TV Gold

Can't believe they are remaking this!!!

http://www.nbc.com/Knight_Rider/

I'd like to share with you guys some 'gut reactions' to this new series now showing on the UK Sci Fi channel http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z152/saraht1102/KnightRider-SkyMagarticle.jpg

For those of you with a fond nostalgia for the mid 80s series of “Knight Rider” the new updated version will undoubted be a bit jarring as, in my opinion, apart from the name this successor shares little with its original cult favourite.

After a perfunctory, and from my perspective slightly over padded, pilot episode last week, the UK Sci Fi channel served up the first regular offering last night which I guess is a better representation of what the series is like. We open with a lengthy spy genre type pre titles sequence with the new ‘Michael’ and his lady associate on a dangerous mission at some high class dinner party function. This eventually leads to their escape from gun toting baddies and some impressively breathtaking but laughably absurd special effects magic from the ‘totally over the top’ new KITT car, an overly pumped up American muscle car with exaggerated red LED strobe grill light. Now if this was a feature film the sequence of KITT’s passengers in considerable danger from roasting alive as the car burns from a rocket attack as they frantically race to reach their base would have been acceptable but in a TV series where weekly screen time is limited I frankly felt this was overly self indulgent.

Now in my opinion the reason for the original series being so successful was that it was very much the premise of ‘one man (and his car) can make a difference’ and that the Foundation For Law And Government was an unobtrusive backup employer whom stayed on the periphery of the action. The 80s version was in that regard a ‘Lone Ranger and Silver’ where it was, for the most part, down to the lead character, to foil the bad guys plans each week. In fact this is further supported by the spooky title sequence and spoken narrative. The new series has a much more hard edged abrasive feel to it although there is the general feel of the original theme laced within it.

With the new series however it’s very much a case of ‘Team Knight Rider’ where man and car are merely part of a much larger more visible, seemly high profile, Government funded organisation. Whilst with the original all that Michael Knight had to deal with was the charmingly sweet and effacing Devon Miles plus pretty lady vehicular technical expert Bonnie operating out of the back of a 18 wheel truck the new series seems to present a more prevalent back up crew. Now travelling around the world in the back of a large cargo plane its environment packed with state of the art technological equipment it’s more like an official military operation which bears a passing similarity to a certain Superheroes ‘BatCave’.

Obviously over twenty-years since the original series the audience expectations for ‘Knight Rider’ have been raised by other TV shows and what the cinema has served up like for example the big budget blockbuster “Transformers”. However I personally feel, on the evidence of last nights program, that flashy CGI has taken precedence (with the exclusion of the worthy mystery of ‘Michael’s’ military past) over plot and character development.

Yes I’ll certainly continue to watch more of this series, it’s great adrenaline rush entertainment but of course hopefully a bit more subtle would certainly not go a miss for future episodes. It might share the same name but from my perspective this new version and its cult 80s original seem to share little in common. I’d suggest that this flashy 21st century version go for a name upgrade… “Knight Rider GTi” anyone???

Further to also offering my previous post at the 'Interceptor's Lair Forum ('The' Place to discuss Chatsworth Television Productions)' a fellow member of that forum, called 'Ian' offered a very interesting and insightful reply post which I thought you guys might like to see...

As a fan of Knight Rider I've been naughty and managed to see all the episodes ahem "elsewhere" so some of my comments may spoil the series for those who havent yet seen it.

The premise of the pilot episode is that the creator of the original Knight 2000,Charles Graiman,is targeted by terrorists intent on stealing his artificial intelligence work for malevolent purposes.Reclusive,he is hidden away however the terrorists track him down,and during a raid on his home,he apparently dies.Breaking into his workshop they are about to steal items when an apparently silent black car bursts into life,twin red scanner lights pulsating and then roars away.They open fire but the bullets appear to bounce off the skin.

They later target Charles estranged daughter,Sarah,who also knows some of Charles secrets in the hope that she can unlock his work.However the car known as the Knight 3000 comes to her aid and to head off the threat Kitt and Sarah attempt to track down her childhood friend Mike Traceur.

The pilot maintains a link to the original in that Mike is the estranged son of Michael Knight and the Knight 2000 appears,briefly,in pieces in the workshop raid at the beginning of the show.David Hasselhoff also reprises his role during the episode.However between the pilot airing in the states in February 2008 and the actual series starting in Sept,the premise of the series changed.A new producer,Gary Scott Thompson,writer of The Fast and The Furious,was brought in and he altered the concept of the show.

Mike and Kitt now work for Knight Industries Research and Development in partnership with the CIA solving crimes of national importance,however forces are at work which later undermine this relationship.Kitt is now able to physically "transform" into different types of vehicle,mostly Ford thanks to a marketing deal and also into an "Attack" mode,similar in concept to "Super Pursuit Mode" from the original but not as subtle.

The series as it progresses does move closer in spirit to the original premise of "one man can make a difference".This involves several changes of cast and the storyline.Fans have been clamouring for the return of David Hasselhoff and the original KITT,Thompson has not ruled this out in interviews but there is a distinct possibility that the series will not be renewed in the US making this unlikely.Hasselhoff has also criticised the direction taken after the pilot so his involvement is not certain if the show does make it to series 2.

The car itself has divided fan opinion,die hards say Kitt should be nothing else but a Pontiac Trans-Am 84,however this model is no longer made so the choice was made to use a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR.The interior is also nothing like the original,in the pilot a centre screen is used and in the series all computer functions appear on a windscreen Head Up Display system,the dash remaining almost identical to the standard Shelby.

To sum up the series has some moments for the fans but the majority appears to be a reinterpretation based on the original.The 2008 pilot is closer in spirit to the original and I feel the series should have carried on based on this.