Knight Rider Vol.2

There had been souped-up cars on the screen long before Knight Rider and KITT. What about the Batmobile? But 80s super-duper über Producer Glen A Larson (Battlestar Galactica, The Fall Guy) envisioned much more. In 1982, audiences were already familiar with the buddy-cop format but not with a car. Knight Rider became the smash hit of the season. Kids and the male audience loved all the gadgets (Auto cruise, Ejector seats, Ski mode, Turbo boost) and the women loved David Hasselhoff's tight jeans and chiselled looks ("You got it"). In this bit of casting, Larson ensured the show's success. The idea that the face was the product of plastic surgery after a shooting made the character of Michael Knight immediately appealing. Then in the easy interaction with the talking car (voiced by William Daniels), he became the ultimate sympathetic character. His best friend was a Pontiac Trans-Am! Actually there were a few friends on the periphery, largely from FLAG (Foundation for Law and Government). The paternal Devon Miles was the one to thank before and after each do-goody assignment. His assistant Bonnie Barstow was the one to flirt with and run to for technical ideas and repairs. Together they functioned as a perfect symbol of the future of law enforcement, where weaponry and harsh language were never needed to outwit kidnappers and thieves. After running four seasons, a couple of reunion movies and a spin-off series (Team Knight Rider) failed to recapture the big-haired, open-shirted, high-spirited camaraderie of the early years. The show was a definite one-off, and those who tried to follow in the technological footsteps (Blue Thunder, Airwolf, Street Hawk) were hit-and-miss imitators. --Paul Tonks
1. Knight Racer 2. Sky Knight 3. Knight Sting