By Justin Berkowitz
April 2, 2008
One topic that TTAC has steered clear of is the constant liveblogging of announcements about Knight Rider. I realize that retro-1980s stuff is cool for some people, and Knight Rider is nominally about a car with gadgets. But seriously, who cares? It's not previewing some heretofore unseen production model, and it's got all the same boring action as modern action films with fake car-chase scenes so over the top they're just mundane. How many times can we watch a car leap off a bridge, enter orbit, fix a satellite, re-enter the atmosphere, stop at Taco Bell and then land on a Persian rug? The Knight Rider debut had 13 million viewers, which is comparatively pretty high for fiction shows (but a fraction of what American Idol gets), but much like initial car interest, new TV shows often do well the first time, then their ratings fall off a cliff. Worst of all, this "futuristic" car isn't even that cool. If they really wanted to appeal to the male youth demo, why not have KITT be an Evo instead of a Mustang? Oh right, because Knight Rider is a giant commercial.
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POWERED
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Oh right, because Knight Rider is a giant commercial.
And a poor one at that.
Talking cars that could drive themselves was cool back in 1984.
Cars tha talk is passe in 2008, and vehicles that pilot themselves is downright scary.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I’m of the age where the I watched the original show back in the 80s — because there was a car in it. The original show was pretty weak, and even in my youth I could tell the acting was bad. I still enjoyed it, but then I was still pre-driver’s-license.
I caught the pilot online on the network’s website, and it was fantastically worse than the original. I loved pointing out to my wife (she caught a few minutes of it with me) that all the vehicles were some sort of Ford product. I don’t mind a little brand insertion, but this felt like a straight-up infomercial. I was not impressed, and I even quite like the latest Mustang.
I’m not a TV watcher at all, and this show is certainly not going to bring be back to the tube.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
No, I don’t.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
“Does Anyone Give a Damn About Knight Rider?”
No.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
As someone who loves the A-Team with a passion?
Yeah, I dig this kind of stuff.
I’ll just have to wait two months for an Aussie network to pick it up (and by the time I’m back in the States they’ll probably have started work on “Knight Rider Australia” featuring a souped up Falcon).
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Shows like KR are the absurd endgame to product placement. Its a arms race where a growing segment of the population TiVos past the ads so marketers try and cram more and more product placement into the show or movie itself.
Sometimes it can be merley annoying like all the H2s on CSI.
I enjoyed the original show back in the day as a kid; “Air Wolf” and the “A Team” were cooler though. While it was a bit hokey and the production values were low it was a respectable showing for the standards of the day.
Done right it works ok, done wrong you end up distracting from the story. Some where in the middle is the Freeway scene from Matrix 2 with its all GM line up. Mostly anyway, they let some Ford and and Mercedes products sneak in on the Truck side.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
but… but… TURBO BOOST !
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:35 pm
No. It was so lame, it should have been shot.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:37 pm
RedStapler:
Shows like KR are the absurd endgame to product placement. Its a arms race where a growing segment of the population TiVos past the ads so marketers try and cram more and more product placement into the show or movie itself.
Great point. That never actually occured to me before, but it makes perfect sense. I personally haven’t watched any commercials in weeks. I love you, Tivo.
Anyway, regarding KR, I never had any interest in this new version from the get-go. Why would anyone…?
IMHO, KITT just looks rediculous as a Mustang.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I used to love KR, and the mustang is kinda out of place, but no Mr. Feeny??!!? No way I am watching it.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Nope.
–chuck
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:04 pm
think about if they used a Camaro…by the time the 2 or 3rd season was over GM would finally be rolling out the production car and everyone would want to be Knight Rider!
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:05 pm
TTAC:
Does Anyone Give a Damn About Knight Rider?
No. Retarded car…retarded show. (at least the new car and show…I have not seen the old one)
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:11 pm
vehicles that pilot themselves is downright scary
Brings to mind this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSrcUZ77Rsk
I think having a race series with self-driving cars and helpless passengers would make awesome reality TV.
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:48 pm
No
April 2nd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
The movie just didn’t capture the homoerotic subtext of the original series.
David Hasselhoff is The Man. Accept no substitutes.
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:04 pm
As soon as I saw the Ford Edge keeping up with KITT, I shut off the made-for-TV movie and forgot about this entire re-hash.
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Yes I do.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
The Ford commercials starring KITT were more entertaining than the movie itself.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Honestly, I enjoyed the new one. It was dumb, and the product saturation was Transformers-bad, but really, how many shows on TV don’t suck? This was good mindless fun.
That said, I don’t think TTAC needs to write about it.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
I watched the first one and Dukes of Hazzard in my youth. I’ve watched neither of the new and don’t plan on it either. Some shows should be left in the 80’s.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
It was so weak. I did watch it out of respect to the original Knightrider (which I would probably find absurd as well now that I am significantly older), but only made it through the initial chase scene where the Mustang KR has trouble losing a Ford Edge. At least, I had fun ribbing my wife about how bad the Mustang handles (she loves Mustangs) if a basic people mover is able to keep up with it.
The short answer to the subject question:
No, please no!
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:26 pm
I watched the first 15 minutes – laughed at how far fetched everything was and now a Ford Edge could possibly keep up with it. I turned it off – bad acting, bad plot, bad physics, bad everything. I read that the series premiere movie flopped big time but they are still going ahead with the series. Just a 60 minute Ford commercial with cheesy plots from what looks like producers snatched up from the porn industry.
April 2nd, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Can anybody say “Jump the Shark”?
April 2nd, 2008 at 10:59 pm
One big commercial indeed. Apparently Ford wasn’t too happy when they found out that actor Will Arnett (formerly “GOB” from “Arrested Development”) had been cast as the “voice” of KITT. Why? Because he also does the voiceovers for GMC Truck commercials. Arnett was quickly replaced by Val Kilmer at the last minute.
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:52 pm
If cars have to talk, I’ll take Anne Sothern as “My Mother The Car” over Knight Rider any old day.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 am
Transformers the movie=one big GM ad…
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:21 am
I am probably killing the thread but yes there are many of us that enjoyed the movie. It is a great premise and with some reworked details can be a hit. The pilot got a 13 share so that is a good start.
Who can complain about hot lesbian surfers and Deanna Russo in a built Mustang? I liked the ties to the original with the Knight Two Thousand in the shop at the beginning. I was hoping to see them bring back KITT since Hasselhoff was in the movie. Mabye destroyed the original saving the ‘3000′ and his son and the hot brunette.
BTW the criminals chasing KITT were in the Edge and to most it did seem asinine. Ok here comes geek mode:
The criminals chasing Deanna Russo’s character were trying to aquire information to take over a Skynet type military computer system that could control missle launches etc. Criminals with resources to go after that could have taken an Edge, pulled the engine and built it back with ARP hardware, forged pistons, crank and rods. Then have added a supercharger AND a turbocharger and cockpit adjustable tein suspension and super grippy yokohama AVS intermediate tires. Even ground effects! Yes the Edge should have looked modded to keep up with KITT. Would have loved to have seen some missles or a laser but I enjoyed the chase. I guess I am still an 80s kid at heart!!
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:39 am
Gee which show’s suck…Reality or Knight Rider??? I am getting a Blu Ray player…Who Cares!!
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:43 am
Who can complain about hot lesbian surfers
I have to admit, that part was pretty hot.
Subaru? We need to talk.
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:53 am
I have fond memories of Knight Rider from my childhood (hey, I was only about 8, gimme a break). I would like them to stay that way.
Saw a rerun not too long ago — it sucked, but not much more than most pulp TV shows, and David Hasslehof is still the Hof.
The question is how broke must Val Kilmer be to be the voice of a sentient car. Do the new equivalent of Devon Miles and April still phone in their 15.3 seconds of air time per episode?
Mmm. That April and her 80’s tied-above-the-navel button-down blouses. The stuff of eight-year-old fantasies.
There was also some terrible crap about a vigilante in a high-tech, intelligent truck after KR died… violent and sneseless. Forget what it was called.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:34 am
NO!
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:43 am
No matter how bad it is, it’s pretty ironic that a remake of an 80’s TV show is the most original thing on right now.
Compare it to:
Crime Drama Show
Reality Show
Doctor Drama Show
Unfunny Comedy Show
All of a sudden the 20 year old remake looks remarkably unique.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:57 am
I think NBC should remember that the writer’s strike was still in full swing when they premiered this load of carbage.
TV watchers were desperate for something new, even if it was lousy. A top rated show during the strike was ‘Moment of Truth’!
Once the regular shows are back on with something fresh is anyone going to watch a pseudo-tricked out Mustang do burnouts?
I know I won’t be tuning in.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:24 am
rpenna,
When you put it that way – yeah, it does seem unique.
I’m still not watching it.
Even if they built the Edge as someone posted above, why would you even bother starting with THAT vehicle to mod out like that? There are much better slates to start with than an Edge.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:45 am
Dear Hollywood,
Please stop raping my childhood because you are too chicken to come up with original ideas that might not test well.
Or, in LOL: DO NOT WANT.
Thank you,
NeonCat93
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:53 am
No Trans-Am and no Rebecca Holden. What’s the point, then?
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:54 am
In one word, NO.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:58 am
No f-body?
No Knight Rider.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:21 am
I don’t care, the 80’s show was so lame that I loved it then and I still get a kick out of the occasional re-run now.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
ha!
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I thought it was cancelled already.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Apparently the hype over the show is enough for someone willing to pay $300,000 for a pair of Kitt Mustangs at Barrett Jackson last week. Yes, the show is corny but then again we can say the same thing about the return of the Bionic Woman which should of been left in the 70’s where it belongs along with many other quality programs to choose from during primetime.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Hopefully this copy cat Knight Rider will be put out of its misery. The one from the 80s was weak but this one is the epitome of a POS.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Well they are bringing a series in the fall so everyone be sure to watch! :)
April 4th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I just realized – residents of trailer homes need a Sunday car related show to give them their post nascar fix.