Knight Rider

In 1982 an unknown actor named David Hasselhoff burst onto the scene in a weekly Friday night series aired on NBC. Hasselhoff played Michael Knight on a brand new 80s vehicle oriented TV show (that frequently targeted boys) called Knight Rider to rival The Dukes of Hazzard on CBS.

Hasselhoff was what many in the industry call an "8 x 10", a perfect hunky man with shoulder length wavy hair and beaming smile. Hasselhoff was also gifted with a keen sense of humor and wit, which allowed many of the outrageous stories of Knight Rider to work and not be taken too seriously. Knight Rider was about an undercover cop named Michael Long who was betrayed and left for dead in the desert. Long was rescued by an eccentric billionaire by the name of Wilton Knight, who nursed Long back to health. Wilton Knight also gave Long a new face and identity as "Michael Knight". Knight convinced Long to use his police officer skills to help his private organization (The Foundation for Law and Government), and equipped him with a super car with artificial intelligence named KITT (Knight Industries Two-Thousand). The supporting actors like Edward Mulhare, Patricia McPherson complemented Hasselhoff wonderfully as Devon Miles and Bonnie Barstow. It is rare that a cast gels so well like this, and in many ways KR was more about the characters then the stories or KITT.

Despite some negative and absurdly over the top reviews here, Knight Rider remains one of the most fondly remembered action adventure TV shows of the 1980s. Knight Rider was not an L.A. Law or St. Elsewhere type drama, nor was it Harlan Ellison level science fiction, and it never tried to be. Knight Rider had some camp, but campy doesn't mean a dog meat series. Every single one of those action/adventure shows from the 80s like A-Team, Dukes of Hazzard, Blue Thunder, Airwolf, Hunter and MacGyver had plenty of instances of overt stupidity. They ALL had their "what the hell was that about?" moments. Every one of those 80s shows. So why is Knight Rider singled out and getting ridiculously picked on like this?

The show was a fun yet not too serious one hour adventure series. Many people here seem to be overly concerned with "looking cool" as adults and join in on the over the top teasing of a series that you know everyone loved back in the 80s. Stop trying to be so cool just because you're now an adult in the 2000s versus being the young kid that watched this show every week back in 80s. I highly recommend Knight Rider, (it will blow you away!) and check out the newly released DVD if you can. The Season 1 DVD has rich vibrant colors and sound, complete with an assortment of extra features that will keep you busy for days.

My Rating:

9/10

Knight Rider is a show that is basically only good for 80's nostalgia. Watching it makes me feel like a kid again, back when I had no worries in life beyond going to elementary school and doing homework. Knight Rider is as 80's as Mr. T, Punky Brewster, Run DMC and WHAM! Michael and KITT give me that warm feeling inside and they take me back to my childhood. Unfortunately this is not a show with much substance or intelligence. It is true that this series does not feature the best acting and writing around, and it caters to children and the kind of crowd that love movies like "The Fast and the Furious" or "Armaggedon". Yes, this is a kiddie show.

But after reading many of the comments here I feel that people are just being waaaaaay too hard on Knight Rider. Now that 80's kids have grown up, we're adults and we are looking back at this show through adult eyes. So a lot of people are really slamming Knight Rider for being a stupid goofball series and I think that is very unfair. I think Knight Rider is entertaining fluff. Just take your brain out, ignore the toy model cars and bad stunt doubles and simply enjoy the show for what it is. A fun 1 hour diversion from the hardships of daily life, and a brief nostalgia trip to the 80's.

I was 3 years old when Knight Rider was released in 1982, I remember vaguely seeing some of the episodes when they were new. I find it puzzling that people will "nit-pic" a TV show that lasted a decent 4 years on the air, yes maybe corny to todays standards, but the show was harmless entertainment. Unlike TV programming today, at least it had it's own originality. Kids could watch it without a lot of heavy violence or nudity, (which was like none in Knight Rider. to name only a few.) on the contrary, it was very much sci-fi, as well as drama, and action. Bottom line, it's a TV show, get real folks, does anyone have imagination anymore?

Oh man when I was a little kid I used to watch this show religiously. I loved this show and when the reruns are on T.V. I watch them too. I used to watch them on U.S.A. when I was in High school and loved the episodes again. It reminded me when I was a little kid. K.I.T.T. inspired my love Pontiac cars and one day I will own a 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am with T-tops. If you have never seen this show and happen upon it one day I recommed watching it, this is a classic like the A-team.

People are picking on this show for ridiculous reasons. IT was not SUPPOSED to be this great acted, perfectly mistake free show. It was an homage to the classic cliff hangers of the 50s. The flashing lights on the gas pedal were there for effect. It was never supposed to be a guide to those driving. A simple formula, really. Flashing lights = cool! By the way, to complain about show for mistakes and actually make a mistake in your complaint is kind of funny. We DID see the truck driver. In fact, in later years, he became a regular cast member. (And quite frankly, it made the show worse.)

The show was fine. Seriously, if you are watching the show expecting Shakespeare, then the mistake is YOURS not the shows.