Knight Rider - 1.01 - Pilot - A to Z Challenge - Day 11

“A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.”
'I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people convinced they are about to change the world. I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference.'

― Ellen Goodman

Prologue

My secret shame is that I'm a huge fan of David Hasselhoff. I loved him in everything he has ever done. I have seen every single thing that has something to do with the Knight Rider franchise, so naturally I was excited and terrified when NBC announced plans for this show.

What can I say? Sometimes a person just needs some good cheesy fun that is fluffy and requires minimal brain processing power.

About the Show

Seasons: 1| No. of Episodes: 17|Premiere Date: 09/24/2008 | End Date: 03/04/2009|Status: Off-Air

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller

Story in a nutshell: The story takes place twenty five years after the original Knight Rider series. Mike Traceur (who later changes his name to Michael Knight), son of the original Michael Knight, has become the driver of the next generation KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand), now a Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang. Along with a former fiancée Sarah Graiman, the daughter of the scientist Charles Graiman who designed both KITTs, Mike becomes the new champion of Knight Industries, a high tech government and law enforcement contractor.

Best Reason to Watch the Show: It was as fun as it was cheesy and the cars are pretty dang cool.

The Best Thing about This Show: The cheesy title formula… they always used clichés that featured the word night and then replaced it with Knight.

Here’s What You Need to Know: There is a two hour TV movie simply entitled Knight Rider that served as the show’s backdoor pilot. If you’ve never watched the original Knight Rider and you are interested in checking this show out, you should probably watch it before you watch the first episode.
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Title: A Knight in Shining Armor| Writer: Gary Scott Thompson| Director: Gary Scott Thompson
Episode Summary: Mike goes after a woman from his past who abducts a man whose DNA contains a key to an unbreakable code.
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Awards

Character of the Night
• KITT

Best Character Interactions
• KITT & Michael

Most Memorable Moment
• The package gets his thumb chopped off.

Line of the Night
•KITT: You could probably move faster if you ate a healthier diet, decreased you alcohol intake and reduced your extracurricular activities with your lady friends.

Scene of the Night
• Mike and Sarah decide to give their relationship a fresh start, and it is also revealed that Mike's new last name is Knight.

That Awkward Moment Award
• That awkward moment when your ex-fiance finds out years later that on the day you proposed to her you were out kissing other women.

The‘How James Bond of You Award’Award
• Really, cuff links as mini explosive devices?


Highlights

Memorable Moments
• Turns out Sarah can kick butt too! .
• KITT's attack mode is pretty cool
• The opening title sequence rocks! (If you like cheesy)
Mike gets shot by Carrie.

Notable & Quotable
• Sarah: I hate needles.
• Sarah: Mike, you should really pay attention in the briefings.
• Billy: Thanks for the vote of confidence.

Superb Scenes
• Sarah tells Mike that he proposed to her, the same day that the footage of him kissing the female agent he is after was taken.
• Dr. Graiman and Alex discuss Michael’s condition and what will happen if he ever remembers while KITT eavesdrops on them.
• KITT and Mike talk about the upsides of being legally dead.

Lowlights

• The graphics were truly awful.
• The dialog was super cheesy.
• The character of Zoe was super annoying.
• The acting was stiff

Miscellaneous

Favorite Main Character
• KITT

Least Favorite Main Character
• Alex

Favorite Side Character
• Dr.

Least Favorite Side Character
• Zoe

Did You Know?
• There was a TV movie called Knight Rider 2000 which was made in 1991 and it was supposed to serve as a pilot for a new show but despite high interest the plans were abandoned.

• There was a TV show called Team Knight Rider that aired from 1997-1998 which is a syndicated television series that was adapted from the Knight Rider franchise.

Fun Fact: Val Kilmer was the voice of this version’s KITT

Tasty Tidbit: The KITT in this series is a Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang. Over the course of the season we learn that KITT could transform into a Ford F-150 FX4 pickup truck for off-road purposes, a Ford E-150 van, Ford Flex, Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, and a 1969 Mach 1 Mustang for disguise purposes.

Side Note: On December 3, 2008, NBC reduced its season order to seventeen episodes.
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Grade: C-
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Comparable Shows
If you are interest in finding more shows like Knight Rider then I recommend you watch one, some or all of the following shows: Covert Affairs, Kingpin, and/or Raines.
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Up Next: Monday, April 14, 2014 is all about returning to where I live and breathe, Sci-Fi & Fantasy with a strong female lead. I’ll be writing about the pilot of Lost Girl so be sure to come back and check out the blog then. If you like Beauty and the Beast, Continuum, Grimm and/or Hannibal then come and check out the blog tomorrow.