Knight Rider was one of my favorite television series when I was a kid. You had “The Hoff” and a wisecracking, talking car named KITT battling evil and helping people in need. The new series stars a soap actor named Justin Bruening (from All My Children fame) who makes The Hoff look like Daniel Day Lewis. The bland brooder basically has a blank stare on his face and could probably be well served to spend more time taking acting lessons and less time working out at Bally’s. Knight Rider started out as a backdoor pilot that was like a 2 hour car commercial and has actually gotten worse as its gone along. Two episodes aired already and the ratings are in the tank (and will slip to critical mass after tonight, I’m sure). The first episode was a slow ride to nowhere complete with too much talk, too little action, and a boring subplot stolen right from the MUCH better Bourne series of films.
The episode I just saw was about Knight going undercover in the illegal world of street racing, at least that was how NBC pitched it during their promo last week. It was mostly a standard action episode with too little racing and too much backstory that causes the viewer to sit there numb and comatose. The use of green screen during the one big race scene was shockingly bad and even inept. The show seems actually seems to be getting worse, instead of better. This thing has about 3 more episodes left before NBC pulls it. With all the better new shows around (Sons of Anarchy, Fringe), Knight Rider is already becoming an afterthought.
Knight Rider was a classic 80s show that probably should have stayed in the 80s. A product of its time it simply doesn’t translate well to the year 2008. A piss-poor government conspiracy plot, some lousy acting, and the blatant stealing of everything from Transformers to Fast and the Furious to the Bourne flicks doesn’t help much either. All it does is remind the viewer of how much better the source material (and the current films it rips off) are than the new series. The promo for next week’s episode looks truly god-awful and has KITT on the beach (with awful puns) and appears to be some kind of warped Baywatch homage. The opening credit sequence with its cheesy techno/metal mix of the original Knight Rider theme is more fun than anything in the actual series so far. Knight Rider is running on empty, and is probably mere weeks away from being pulled.
Grade: D+
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mongoose
Oct 2, 2008 -
I miss the Hoff
John Spartan
Oct 2, 2008 -
Pull the plug on KITT. No one can replace Mr. Feeny!
Paladin
Oct 7, 2008 -
Hey punk! What are you talking about, the two dweebs sitting behind fake “throwing” computers talking about sex is the best part of the show!
I REALLY HOPE EVERYONE READING THAT KNOWS I’M JOKING!!!?
Anyhow. My brother and I lived off of Knight Rider and we are the best critics. The new one has a few moments–VERY FEW–and from that it’s missing the story, Michael’s quick sex (love) interest and any real excitement. What’s left are too many worthless character’s IE: the two sex crazed dweebs, the FBI girl and the government dude. Leave behind Sarah as Bonnie/April, What’s-his-name as Devin and Michael and KITT–Val is fine for the current voice.
Does anyone reading this remember…Michael is sitting in KITT and Tanya is going nuts and wants to finish the job she started so she walks over to the closed window and points the gun at Michael and Hasslehoff is trying to tell her not to shoot, the glass is bullet-proof–then POW she shoots, it ricochets and good bye Tanya. The second episode of the original show…man how wonderful was that!
So far a hot model (I know the actress from many shows) in a pretty car cuts a guys thumb off, still doesn’t compare to classic 80’s violence.
Goodnight Knight Rider, you disappoint me.
However CC, the “street racing” episode had a couple of moments that reflected the original show, you just have to geek it up and remember things to compare. The babe-watch rip-off is going to suck.
Later.