U.S.A. September 26 1982 - August 8 1986
78 x 60 Minutes, 5 x 120 Minutes
Produced by: Glen A. Larson/Universal
Shown on: NBC
| Michael Knight | David Hasselhoff |
| Devon Miles | Edward Mulhare |
| Bonnie Barstow | Patricia McPherson ('82-'83,'84-'86) |
| April Curtis | Rebecca Holden ('83-'84) |
| Reginald Cornelius III (RC3) | Peter Parros ('85-'86) |
| Voice of KITT | William Daniels |
| Executive Producer/Creator | Glen A Larson |
| Music | Stu Phillips |
"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."
One day in the early eighties, the head of programming at
NBC, Brandon Tartikoff, was discussing with his assistant the problem of casting handsome leading men, since most of them can't act. They came to the conclusion it would be best to devise a show called 'The Man of Six Words', in which the hero would restrict himself to simple speeches such as 'Freeze!' or 'You got it.'
And so Knight Rider was born. OK, so Michael Knight had a little more to do than the Man of Six Words, but who cared what he did? The real star of the show was KITT, a modified black 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am with a 'molecular-bonded shell' and a sweeping red light at the front strangely reminiscent of the Cylons in another Glen A. Larson production, Battlestar Galactica.
KITT, the Knight Industries Two Thousand, could drive himself, cruise at 300mph, jump over 55 feet, and had flame-throwers, infrared sensing devices, a voice, and a personality. He was owned by The Foundation for Law and Government (FLAG), an organisation with enormous resources for fighting crime, thanks to the bequest of a millionaire named Wilton Knight, who in the pilot episode rescued a young undercover cop who had been shot in the face. The cop was given plastic surgery, a new identity - Michael Knight, and a mission: To prove that one man can make a difference.
FLAG also employed Devon Miles, the Chief of Operations, whose main job appeared to be telling Michael to "Be careful", and Bonnie Barstow, a beautiful mechanic who kept KITT in working order after he had been dumped in acid / electronically tampered with / crushed by a large truck. In the second season Patricia McPherson (Bonnie) was replaced after constantly lobbying for a romance between her character and
Hasselhoff's. Another ex-model, Rebecca Holden took over as mechanic April Curtis, but it turned out McPherson had been more popular than the producers thought, so the following season she returned. In the final season she also had some help from RC3, a street-wise ex-hoodlum played by Peter
Parros.
Fortunately, Knight Rider didn't take itself too seriously, and it was the humour in the show when mixed with action, which made it a hit, and in turn, made David Hasselhoff a star.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the show was the banter between Michael and
KITT, whether in the car or over the Comlink built in to Michael's watch, Dick Tracy style. Of course, another highlight was the almost weekly event in which a local comedy hoodlum would attempt to break into
KITT, only to be confounded by the indestructible body work and artificially intelligent microprocessor, and would end up breaking his jemmy / fist / sledgehammer. But most of all the fun was in watching a car which you knew could go up against anything built by Bond's gadget man, Q, and survive.
Yes, one man can make a difference, provided he has unlimited resources, a really cool car, and a button marked 'Turbo Boost'
1. KITT was actually built by the same people as the original Batmobile.
2. KITT's voice was provided by veteran actor William Daniels, also known as Dr Mark Craig in St. Elsewhere.
3. Stuntman Jack Gill lay on the floor and looked through a small hole in KITT's bonnet to achieve the effect of KITT driving himself.
4. KITT has a 5.25" disk drive! How very eighties.
5. Four cars were used in the show: A polished 'picture car', one for jumps, one for more dangerous stunts, and one with a semi-operational ejector
seat (God knows how an ejector seat can be 'semi-operational').
Season 1
Knight of the Phoenix -- Pilot (2 hours)
Deadly Maneuvers
Good Day at White Rock
Slammin' Sammy's Stunt Show Spectacular
Just My Bill
Not a Drop to Drink
No Big Thing
Trust Doesn't Rust
Inside Out
The Final Verdict
A Plush Ride
Forget Me Not
Hearts of Stone
Give Me Liberty... or Give Me Death
The Topaz Connection
Chariot of Gold
A Nice Indecent Little Town
White Bird
Knight Moves
Nobody Does It Better
Short Notice
Season 2
Goliath (2 hours)
Brother's Keeper
Merchants of Death
Blind Spot
Return to Cadiz
K.I.T.T. the Cat
Custom K.I.T.T.
Soul Survivor
Ring of Fire
Knightmares
Silent Knight
Knight in Shining Armor
Diamonds Aren't a Girl's Best Friend
White Line Warriors
Race for Life
Speed Demons
Goliath Returns (2 hours)
A Good Knight's Work
The Mouth of The Snake (2 hours)
Let It Be Me
Big Iron
Season 3
The Ice Bandits
Knights in the Fast Lane
Halloween Knight
K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R.
The Rotten Apples
Knight in Disgrace
Dead of Knight
Lost Knight
Knight of the Chameleon
Custom Made Killer
Knight By A Nose
Junk Yard Dog
Buy Out
Knightlines
The Nineteenth Hole
Knight & Knerd
Ten Wheel Trouble
Knight in Retreat
Knight Strike
Circus Knights
Season 4
Knight of the Juggernaut (2 hours)
Kittnap
Sky Knight
Burial Ground
The Wrong Crowd
Knight Sting
Many Happy Returns
Knight Racer
Knight Behind Bars
Knight Song
The Scent of Roses
Killer K.I.T.T.
Out of the Woods
Deadly Knightshade
Redemption of a Champion
Knight of a Thousand Devils
Hills of Fire
Knight Flight to Freedom
Fright Knight
Knight of the Rising Sun
Voo Doo Knight
Video clips:
Season 1 opening (RealVideo 1.18Mb)
Audio clips:
DVD:
Buy Knight Rider Vol. 1 on DVD
Buy Knight Rider Vol. 2 on DVD
Buy Knight Rider Vol. 3 on DVD
Books:
Games:
Buy Knight Rider for PS2
or PC
Ajay's Knight Rider Page
Knight Rider: The Web Page
Knight Rider: Did you ever notice...?
