Knight Rider (2008) "A Knight in Shining Armor" Series Premiere Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

Last February, we met Mike Traceur, an ex-Army Ranger and the estranged son of Michael Knight. By the end he and his former flame Sarah Graiman had saved her father Charles, who worked with Wilton Knight on the K.I.T.T. with the help of the Knight Industries Three Thousand. Charles has reformed the Foundation and Traceur agreed to join the team and drive K.I.T.T.

On the heels of NBC's hit movie, the iconic 1980s television classic comes roaring back to life as a reinvented, updated and super-charged action series showcasing the new KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand). Absolutely the coolest car ever created, KITT is equipped with an "AI" (artificial intelligence) that is capable of hacking almost any system. Its weapons systems match that of a jet fighter, and its body is capable of actually transforming into other vehicles and using sophisticated holographic imagery to elude villains.

"Knight Rider" stars Justin Bruening ("Cold Case"), Deanna Russo ("NCIS"), Sydney Tamiia Poitier ("Veronica Mars"), Bruce Davison ("Breach"), Yancey Arias ("Kingpin") and Paul Campbell ("Battlestar Galactica"). David Bartis ("Heist," "The O.C."), Doug Liman ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith," "The Bourne Identity") and Gary Scott Thompson ("Las Vegas," "The Fast and The Furious") are executive producers. Based on characters created by Glen Larson, "Knight Rider" is from Universal Media Studios and Dutch Oven Productions.


Tonight's episode...
"A Knight in Shining Armor" - Series Premiere
Wednesday, September 24, 2008 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on NBC
A high-octane, tire-spinning drama about intrigue involving a tricked-out car and its driver. In the opener, Mike (Justin Bruening) and KITT gear up to deliver a package---but their parcel turns out to be a man with top-secret codes inscribed in his DNA. Mike's travels turn perilous upon the encroachment of enemies, including an enigmatic lady (Paula Garcés) who has detailed knowledge of a past Mike can't remember. Val Kilmer provides the voice of KITT. - TVGuide.com

"Knight Rider" (2008) (TV)

NBC.com/KnightRider

[ShadowGUN]

I see they keep the most cast from the movie. Cool.

Also from the preview commercials

Spoiler:

I notice they decided to use the Turbo Boost after all .

[Wounded_Dragon]

It's been available online (legally!) for days now and there are "Spoilers" warning so:

Okay, I actually prefer the KITT from the pilot. They gave him an "attack mode" that makes me think "pimp mode." Turbo Boost was appreciated, but they CGI-barfed all over the show. I really don't get excited seeing the gas molecules flowing from the tank to the ignition.

Plus, they decided to remake KITT into a freaking Transformer. No, no humanoid mode, but he does transform from car to 4x4 truck. What the hell?

Also came up with an interesting idea to get the two stars near naked right off the bat.

Nice parallel with his father, having to "die" and give up his old identity, but it feels forced.

There's still potential to this show, but with the serious retooling, I'm not sure if it can survive management.

[rggkjg1]

i think this was better than the tv movie. i was excited to hear the original scanning sound from kitt. i can't remember if it was used in the movie or not. attack mode looked stupid. that needs to be stripped down or not be used in every episode. glad to see turbo boost back. hopefully it doesn't have to be in attack mode to use it.

the episodes i'm most excited for in this series are the ones where cast members from the 80's show appear. i know it will happen sooner or later.

http://kittsite.com/ has some interesting rumors. the one i'm most excited for is:

Spoiler:

karr will make an appearance sometime within the first 13 episodes

[Startrekman700]

Plus, they decided to remake KITT into a freaking Transformer. No, no humanoid mode, but he does transform from car to 4x4 truck. What the hell?

How the hell is that possible?!? You have to change the design of the frame to even support the weight of the vehicle.

[Senira]

I watched this with my family, and there was universal agreement that this was probably the most god-awful bit of acting we've seen outside of Sci-Fi movies. The plot was paper thin at best, and it felt to me like the entire cast was trying their damndest not to laugh at some of their lines. Everything was, if you'll pardon the net culture reference, "epic" when it didn't need to be.

That said, did anyone notice that during the first time they cut to Knight headquarters, everyone was running around in a circle for NO REASON? Seriously. Watch it in slow-mo if you don't believe me. Synchronized panic combined with the later, "You need oxygen? Have a TASER!" made for the only entertaining moments of the show.

[Wounded_Dragon]

How the hell is that possible?!? You have to change the design of the frame to even support the weight of the vehicle.

Nanite magic. I've only seen such mass rearranging from Transformers. In the pilot, the nanites only moved around small amounts. Here, they're...well, magic.

But that wasn't the worst part about it. The worst part was Michael and Sarah jumping into the back of the "truck", which then transformed back to car mode, apparently moving them into their usual seats.

[TKnHappyNess]

Let's see if this rule applies to the new series that was implied in Robot Chicken's "3 Fast, 3 Furious".

Michael: Better use the Turbo Boost.
KITT: Michael, wait. I can only use my Turbo Boost once per episode.

Except for the crashing into a bridge part.

[DisneyBoy]

I watched the last few minutes, where they were in the car, and then in the subway chasing the girl. It was...pretty unbelievable. It made CSI Miami sound smart. I mean, they were clearly shooting in front a green screen for all the interior car shots, and it just looked tacky. The acting was horrible.

This show will be cancelled.

[EinBebop]

This show will be cancelled.

Hopefully not before the Bionic Woman makes a cameo!!!

[Viper]

When I was a pre-teen back in the mid-80's, I used to love Knight Rider!

I saw this ep last night, and I thought it was great!

The action was top-notch! Plus, seeing Michael & Sarah try to survive all the intense heat made for a real nail-biting moment!

I also liked how K.I.T.T. can transform now! Plus, I still love the Turbo-Boost!

I think I'm love this new version just like I did the original.

[Draft]

I got the pilot free on iTunes

beign the first time I ever saw anything Knight Rider related, I shouldn't have set high expectations for it. It was really boring and incredibly cringing.

Is it just me, or was that whole scene while they were in the car and the car was on fire was ****ed up beyond a reasonable doubt? It was so stupid, and the only obvious reason for it was to make the girl lead strip

[Wing Zero]

Wow....I think the 1982 pilot holds up better than this show's pilot and first episode. This show is going to have to shape up and not really so much on terrible CG and get some character development in.

[80's guy]

This episode should had been call "A Knight's Dark Past" I wonder that was Mike's secret, Like KITT attack mode though the pipes made him like a car for a MadMax movie, good to see turbo boost, his first form is a truck, can't wait to see more. I better start going to the site to find out about his past.

For some reason think the this series will be more like Viper, since KITT transformation is similar to the defender transformation.

[JPPT1974]

It is a good show even though the original is the original.
As I always like to say. Still, it does have the charm and the wit of the original show.

[Robin2099]

I thought it was pretty decent but was far from being great. I also wasn't a fan of all of KITT'S transformation forms. That almost made it feel more like a Spy Hunter TV series than Knight Rider. It was still better than the Bionic Woman premiere though.

[Blackstar]

Eh, the only thing I liked about this new Knight Rider was K.I.T.T. The beautiful, airbrushed soap opera actors were so cliched that it seemed like they were pulled straight out of a stereotype catalogue. The forced Sonny & Cher-esque interplay between the white geek and the hot Asian girl got old real fast. You know it must be pretty bad if the lead actor and actress both have to strip down to their skivvies in the 1st half hour just to keep people from changing the channel.

[The Penguin]

I'm not predicting any Emmys, but I thought this was just a lot of fun. It was just a lot of great action and a little bit of mystery with what Mike has in his past. I'm looking forward to just sitting back and enjoying the ride for as long as it lasts.