New Knight Rider

Sunday is the day that KITT fans have been waiting for since 1986; It's the return of Knight Rider! (Yes, I'm choosing to ignore Knight Rider 2000 and Team Knight Rider.)

This new TV movie features Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur, son of Michael Knight. Mike is a former Army Ranger / failed race car driver. Sounds perfect for the job. Now if only he can be convinced that one man can make a difference.

The new KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) is played by a 550 HP Shelby GT500KR Mustang. Well mostly; the Shelby is only available with a manual transmission and KITT has an automatic. Originally Will Arnett was slated to be the voice of KITT, but because he also does voiceover work for GM there was a conflict of interest and KITT is now voiced by Val Kilmer.




There haven't been too many interior shots floating around, but new KITT's dash appears to be mostly stock except for an LCD screen, a HUD and a holographic projector. Part of the fun of the original KITT's "gee-whiz" dash was that every single LED and monitor was real and it was something that you could conceivably have in your car one day. I've been kind of hoping that they don't use CGI for all of the Three Thousand's instruments and displays. That will make things difficult/boring for uber-fans and replica builders someday.




David Hasselhoff is supposed to make a cameo in the new show. IMDB still has him listed as "in negotiations", but he's been wanting to resurrect the Knight Rider franchise for years so I don't see why he wouldn't show up (unless he's still eating that cheeseburger). I'm hoping we hear from William Daniels too. He's got nothing going on since Boy Meets World got canceled.

The show airs on Sunday, February 17th at 9pm (8pm central) on NBC. My hopes are that it won't suck like some recent TV "reimaginings" (more Battlestar Galactica and less Bionic Woman), and that it will turn into a regular series.




Post-Viewing Update
Hmm... It was okay. Time will tell whether or not it turns into a good show. Here are some initial observations:

• KITT got hacked in the first episode. Usually this happens later in the season.
• They still haven't fixed the problem where KITT's voice gets all messed up when he is getting hacked.
• Needs more Bonnie.
• Why is the Knight 2000 in pieces in that old dude's garage? What is the Hoff driving now?
• If there are bad guys with big guns chasing you, get in the car now and have a family reunion later. Don't just stand around jibber-jabbin' until your Mom gets shot.
• Nano-technology is great and can make spoilers appear out of thin air and all, but old KITT was still bullet-proof even when the computer was turned off.
• The C130 doesn't have vertical takeoff capabilities any more?
• Dutch Oven. (hee hee)

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