Knight Rider is an American television series created and produced by Glen A. Larson. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from 1982 to 1986. The show stars David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech modern crime fighter assisted by KITT, an advanced artificially intelligent, self-aware and nearly indestructible car. This was the last series Larson devised at Universal Television before he moved to 20th Century Fox.
Knight Rider - The Complete Box Set / Region 2 PAL DVD / 26 discs edition / Audio: English / Actors: David Hasselhoff / 4529 minutes / Contains all four series of the hugely popular '80s show Knight Rider / all 84 episodes. Episode Recap Knight Rider on TV.com. Watch Knight Rider episodes, get episode information, recaps and more. 35 rows Knight Rider is a 2008 series that follows the 1982 television series of the same title created. Knight Rider (2008) starred Justin Bruening as Michael Knight and Val Kilmer as the new KITT. Watch full episodes of Season 1 on NBC.com.
Plot[edit]
Self-made billionaire Wilton Knight rescues police Detective Lieutenant Michael Arthur Long after a near fatal shot to the face, giving him a new identity (by plastic surgery) and a new name: Michael Knight. Wilton selects Michael to be the primary field agent in the pilot program of his public justice organization, the Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG). The other half of this pilot program is the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT), a heavily modified, technologically advanced Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with numerous features including an extremely durable shell and frame, controlled by a computer with artificial intelligence. Michael and KITT are brought in during situations where 'direct action might provide the only feasible solution'.
Heading FLAG is Devon Miles, who provides Michael with directives and guidance. Dr. Bonnie Barstow is the chief engineer in charge of KITT's care, as well as technical assistant to Devon (April Curtis fills this role in Season 2).
Cast and characters[edit]
Production[edit]Vehicle[edit]
The car used as KITT in the series was a customized 1982 Pontiac Firebird sports model, that cost US$100,000 to build[3] (equivalent to about $265,690.35 in 2018).[4] Nose, dash and other interior of the car were designed by the design consultant Michael Scheffe.[5]
Soundtrack[edit]
The 'Knight Rider Theme' was composed by Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson.[6] The series DVD bonus material contains an interview about this lead music, where Glen A. Larson says he remembers a theme out of a classical piece ('Marche Et Cortège De Bacchus' Act III - No. 14 from Sylvia written by French composer Léo Delibes) from which he took pieces for the 'Knight Rider Theme'.
The rest of the series music was composed by Stu Phillips for 13 episodes and Don Peake for 75 episodes. Glen A. Larson co-wrote music for one episode and Morton Stevens wrote the music for one episode. Peake took over scoring duties at S1E14 in 1983, when Larson moved to Twentieth Century-Fox and Phillips was working there on his projects.[7] Peake remained as the series sole composer until the end of the series in 1986, with the exception of 'K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.' in third season, which he composed together with Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson.
In 2005 FSM released a disc of music from the series, featuring the series theme, ad bumpers and Phillips' scores for 'Knight of the Phoenix' (the pilot), 'Not a Drop to Drink', 'Trust Doesn't Rust', 'Forget Me Not' and the composer's final episode 'Inside Out', as well as the logo music for Glen Larson Productions. Albums of Don Peake's scores have also been issued.
Episodes[edit]
The intro throughout most of the episodes began with this narration:
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.
During the first season, the outro was Michael and KITT driving though a road in the desert with Wilton Knight's words of 'One man can make a difference, Michael.'
Then the narration goes on to say:
Michael Knight, a lone crusader in a dangerous world. The world of the Knight Rider.
The outro of Seasons 2 and 3 was Michael and KITT driving away from the sunset toward the camera. Season 4's outro was the same, except with KITT in Super Pursuit Mode.
Syndication and home media[edit]Knight Rider Tv Show Episodes YoutubeIn syndication[edit]
Knight Rider was first syndicated in the U.S. in the Fall of 1986. Stations were initially offered either the original hour-long format (with three minutes cut from each episode), or severely-condensed into half-hour format.[8] Reruns were later syndicated on USA Network in 1994,[9]Sci-Fi Channel in 2003,[10]Sleuth in 2005,[11] and on G4 in 2012.[12]
DVD releases[edit]
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has released all four seasons of Knight Rider on DVD in regions 1, 2 & 4. A complete series box set featuring all 90 episodes in a collector's edition box has been released in regions 1[13] & 2.[14]
On March 8, 2016, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series in Region 1; they subsequently re-released the first two seasons on DVD on May 3, 2016.[15] On October 4, 2016, Mill Creek re-released Knight Rider- The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[16]
Blu-ray releases[edit]
In Japan, NBCUniversal Entertainment Japanâa subsidiary of NBCUniversalâreleased a Blu-ray box set containing all four seasons, replicas, props, and memorabilia under the title ãã¤ãã©ã¤ãã¼ ã³ã³ããªã¼ã ãã«ã¼ã¬ã¤BOX (Knight Rider: The Complete Series). The set is limited to Region Code A, which includes the U.S. It was released on November 27, 2014.[17]
In North America, Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete series on Blu-ray in Region 1 on October 4, 2016.[18]
Digital streaming[edit]
The series had been available for streaming on Netflix. The first season was available on Hulu. Some episodes are available on NBC's web site.[19]
Spin-offs and sequels[edit]
These adventures were continued with the television filmsKnight Rider 2000 and Knight Rider 2010 and the short-lived Team Knight Rider. One other television movie, Knight Rider, served as a pilot for the 2008 television series Knight Rider. In 1985, a spin-off series, Code of Vengeance, also premiered.
In 1988 Angelo di Marco made a French comic strip based on the series, titled K2000. It was published by Dargaud.[20]
In popular culture[edit]
In 1984, 'Hooray for Hollywood', a two-part episode of Diff'rent Strokes, David Hasselhoff and KITT (not voiced by William Daniels) appeared when rescuing Arnold Jackson (Gary Coleman) and Dudley Ramsey (Shavar Ross) from a near on-set incident while visiting Universal Studios Hollywood.
A black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am built to mimic KITT from the TV series Knight Rider.
On July 8, 2008, GPS manufacturer Mio Technology announced the release of a Knight Rider-themed GPS unit for a price of $270. The unit has the original Knight Rider logo printed above the display and features the voice of William Daniels.[21]
In 2012 and 2013, General Electric ran an advertising campaign, 'Brilliant Machines', about the coming generation of General Electric robotic devices. The campaign was built around famous robots from the movies and television, and K.I.T.T. was prominently featured.[22] One ad, narrated by William Daniels, showed K.I.T.T. in Autocruise mode pacing a GE diesel-electric railroad engine hauling a freight train.[23]
In 2014, Fast 'n Loud did a two part episode, 'Don't Hassle The Hoff', built around a friend of Richard Rawlings' desire to own a KITT replicar. Part II features the replicar engaging in a number of Knight Rider-style stunts.[24]
In 2015, both David Hasselhoff and KITT (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) appear in a Comic-Con segment in the unrated version of Ted 2. Hasselhoff and KITT later paired together again for an AT&T/DirecTV advertisement which also featured other film/television personalities such as Big Bird and the Oklahoma Sooners football team interspersed with the daily workings of a major city as someone walks around using the service's TV Everywhere initiative.[25]
In the 2015 Kung Fury film, the main character Kung Fury has a talking car 'Hoff 9000', voiced by David Hasselhoff. (The 9000 is a reference to HAL 9000, and the Hoff 9000 is unwilling to open the car doors.)[citation needed]
In 2018 Wal-Mart made an ad promoting their new curbside pickup service starring epic Hollywood automobiles. KITT is featured in four shots and has a spoken line.[26]
Music[edit]
The Knight Rider theme was sampled in the songs 'Clock Strikes', 'Fire It Up', and 'Mundian to Bach Ke',[27] and was also featured as Ted's ringtone in John's phone in the 2012 comedy film Ted.[28]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Further reading[edit]Non-fiction[edit]
Fiction[edit]
An annual was 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 show's stars and KITT. There were five annuals produced in total, each reflecting the 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 the fading popularity of the show, and is thus considerably rarer.)
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Knight_Rider_(1982_TV_series)&oldid=919208194'
Knight Rider is a 2008 series that follows the 1982 television series of the same title created by Glen A. Larson and the 2008 television movie.
Plot[edit]
The series stars Britney Spears as Melissa Knight, the estranged son of Michael Knight. The series also stars Deanna Russo as Sarah Graiman, Traceur's former girlfriend and love interest. Sarah is the daughter of Charles Graiman. Graiman, played by Bruce Davison, is the creator of a new generation of KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand), which is voiced by Val Kilmer. The series was in production for just one season.
Cast[edit]
Production[edit]Development[edit]
In the spring of 2007, NBCUniversal chief executive Jeff Zucker hired Ben Silverman as chief NBC programmer, and asked him to help bring NBC out of last place in network ratings. One of Silverman's early moves was to try to revive old franchises like Knight Rider and American Gladiators. Silverman, in a deal endorsed by Ford Motor Company, the car supplier, approved production.[2] In advance of its anticipated weekly run, the new Knight Rider series was introduced with a television movie on February 17, 2008. The new series premiered on NBC on September 24, 2008 and led the network's Wednesday evening lineup, along with Deal or No Deal and Lipstick Jungle.[3] On October 21, 2008, NBC gave the show a full season order of 22 episodes.[4] All of the episodes that aired on TV are also available on the PlayStation Network Video Store,[5]Xbox Live Marketplace,[6]Hulu Plus (available only for computer streaming, not TV or mobile streaming),[7] and iTunes Store.[8] The episodes are available in HD format and SD format.
Retooling[edit]
On November 10, 2008, NBC reformatted the show in an effort to more closely resemble the storyline of its predecessor. Yancey Arias, Bruce Davison, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier's characters were removed from the series after the end of their original thirteen episode commitment starting with a two-part episode scheduled to air in January 2009. The show continued with a more character-driven focus on Michael and KITT.[9]
Cancellation[edit]
On December 3, 2008, NBC reduced its season order to seventeen episodes.[10] The series finale aired on March 4, 2009. When NBC's 2009â2010 schedule was announced on May 19, 2009, it did not include Knight Rider, effectively signaling the cancellation of the series.[11][12][13][14]
Vehicle[edit]
For the series premiere, many new features in KITT were introduced in addition to those seen on the pilot movie. As an homage to the original KITT's Super Pursuit Mode, the new KITT transforms into Attack Mode[15] â a significantly more aggressive version than the Attack Mode depicted in the pilot movie, which consisted primarily of an extended rear spoiler. KITT also transforms into a Ford F-150 FX4 pickup truck for off-road purposes,[16] a Ford E-150 van, Ford Flex, Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, and a 1969 Mach 1 Mustang for disguise purposes. The series also demonstrated capabilities such as KITT's Turbo Boost, allowing KITT to briefly become airborne, and submergibility, maintaining system integrity and life support for occupants while underwater. Also installed in KITT are a grappling hook, a laser that originates from his scanner bar, double mini-guns, defensive flares, offensive missiles, parachute, a dart gun, a sonic inhibitor and an EMP weapon.
The interior of the vehicle has been reworked, with the single display screen on the center console replaced by touch-enabledhead-up displays spanning the entire interior surface of the windshield. The removal of the center console screen has also seen KITT's 'presence' indicator, reminiscent of the original series KITT's voice modulator, appearing in a pulsing orb mounted high in the middle of the dashboard with a dot in the middle that shifts over to 'look' at whoever he's talking to. Other interior changes include a more conventional steering wheel, replacing the previously seen 3/4 steering wheel, blue lighting in the dashboard over the driver's-side instrumentation and the passenger-side console that becomes red whenever KITT is in Attack Mode, and a standard Mustang rear seat instead of the super-computer laden rear seat of the movie KITT. The interior of 4x4 Mode uses the same customized Mustang dashboard, but the F-150's passenger and driver's seats. KITT also carries a backup mainframe that he can reboot to in the event his primary is damaged. KITT's mechanics are high-tech industrial robots named Katie, Lisa, and Hank. They scan KITT for damages and interact with the human actors.[17]
KITT's technology includes a surface screen program, enabling the hood to operate as a touchscreen display, similar to the internal head-up displays, a printer in the passenger-side console, and a 3D Object Generator in the rear passenger compartment, as well as a self-destruct program.
Episodes[edit]
On December 3, 2008, NBC reduced its season order to seventeen episodes. The series finale aired on March 4, 2009. On May 19, 2009, NBC announced that they would not renew Knight Rider for a second season.
DVD release[edit]
Knight Rider: The Complete Series DVD was released on July 28, 2009 on a four disc set with bonus material.[35][36]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Knight_Rider_(2008_TV_series)&oldid=919381440'
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