese language. The names of the characters remained unchanged.
  • In Costa Rica the series was called El Auto Fantastico that means The Fantastic Car.
  • In Estonia, the series has been repeatedly aired on TV3, under the original name and in the original version with Estonian subtitles. In Nordic countries, most series are shown in the original language with subtitles, so apart from the title of the show, which is sometimes translated, characters' names, voices, etc. are identical to those in the original version. (see Finland and Sweden)
  • In Finland, the series was called Ritari Ässä, which would translate in English as Knight Ace. In Sweden the show has two names, Nattens riddare, literally meaning "Knight of the Night" and Knightrider, thus the Swedish speaking minority in Finland may use either the Finnish title or Swedish (identical to English) title when talking about the show.
  • In France, the series was called K 2000, K for Knight, the intro also reference Michael as a knight and his horse; originally aired on "La Cinq", reruns occasionally on M6, and TF1, and now (2006) on NT1.
  • In Germany and Austria the series was called Knight Rider, and was dubbed like any non-German program. The show opener text has been changed to: Knight Rider - ein Auto, ein Computer, ein Mann - Ein Mann und sein Auto kämpfen gegen das Unrecht (Knight Rider - a car, a computer, a man - A man and his car fight against injustice). The FLAG was called "Foundation für Recht und Verfassung" (Foundation for Law and Constitution). All the names of the characters remained unchanged. The show aired on RTL, Super RTL and Das Vierte in Germany and on ORF1 and ATV (formerly known as ATV+) in Austria and is rerunning regularly. The show was popular enough that it spawned a licensed German audioplay series available on cassettes which basically re-told the actual TV series, only with a better translation than can often be done for lip-synch dubbing, featuring the series's original dubbing voices but employing own sound FX and scene music alongside the show's original theme.
  • In Greece Knight Rider was aired by the public television in the original language, and its title was translated as "O Ippotis tis asfaltou", literally "The road Knight". There were also reruns of the show during the 90s from various private channels. Finally, in the late 80s, also a Greek b-movie produced, based on a "Greek" Knight Rider version, called "Psit", starring the comedy actor "Kostas Voutsas".
  • In Hebrew the show was translated as Abir al Galgalim or Knight on Wheels. However, most people refer to the series as Hamechonit Hashchora or The Black Car. The series was very popular in Israel and reruns are still broadcast.
  • In Hungary the title of the series was left in its original state, as Knight Rider. KITT was voiced by László Versényi, although in a heavily deepened state. The reason for such a deep voice was that Hungarian people were not used to a telephone voice like William Daniels's KITT voice. Most of KITT's functions were translated in a way that they were named "Mode", for example, "Turbo Boost" was called "Turbo Mode", or sometimes "Turbo Drive",. Super Pursuit Mode was translated S-P-M-Stage (S-P-M-Fokozat). During the original airing in 1992, the episodes were scrambled and were left in this scrambled way until the latest airing in 2005-2006, when the episodes were aired according to the original episode list. FLAG was translated as "Jogért és Igazságért Alapítvány (Foundation for Right and Justice). In Hungary, Knight Rider was one of the first crime fighter series and is still popular among many fans.
  • In India, the show used to be shown on the public broadcast terrestrial channel, Doordarshan. The satellite channel Star World has ended airing episodes of Knight Rider as of November 2006.
  • In Indonesia, Knight Rider used to be aired in RCTI, the first terrestrial station in Indonesia with Indonesian subtitle. The show had tremendous impact around the country.
  • In Italy, the series was called Supercar, while all the characters' names remained the same. Airing begun in 1983, and still goes on occasionally. This is widely recognized as one of the most successful series in the history of Italian television. The intro soundtrack is always the instrumental one from the pilot "Knight of the Phoenix", as the narrated version never plays, in neither language. The same way, the ending quote "One man can make a difference, Michael", at the epilogue, is replaced by the soundtrack only, giving the audience the classical image of the venture hero riding away, rather than the one of a person with a mission stated by a dead man. A different character interpretation is present in many lines from KITT, especially from early episodes, too. Assuming that KITT's behavior while speaking is in between HAL9000 from 2001 and VINCENT from The Black Hole, there are lines (e.g. in the pilot, when KITT returns to Michael after having been stolen) where it sounds a lot more formal and distant (like HAL9000) in Italian than in the original dialogue. The voice was also deeper than the English one, so much that at the beginning of Season 2 ("Goliath") the dubbing actor was changed. The early voice belongs to Adolfo Lastretti and the later one, closer to the original, to Massimo Venturiello. An edition aired in the Italian-speaking Switzerland around 1984-1985 had, in at least a couple of episodes, a different audio mixage, with the front scanner "humming" noise removed or heavily lowered. It also sported the original title in the opening sequence.
  • In Japan, Knight Rider has been transliterated as ナイトライダー in Katakana (Romaji: Naito Raidā). TV Asahi started airing the episodes since 1984. However, the sequence of the episodes was very different from the original American one. For example, "Voo Doo Knight" was the last episode in the USA, but "The Scent of Roses" was the last one in Japan. Most Season Two episodes were aired before starting Season One. The following episodes (from Season One unless otherwise indicated) were not aired in Japan, but they are still available in Japanese version (Region 2) of Knight Rider DVDs: Slammin' Sammy's Stunt Show Spectacular, Not a Drop to Drink, A Plush Ride, Forget Me Not, Hearts of Stone, A Nice, Indecent Little Town, White Bird, Knight Moves, Short Notice, and Silent Knight (Season Two).
  • In Lithuania the show was translated as Ratuotas Riteris, meaning Knight on Wheels. It is very popular among the viewers and the series gets a re-run every 3 or 4 years.
  • In Mexico, Knight Rider was known instead as El Auto Increible, or The Incredible Car. KITT's voice was provided by Germán Robles who, oddly enough, was born in Spain.
  • In New Zealand, Knight Rider aired unaltered to a keen audience. It has been replayed many times since the mid eighties, and continues to receive airtime every four or five years.
  • In Pakistan, the show used to be shown on the public broadcast terrestrial channel, PTV. It gained a massive following and even now cars can be seen with a row of red lights imitating KITT's hood.
  • In Poland the show was translated as Nieustraszony which means Fearless in English. The character names and KITT itself has not been changed in the first translation, although in the second one KITT was called "K". Due to bad sound quality in some episodes, many fans were thinking that Michael was driving KARR. Although, in episode 3 or 4 of the first season, KITT says "Jednak wolę być K 2000", which can be translated as "I want to remain as K 2000". That convinced Polish fans that Michael was driving KITT.
  • In Portugal the series was called O Justiceiro (roughly meaning The Bringer/Enforcer of Justice) - it was subtitled and no names were changed. However, some years after its prime there were reruns of the show, only these were the dubbed version from Brazil, which to many made the show unintentionally funnier than the original version (Brazilian and Portuguese people tend to consider each other's pronunciation funny in general).
  • In Saudi Arabia, the series was broadcast in English on Saudi Aramco Channel 3 during the middle to late 1980s. It was one of the few shows that was permitted airtime, despite the fact that many of the female actresses would wear short shorts, something unacceptable in Saudi culture.
  • In Slovenia, the series was called Vitez za volanom meaning Knight Behind the (steering) Wheel. It was subtitled and no names were changed. The show still reruns from time to time.
  • In South Africa, Knight Rider had an effect out of all proportion to its immediate stature at the time of production, by creating a significant circumvention of the UN imposed sanctions during the era of Apartheid. The episode "Goliath pt 1 & pt. 2" with the confrontation between Garthe Knight and Michael Knight, and therefore between KITT and Goliath, were filmed in South West Africa, then the U.N. mandate of South Africa. Moreover, local black acting talent John Kani provided a compelling African Dictator, Tsombe Kuna, as a supporting villain to Garthe Knight, as the driving force supporting the construction of Goliath.
    The effect of the production for the SABC's syndication was electric - they furnished the Knight Rider crew with all facilities, and a number of SABC crew names appear on the credits of the two part episode. Universal Studios then syndicated as part of the agreement for production of the episodes, all of their popular television programs, past and future production. South Africa in the 1980s therefore rebroadcast programs such as The Six Million Dollar Man, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, after translation into Afrikaans by Leephy Studios.
    New programs such as Knight Rider, A-team, The Bold and the Beautiful, Miami Vice, Dallas and Dynasty were broadcast in English. Children's programs, and all manner of other televised entertainment entered the country through this one deal, as did music and many other media. Knight Rider therefore reshaped the South African entertainment market at the height of Apartheid and Sanctions. [citation needed]
  • In South America, except Brazil, the show was renamed "El Auto Fantástico" (The Fantastic Car) and is generally known by that title. Incidentally, many shows are renamed overseas to better suit the subtleties of different languages. In this case the play on the word "Knight" in the title (a triple meaning, with Michael Knight, the Knight Foundation, and the classic medieval Knight all playing part of the meaning) was not as effective in Spanish speaking countries, as the word Knight is translated to "Caballero" (meaning both "Knight" and "Gentleman"). "El Auto Fantástico" also contained slight differences in the naming of certain elements, with the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG) being renamed FLO (La Fundación de la Ley y el Orden, translated as the Foundation for Law and Order) to suit the audience. Names of the characters remained unchanged, with the only other differences being the voices of the actors who recorded the lines in Spanish.
  • In Spain, Knight Rider was known as "El Coche Fantástico" (Literally "The Fantastic Car". "Coche" also translates to car, this is a stylistic difference of the Spanish language, whose vernacular varies from country to country) and FLAG was called "Fundación para la Ley y el Orden". The voice of KITT was dubbed by Carlos Revilla, a loved actor for his excellent work as Homer Simpson (The Simpsons); he died in 2000.
  • In Turkey, the show was known as Kara Şimşek (literally Black Lightning). This name referred to KITT itself. The show was such a big hit that during the years of the initial run, many automobiles and vans were fit with a thin row of red lights that imitated similar lights on KITT's hood. It has left such strong memories that stand-up comedian Cem Yılmaz came up with a series of television commercials as recent as 2005, where he had a talking car named GİTT.
  • In the UK the show was a massive hit also. Broadcast on ITV - the show raked in a massive audience, even though it was not networked for much of its run, with each region showing episodes in their own selected time-slots (and as was common with such imported shows, episodes were often shown out of sequence, and sometimes edited for time and / or content as each region saw fit). Many regions had their own quirks with the show - for example, London region Thames split the very late episodes, which were not pulling in as many viewers, into two halves, airing them over Monday and Tuesday in a 5:15 p.m. slot. After the initial run of the series, many regions ran the unpopular edited half-hour versions in the late 1980s. Various ITV regions also gave it (the complete episode versions) a repeat run in the mid-1990s, although some regions, such as London's LWT, did not do so, and those that did only showed the first three seasons. In 1997, it was shown by the newly launched Channel 5, who ran most episodes in a Saturday morning slot as part of their youth-orientated strand, first as a double-bill of episodes, then later with one episode on Saturday and one episode on Sunday. Although there was the occasional minor edit here and there, it was the first time that a lot of material (such as the opening trailers, which ITV often edited out), was shown on UK television. They ran the series to near the end of the third season, but did not show the fourth season despite many requests from fans; although they did show the feature-length fourth season opener, "Knight Of The Juggernaut", in a 'one-off' showing (the other feature-length episodes were also given airings in such 'one-off' slots several times). A couple of years later they too also aired the unpopular half-hour edit version. It is currently broadcast by Sky and Cable channel Bravo, who also broadcast the fourth season for the first time since the episodes were originally shown on ITV in the later 1980s.
  • In Taiwan, the show was called 霹靂遊俠 or "Super Knight" and Michael Knight's name was translated to be 李麥克 or LEE Mike. KITT was known as 霹靂車 or Super Car.

Knight Rider still has a large following in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India and China, and reruns of the show air across the world to this day.

Cable and Satellite Re-Runs

Episodes of the original show were re-broadcast on several Cable TV channels including USA Network, the Sci-Fi Channel and most notably a widescreen version remastered in HDTV format on Universal HD. When the series reran on Sci-Fi, a few brief scenes from the syndicated version of the series were edited out, and one or two commercial breaks were spliced in (noticeable because those breaks did not utilize the desert cues used in the series.) The show can currently be seen in the United States on the NBC Universal cable television channel, Sleuth. In Canada, this show can be seen on Saturday & Sunday on Deja View. In the UK, re-runs can be seen on the Satellite and Cable channel Bravo at selected times. In the Middle East the show can be seen on TV Land.

DVD releases

Cover Art DVD Name Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
File:KnightRider S1.jpg Season One August 3 2004 September 13 2004
(R2 has different cover art) 		December 1 2004
File:KnightRider S2 small.jpg Season Two April 12 2005 July 4 2005 September 19 2005
File:KnightRider S3.jpg Season Three January 31 2006 May 26 2006
(R2 has different cover art) 		July 12 2006
File:KnightRiderS4.jpg Season Four:
The Final Season 		April 4 2006 September 18 2006 September 20 2006
File:Knightriderultimate.jpg Seasons One, Two,
Three & Four
(The Ultimate Collection) 		N/A November 13 2006
(only available in R2) 		N/A

The show's first season (which includes the Knight Rider 2000 bonus disc) was released on DVD in North America (United States and Canada) on August 3, 2004. The second season was released on April 12, 2005. The third season (which includes the bonus episode "Knight of the Rising Sun" as a taster of season four) was released on January 31, 2006. Season Three has some sound effects missing from some episodes (such as gun shots, eject lift, etc.) and by contacting Universal, they will send you information about getting replacement discs sent to you via mail. The fourth and final season (which includes KITT's blueprints and a 1980s TV Flashback special) was released on April 4th, 2006. The DVDs are produced by Universal, the series' original distributor. DVDs of the first two seasons have subtitles in English, French, and Spanish, but season three DVDs have no French subtitles and season four DVDs have no Spanish subtitles, either.

The season boxsets have also been released in European markets. The main difference is that the discs are PAL instead of NTSC color system. There are other differences as well. The cover art is different, at least the language used on the cover may be other than English (thus the boxset may not actually have the "Knight Rider" text on it). The order of episodes may be different too; this was the case with the first season discs. The first season discs were released on 8 one-sided discs in Europe whereas the American release had 4 two-sided discs, and, bizarrely, the Region 2 version contained the Pilot on the 7th disk. The Region 2 first season set also didn't contain the opening teasers for each episode. But for the most part the discs, or at least the overall content of the boxsets, are identical as Region 1 and Region 2 versions. One should also notice that there are many language areas in Europe, so all Region 2 boxsets may not necessarily have identical subtitle and soundtrack options. However, each version has the original English soundtrack available.

Cast and crew credits

Actor Role
David Hasselhoff Michael Knight
William Daniels Voice of KITT
Edward Mulhare Devon Miles
Patricia McPherson Bonnie Barstow
Rebecca Holden April Curtis
Peter Parros Reginald Cornelius "RC3" III

Glen A. Larson --- creator

William Daniels was one of the stars of St. Elsewhere, as Dr. Mark Craig, and worked on both series simultaneously. In 1967 he played Benjamin Braddock's father in The Graduate, appeared as future President of the United States John Adams in the 1972 musical 1776, and he later starred in the series Boy Meets World as George Feeny. As explained on the first season DVD, Larson saw Daniels in the film Two For The Road with Audrey Hepburn. The character Daniels portrayed in that film was one of the inspirations for K.I.T.T.

Rebecca Holden still acts to this day in character roles, as well as singing, and Patricia McPherson is an environmental advocate in California. She recently was a guest at the Knight Nationals in Ohio that featured KITT replica builders across the country.

Wilton Knight was played in the pilot by Richard Basehart. Basehart died in 1984, but his voice served as the narration until cancellation in 1986.

In his first appearance (“Trust Doesn’t Rust”), KARR was first voiced by Peter Cullen (who was also best known as the voice of Optimus Prime and Ironhide, also Vector Sigma in The Transformers). In his second appearance ("KITT vs. KARR"), he was voiced by Paul Frees, who is best known for voicing Ludwig Von Drake in the popular anthology series, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. Like William Daniels, Frees was uncredited on-screen, resulting in some sources mistakenly crediting Peter Cullen as providing the voice for both episodes.

Music composer Don Peake can be seen doing a cameo in the bar in Short Notice playing Sweet Home Alabama.

Stu Phillips composed the opening theme, as well as the music to the first thirteen episodes of the series.

Notable facts

  • The 1982 Pontiac Trans Am that KITT was based on featured the WS6 performance suspension that included 15 x 7 Turbo Cast-Aluminum wheels and hubcaps.
  • The first piece of background music used in the series that was not specifically created for the series was the Eagles' "Take it Easy", and another Eagles hit, "Peaceful, Easy Feeling", can be heard soon after. This happens in the scene immediately following the scene where KITT reveals that he can talk to Michael, when Michael reveals that he wishes he had some music with him and KITT instinctively asks, "What would you like to hear?"
  • William Daniels, the voice of KITT never appears in the series.
  • William Daniels and David Hasselhoff never met face to face until they met at a Christmas party while filming the first season. All lines for KITT during the production were done by a script person, while William Daniels would read the lines for KITT at a recording studio.
  • KITT is a modified Pontiac Trans Am, originally designed by Michael Scheffe. The convertible and super-pursuit versions of KITT were customized by the legendary George Barris; a photo in the book Knight Rider Legacy shows David Hasselhoff and George Barris on the set of the episode The Nineteenth Hole, suggesting that Barris came aboard the show during late season three.
  • The Trans Am body is designed for speeds up to 300 mph, meaning the airfoils in KITT's super pursuit mode are technically not required under ideal conditions. A Trans Am with a standard body proved this at Bonneville during Speed Week. However, KITT's altered configuration gave him greater acceleration at takeoff.
  • Aside from the many Trans-Ams used to perform various stunts, there were at least five KITT cars used for filming, with two more versions added in the fourth season:
    • One was a normal car with the prop KITT dashboard that Michael's character drove. It was also used for most interior shots. It was commonly referred to as the "hero car", or sometimes the "camera car", as it would be the model that was polished up to look good for the cameras.
    • One car was used specifically for interior shots of the FLAG semi-truck. Similar to the "hero" car, it also featured the full dashboard and was highly polished.
    • Another car was made specifically for jumping and sometimes suspended by a crane as it passed through the air. It can be seen in various episodes with a sparse underside, an obviously fake fiberglass body, and thicker tires. According to stunt coordinator Jack Gill, this car weighed only 1500 pounds, and was weighted in the back to create a smoother looking descent.
    • A third car was modified to be driven from the back seat as the stunt driver (Jack Gill) hid behind the driver seat under a tarp. The driver looked through a little window in the headrest. You can usually see the "hidden driver" in most of the scenes where KITT drove himself by noticing the different design and size of the interior seats. A blooper in the very end of the last episode of first season, called "Short Notice", you can clearly see the stunt driver pop his head up and wave to the camera.
    • A fourth car was driven by a stunt driver. It had no custom KITT dash and was equipped with a roll bar. In some scenes with the car, you could see a round steering wheel and dashboard that were straight out of a normal Trans Am. This car was equipped with a nitrous oxide system and was used in scenes whenever KITT "burned rubber" or went "skiing" on two wheels.
    • In fourth season a "Super Pursuit Mode" KITT was created. Scenes where panels and airvents popped out utilized a static version of the car in which the engine and drivetrain were replaced by hydraulic actuators. A drivable version had the SPM acoutrements permanently welded into place.
    • "The 'C' button" was also introduced in the fourth season, which would turn KITT into a convertible. The drivable car was permanently in the "top down" position. A second version was a working convertible, but had no engine and had to be pulled on a boat trailer.
  • According to Glen A. Larson, in his interview on the Season One DVD, after the show became a big hit, Pontiac dealerships across the country were swamped with calls and visitors looking for the black Trans Am model that had KITT's features. Many people were practically laughed out of the dealership after learning the car really did not exist. Toward the end of the first season, in a formal letter to Universal Studios, General Motors kindly asked them to never refer to KITT as a "Pontiac" or a "Trans Am" ever again. From then on KITT was just called KITT, or referred to as a "black t-top." But, in some episodes in the ending credits was says "some automobiles furnished by Pontiac Motor Division"
  • KITT's red scanner was a carryover from the "eye" of the robotic Cylons of Glen A. Larson's previous television series, Battlestar Galactica. Contrary to popular belief among fans, the two shows are not set in the same universe. Larson has stated on more than one occasion that he simply reused the scanner effect because he liked it.
  • The opening title narration (used from "Good Day At White Rock", season 1, onwards) was spoken by Richard Basehart (who played Wilton Knight):
Knight Rider, a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist. Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law."
  • KITT had a California license plate, yellow letters on a dark blue background, that read "KNIGHT." In another tip to the James Bond franchise, KITT was able to rotate his plate in the episode Brother's Keeper reading the very similar "KNI 667." The function was never seen again in the series.
  • In the pilot episode, Michael Knight is given KITT's California registration card, showing a vehicle identification number of B56T149137; an effective date of January 10, 1982; a registration address of 2457 Ybarra Rd., Nores, California 93666; and title fees of USD 175.00.
  • KITT's grille scanner was red, and his "voice modulator" was a simple red square that lit up when he "spoke." In KARR's first appearance, it had a red scanner but a yellow voice modulator with lines increasing by degrees with the voice's decibels. KITT was eventually given a similar voice modulator, but it was still red. When KARR debuted, it had no license plate. But when it returned, its scanner was yellow, and it had a California license plate reading "KARR."
  • David Hasselhoff's ex-wife Catherine Hickland starred in 3 Knight Rider episodes. Ironically, after their divorce, she went on to marry Michael E. Knight, a soap opera star.
  • Glen Larson admits to not spending enough money on season one of Knight Rider. See the Legacy book. Part of the cheesiness of the show people pick on is the constant use of stock footage, and sometimes, miniatures. The season one episode, 'Not a drop to drink' re-used footage from Superman: The Movie of a dam bursting and the rocks that stop the flow of the water. The producers found that buying the famous footage from Warner Brothers was actually cheaper than trying to recreate the scene themselves.
  • Fans of the series regard a device installed in KITT that only appears in second season episodes as an "April gadget".
  • The speech room in the president's mansion in "Knight Flight to Freedom" and the party room in "Voo Doo Knight" were both in the same set.
  • The third generation Trans Am was Larson's initial choice of car. However, in very early pre-production, pilot producer Harker Wade was looking to use a Datsun.
  • The idea of KITT was modeled after HAL 9000 in 2001. However, Larson had used the concept earlier in Battlestar Galactica (C.O.R.A., Episode "The Long Patrol") and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (Dr. Theopolous, Twiki). The car was inspired by a prominent television executive seeing a similar car in B.J. and the Bear, another Glen Larson production.
  • In the same fashion as Star Trek fans are known as "Trekkies", some people refer to Knight Rider fans are "Knerds", in homage to the episode "Knight and Knerd."
  • When Knight Rider aired in syndication, 30-minute versions of the first season and many second season episodes were prepared and was aired by some television stations. These 30-minute versions (22 minutes minus commercials) cut many significant sections of the show out and deleted entire subplots and characters to fit the shows into this vastly shortened time-frame. These heavily cut episodes were, understandably, not popular and did not continue to be aired for long. However, these edited versions also turned up overseas, including the United Kingdom, when ITV ran the butchered versions in the late 1980s, and have turned up on Five, then Channel 5, as recently as 2000.
  • The last, originally aired episode of Knight Rider was "Voo Doo Knight." This episode (which does not feature Bonnie, and is considered by many fans to be one of shows weakest episodes) was not intended to be the series finale, however. When David Hasselhoff was informed that the show would be canceled at the end of its fourth season, he came up with the idea for the episode "The Scent of Roses", which would serve as the finale. Ultimately, however, NBC wanted "Roses" as a January sweeps episode, and chose to run it at that time. Most fans support Hasselhoff's vision of the end to Knight Rider over the network's vision. However, some fans consider Knight Rider 2000 as a finale to the series, principally because it involved KITT, Michael, and Devon; some other fans, however, choose to ignore it.
  • Devon's last name was originally Shire. The name "Miles" was originally intended to be the name of the surgeon performing the operation on Michael Long's face.
  • In 1997, the Knight Rider theme song was remixed by Tronster. This remix reached 3rd on the overall rankings of the original mp3.com. mp3.com screen shot This remix has been widely circulated around the internet, but incorrectly credited to being made by Paul Oakenfold.
  • In the United Kingdom, a Knight Rider comic strip appeared for several years in the 1980s as part of the children's television magazine and comic Look-In, to tie in with the British run of the series.
  • Also in the UK, when the Thames (London) region began running fellow "super-machine" series Street Hawk, it was trounced in the ratings by hit London-based comedy Only Fools and Horses on BBC1. In response, after a few weeks Thames replaced Street Hawk with ratings-certainty Knight Rider, which put a big dent in Only Fools' ratings as a result.
  • When it began, Knight Rider took several light-hearted digs at the other popular "car show" of the time, The Dukes of Hazzard. An early TV Guide advertisement showed KITT over-taking a car very similar to the General Lee (the Dukes' car), announcing KITT as television's new super-car.
  • ...Furthermore, the first season Knight Rider episode 'Give Me Liberty... Or Give Me Death' features a souped-up orange Dodge Charger (the model used for the General Lee), driven by the moonshine-guzzling "Prince Brothers" (as opposed to the "Duke Boys"). The Charger explodes in the middle of the episode.
  • Contrary to what many viewers may remember, KITT did not Turbo Boost in every episode. Turbo Boosts (or any form of leaping) were not seen in Deadly Maneauvers, Goliath, and Many Happy Returns to name three such examples.
  • According to a recent appearance on MTV Cribs, Joey Fatone owns one of the actual KITT cars used on the series.
  • According to the ninth edition of the pilot script, written by Glen A. Larson, and contributions written by R.A. Cinader, KITT did not have a turbo boost function; instead, the car would become airborne due to a bump in the road, or narrowly avoid oncoming vehicles by swerving away from them. This suggests that the turbo boost function was a concept developed late in the series' incarnation.
  • The pilot for the series was not originally titled "Knight of the Phoenix." As Mr. Larson explains in the "Legacy" book, the syndication department added the title when the pilot was edited into two hour shows. The original opening (seen on the first season DVD) begins with Phyllis Davis's credit (and, omits Richard Anderson's credit.)
  • Both David Hasselhoff and KITT appeared in a two-part episode of Diff'rent Strokes entitled Hooray for Hollywood. However, William Daniels did not participate, and another actor was used for KITT's voice.
  • On the September 14 episode of 'Til Death there was a reference to Knight Rider by actors Brad Garret (Eddie) and Joley Fisher (Joy Stamm) in which Eddie and Joy are arguing over patio furniture and Eddie refusing the offer of daytime sex in which he says "When did the television show Knight Rider get cancelled?" Which would lead Joy to reply "I haven't had it since KITT the talking car?!"
  • The early episode 'Good Day at White Rock', is a play on the classic 1955 movie Bad Day at Black Rock. An early episode of The A-Team, 'Black Day At Bad Rock' is also a similar play on the title. Both episodes also contain notable parallels, with both stories involving a biker gang terrorising a small town.
  • From season 1 DVD producer Glen Larson finally admits that Knight Rider is nothing more than "a bullshit premise."
  • Zeno's paradoxes was a sub-plot during season 1 - episode 09 - Trust Doesn't Rust
  • Just before a commercial break -- which typically came at a dramatic moment -- there would be a brief scene of Michael driving KITT through a dusty desert, accompanied by a brief snip of the main theme. This effect was parodied in an episode of Family Guy, in which Lois is told that she has been fired from her job. She looks up in horror and says, "Fired?! Oh, no!", and then the Knight Rider commercial break clip is shown, after which the show does, indeed, go to commercial. (Note: these clips before the commercials are not present on some later prints of the series.)
  • Originally Don Johnson was up for the role of Michael Knight. Johnson appeared 2 years later on another series Miami Vice.
  • During filming of the third season, Edward Mulhare (Devon) suffered a back complaint, and as a result, many of his scenes were arranged to feature him sitting down, with some of his dialogue and more strenuous scenes given over to Bonnie.
  • Many familiar film sets are used a number of times in the series. A common 'country town' set is used in a number of episodes, and the fourth season episode 'Sky Knight' features the town set used in the Back to the Future trilogy. This is the Universal backlot where many TV shows and films are filmed.
  • An early version of KITT, before the familar scanner was completed, had a mock-up scanner located at the extreme front of the bumper rather than at the front of the hood. It did not have the regular red light, instead being made of reflective material. The front end of this early model was significantly different from the usual model. It can be seen in a handful of very brief scenes in the pilot episode, and in stock footage used in some other first season episodes (It can also be seen in a couple of shots of the first season openning sequence).
  • Knight Rider was parodied on The Simpsons episode "And Maggie Makes Three". Homer and the family are watching a show called Knight Boat which featured a man named Michael driving a boat with artificial intelligence.
  • Later, in the episode "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace", KITT was animated in this.
  • In the Angel episode, Underneath, while Angel, Spike, and Gunn are on a mission to rescue Lindsey in a special car, Angel grows uncomfortable at the fact that the car is driving itself to Lindsey's location. This prompts Spike to respond, "What, you never heard of Knight Rider? The Knight Industries 2000? K.I.T.T.?" When neither Angel or Gunn respond, Spike shakes his head and says, "Never mind."
  • Knight Rider was parodied in the Futurama episode "The Honking" where his windshield wipers were supposedly used in the creation of Project Satan, the most evil vehicle ever created. When Fry says that "Knight Rider wasn't evil" he is told that "His windshield wipers were. It didn't come up much in the show though."
  • KITT was seen on Chappelle's Show saying, "Puerto Ricans are lazy Michael."
  • Knight Rider was parodied in an episode of South Park which parodied Family Guy making a parody of Knight Rider where David Hasselhoff jumps on Peter's back to drive him, and Peter's smile becomes KITT's grille scanner.
  • The Knight Rider theme music was referenced by System of a Down in their song I-E-A-I-A-I-O
  • The Strong Bad E-mail #87 (Mile)on Homestar Runner has a brief mention of Knight Rider on the TV ("TV Show featuring The Cheat in a Trans Am").
  • While not mentioned by name, KITT is referenced in the 2002 Mark Wills song "19 Somethin'" in the line "It was 1980-something/In the world that I grew up in/Skating rinks and Black Trans-Ams/Big hair and parachute pants."
  • KITT makes a cameo in the 2005 Disney film Herbie: Fully Loaded during the opening credits. As supposedly old newspaper clippings are shown, displaying Herbie's past racing success (all articles were fabricated for the movie), an (edited) photo shows Herbie and KITT "hanging out" together, as a sign of Herbie's once-celebrity status. A VW Beetle, sporting the same strip on its body as Herbie, appears in many scenes of an episode of Knight Rider, titled "Blind spot". You can see it on the road, parked, everywhere. In a scene, KITT is parked just in front of it.
  • The song Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up by Busta Rhymes has an interpolation of the KITT theme.
  • KITT has made a cameo in the movie The Benchwarmers as one of Mel's cars.
  • KITT has appeared in two America's Got Talent episodes. The first was in Michelle L'Amour's act in the semifinals where Michelle, the burlesque dancer, portrayed a mechanic in her act. The second, in the results show in the episode after the above mentioned one, KITT is seen on stage when David Hasselhoff is singing "Jump in my car".
  • Fabolous, a popular rapper who is known to buy expensive cars, made a reference to Knight Rider, rapping "me and my car talk like Michael Knight and KITT"
  • In 2006, KITT appeared in a commercial for AT&T Voice Technology, alongside other famous computers and robots known for their distinctive voices. Among his co-stars are the 1939 World's Fair VODER (VOice recordER), Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet, Rosie the Maid Robot from The Jetsons, and WOPR from War Games.
  • In the Scrubs episode "My Road to Nowhere", J.D. imagines relaxing in the intelligent campmobile "Jonathan 3000", talking to and interacting with it.
  • In one location of the No One Lives Forever computer game player can find an intelligence item: a personal file on Michael Knight, which describing him as "A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law". That's obviously an easter egg, because this game is set in the 1960s.

Film adaptation

In March 2002, Revolution Studios announced a partnership with Mayhem Pictures to create a film adaptation of the TV series. The film would be re-designed to be similar to Revolution's previous project, XXX. Series creator Glen A. Larson was hired to write the first script draft, with the series' lead actor David Hasselhoff attached to advise the project and also have an onscreen role.[1] In April 2003, Revolution Studios hired screenwriters David Elliott and Paul Lovett to pen the film's script.[2] In April 2004, the premise of the film was described to have Hasselhoff reprise his role as Michael Knight, though he would be an elder statesman that would serve as a mentor to the protagonist like the character Devon Miles mentored Knight in the TV series. The protagonist would be Knight's son, inheriting the family business and driving the vehicle KITT. The series' voice of KITT, William Daniels, was being sought by Hasselhoff to reprise his role. The producers' choice for the role was actor Ben Affleck.[3]

In May 2006, The Weinstein Company acquired film rights to adapt Knight Rider from series creator Larson. He expressed his interest in the film adaptation as a potential franchise property.[4] The following September, Hasselhoff invited actor Orlando Bloom to portray Knight's son in the film adaptation, but Bloom turned down the offer.[5] In April 2007, Hasselhoff said that the film was in development at Miramax, and that he would at least have a cameo in the film.[6]

See also

Literature

Nonfiction

  • Joe F. Huth and Richie F. Levine (2002). Knight Rider Legacy: The Unofficial Guide to the Knight Rider Universe. Writers Club Press. ISBN 0-595-23910-2.

Fiction

  • Glen Larson and Roger Hill (1983). Knight Rider. Pinnacle Books. ISBN 0-523-42170-2 (adapted from and expanded apon the feature-length / two-part Pilot episode)
  • Glen Larson and Roger Hill (1984). Knight Rider: Trust Doesn't Rust. Pinnacle Books. ISBN 0-523-42181-8 (adapted from and expanded apon the first season episode of the same name)
  • Glen Larson and Roger Hill (1984). Knight Rider: Hearts of Stone. Pinnacle Books. ISBN 0-523-42182-6 (adapted from and expanded apon the first season episode of the same name)
  • Glen Larson and Roger Hill (1984). Knight Rider: The 24-Carat Assassin. (UK publication only) (adapted from and expanded apon the feature-length / two-part second season episode 'Mouth of the Snake'. Interestingly, the back of the book states that it is adapted from All The Glitters - the working title for the story)
  • Glen Larson and Roger Hill (1984). Knight Rider: Mirror Image. (UK publication only) (adapted from and expanded apon the feature-length / two-part second season episode Goliath. The back of the book states that it is adapted from Goliath and Goliath Returns, but the actual story is only adapted from Goliath. One of the interesting differences is that in the book, Garthe Knight is called Garthe Bishop.)

A series of annuals were published each year in the UK by Grandreams. These books consisted of a mix of text stories and cartoon strips, as well as photos and articles on the shows stars and KITT. There were five annuals produced in total, each reflecting the different season of the show that was airing at the time, with the final two releases covering the final season. (The last annual was printed in a quite small quantity, due to popularity of the show gradually fading, and is considerably rarer as a result).

References

  1. ^ Michael Fleming (2002-03-18). "Revolution revs 'Rider'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Marc Graser (2003-04-13). "Scribes revving up 'Knight Rider' pic". Variety. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ "Knightmare". Empire. 2004-04-13. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Ian Mohr (2006-05-08). "TV's 'Knight' rides again". Variety. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Bloom snubs The Hoff's role". News.com.au. 2006-09-01. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Brooke Tarnoff (2007-05-02). "David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider Movie? Perhaps". UGO. Retrieved 2007-05-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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