Knight Rider (1982–1986)

A lone crimefighter battles the forces of evil with the help of an indestructible and artificially intelligent supercar.

Creator:

Glen A. Larson

Stars:

David Hasselhoff, Edward Mulhare, Patricia McPherson

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
David Hasselhoff	...	Michael Knight (84 episodes, 1982-1986)
Edward Mulhare	...	Devon Miles (84 episodes, 1982-1986)
Patricia McPherson	...	Bonnie Barstow (62 episodes, 1982-1986)
Rebecca Holden	...	April Curtis (21 episodes, 1983-1984)
Peter Parros	...	'RC3' Reginald Cornelius III (21 episodes, 1985-1986)

Storyline

Michael Long is a crimefighter who is seriously wounded during his work. Nursed back to health by a mysterious benefactor (chairman of the Knight Industries), he regains consciousness a new man with a new face and a new name: Michael Knight. His mysterious benefactor (through the guise of associate Devon Miles) provides Michael with equipment and support so that he can continue his crime fighting work. The most notable piece of equipment supplied, is "KITT", a high-performance sports car fitted with artificial intelligence.

---

Plot Keywords:

artificial intelligence | forces of evil | driver car relationship | superhero | cult tv | 

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

El auto fantástico

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

46 min 46 min (90 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

K.A.R.R. - (Knight Automated Roving Robot) aka the evil Trans Am, was the prototype for K.I.T.T. But its system had only been programed for self-prevail, were K.I.T.T. is programed to regard and prevail human life its "evil twin" was not. The voice of K.A.R.R. was done by voice actor Peter Cullen, who is probably best known as the voice of Optimus Prime of "The Transformers", Cullen has also been voice to "The Predator" and Eeyore of "Winnie Pooh".

---

Goofs

K.I.T.T. is supposed to have an air-plane style steering wheel. However, in many episodes, the top portion of the stunt-car's normal, round steering wheel is visible through car's windows.

---

Quotes

Michael Knight: I need ya buddy!
KITT: Right away Michael.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Amazing Race: Taste Your Salami (2012)

User Reviews

Nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be

The basic premise of Knight Rider has already been covered here numerous times, so I'm not going to delve into that. Everyone knows that Knight Rider is about an ex-cop with a new identity, working for a private foundation that provides him with an indestructible super car. But if you read some of the reviews here, you might think that Knight Rider is the worst TV show that was ever made. Knight Rider could get corny at times but it was nowhere near as terrible as some people say it is. There's nothing at all wrong with a show being campy.

Knight Rider wasn't "all about a cool car" either. If that was true then why didn't the two attempts to revive the show in the 90s work? Knight Rider 2000 in the early 90s and Team Knight Rider in the late 90s both failed to recapture the 80s glory of the original. Team Knight Rider even had 5 talking super vehicles. That proves that there was something to David Hasselhoff (Michael Knight), William Daniels (voice of KITT) and Edward Mulhare (Devon). They had a special chemistry that made the series work. David Hasselhoff for all his William Shatner overacting antics, made the show work too. Another man might have tried to play the material seriously, but the Hoff knew better. Knight Rider wasn't a show that was trying to change the world, it was merely a one hour action/adventure block of entertainment. The people slamming Knight Rider were probably too old to appreciate the show as children in the 80s, or they are too young to have been around in the 80s. I bet a lot of these mean spirited comments are from some dopey Generation Y kids born in 1989 or something like that. I think the shows success speaks for itself.