Knight Rider

[Panther_Gunn]

http://www.nbc.com/Knight_Rider

Really?  Is this necessary?  What are we going to attempt to bring back next, Automan?



*goes into a corner & repeats his mantra "dead horse, dead horse, dead horse, dead horse...."*

[crimsonquill]

I heard about the return of Knight Rider but hoped it was worthy of a Battlestar Galactica/Bionic Woman makeover (i.e. revamp and modernize the characters/story while trying to iron out the wrinkles of the '80s show which didn't work). Then I saw the previews on the network and all of my hope drained away when an ugly commericalized sports car with a bad european accent trying to sound like the old KITT rolled into view.  :rolleyes:

Apparently nobody remembered that KITT was a futuristic looking car with a personality and having a cool looking driver just as stubbern as the car was what made the chemistry of the show work for a few years. If they couldn't bring something new to the table then it needed to remain a untouched classic show with its previous spin-offs long forgotten. Looking at this five-billionth attempt to spin off another series off the old show just makes me ill when I think of The A-Team getting shafted like this as well in their movie (for example: a new merc team from another war runs across the old team in their retirement and they decide to take over the business).

- CrimsonQuill

[Haljack]

I'll reserve judgement till I see the 1st episode

[Pyroclasm]

Hmmmm...
My first impressions:
Gave me a bad flashback of "Viper".
With all the close-ups of the car's logo, seems like it will be an hour-long car commercial.  Perhaps it should be "brought to you without commercial interruption by Ford"?
Why oh why could they not have used a concept car (something very different from current models) so the audience could FEEL the futuristic nature of the car while jonesin' for the real version to be released?
So THAT'S where Barricade drove off to.

We'll see.

[zuludelta]

Why oh why could they not have used a concept car (something very different from current models) so the audience could FEEL the futuristic nature of the car while jonesin' for the real version to be released?

I guess they can explain the decision to use a Mustang Shelby as being motivated by the need to keep KITT incognito.

But yeah, from a "cool car" standpoint, the current Mustangs (even one as powerful as the Shelby) just don't work for me. I'm not really much of an automotive fan but even I can tell you that young, contemporary, car aficionados generally don't like the blocky appearance of General Motors' current offerings (their appeal has mostly been for the older and less "with it" set). If the show's producers really wanted to tap into the the hip and current vibe, they should've gone for a souped-up, drift-racing import (maybe a Nissan Skyline GT-R or a Mazda RX-7, or even one of the newer BMWs). Then again, maybe they're going after the NASCAR demographic, in which case an oversized, over-powered, and aesthetically blah car like the current Mustang is a reasonable choice.       

[herodad1]

i dont care about the show but i do like mustangs.the old K.I.T.T was a t-a or a camero.i remember watching the show and hating micheal hasselDork but you couldnt help liking the car.come on guys...give it a chance before shooting its tires out.

[zuludelta]

i dont care about the show but i do like mustangs.the old K.I.T.T was a t-a or a camero.i remember watching the show and hating micheal hasselDork but you couldnt help liking the car.come on guys...give it a chance before shooting its tires out.

Oh, I don't have an opinion of the show one way or another, so I'm hardly "shooting its tires out."

Just commenting on how the popular perception of the current Mustang isn't in-line with the popular perception of the Trans-Am in the original show. Back then, the Trans-Am was the kind of car that many kids, teens, and adult males probably considered "cool." The current Mustangs, as far as I've observed, aren't really the type of cars most kids, teens, and young adults find cool (they're more likely to go for smaller and zippier imports a lá the ones featured in The Fast and the Furious films and many contemporary video games), and the current Mustang's popularity seems to be restricted to a particularly older consumer base.   

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I have great hopes for this new Knight Rider.  I think it has promise.  I am also grateful that they are not making this a true remake, but rather a sequal to the original series.

[Verfall]

i dont care about the show but i do like mustangs.the old K.I.T.T was a t-a or a camero.i remember watching the show and hating micheal hasselDork but you couldnt help liking the car.come on guys...give it a chance before shooting its tires out.

Oh, I don't have an opinion of the show one way or another, so I'm hardly "shooting its tires out."

Just commenting on how the popular perception of the current Mustang isn't in-line with the popular perception of the Trans-Am in the original show. Back then, the Trans-Am was the kind of car that many kids, teens, and adult males probably considered "cool." The current Mustangs, as far as I've observed, aren't really the type of cars most kids, teens, and young adults find cool (they're more likely to go for smaller and zippier imports a lá the ones featured in The Fast and the Furious films and many contemporary video games), and the current Mustang's popularity seems to be restricted to a particularly older consumer base.   

That's the thing, I don't think they're going for the young audience. They're going for the kids from the 80's that watched it, and are now packing a mortgage and 2.5 kids. But that still doesn't explain why it's a Mustang. That car has basically been marketed to the first-gen baby boomers who are trying to relive their adolescence. The Mustang from the 80's was a piece of ugly crap, but the Camaro, Firebird and Trans Am were gorgeous cars.

I'm going to assume Dodge had nothing that wouldn't strike a "Viper" tone, so they left them out. And besides the Corvette, what does GM have? The Cobalt? Yeah, not exactly the most striking vehicle. The new Mustang is very visibly striking. If you see one, you know it's a new Mustang. It's one of the few cars out there that can say that. Most imports I actually have trouble distinguishing, short of tiny Miata's and the RX-8 and its huge axe head nose. Plus, Skylines are still illegal states-side, no? And, the new Mustangs have been featured as an American "import" in a lot of those new racing games.

But I still don't get why the 80's are "cool" again. Some girl came on American Idol last night dressed like someone took Madonna's and Michael Jackson's early 80's style and vomited it onto an 18 year old girl. Than we have all the TV shows and cartoons being remade into movies and new TV shows. Seriously, our memories may blur it out, but the 80's in general sucked!

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Why do you have to make the question over why they picked the car they picked so hard?

They didn't pick it.  They were sponsored by an auto company who picked the model they wanted to sell for them.  That is all.

[herodad1]

i grew up during the 70,s & 80,s and it was a good time.alot of new ideas came out,good music, and yeah compared to now it may seem stupid but you had to BE there to know.i look back at alot of those tv shows and yeah they were real corney watching them now but its history.the 50,s and 60's seems goofy to me but i bet our parents had a great time.they were simpler times.i will admit the 80's clothing styles were lame!as far as mustangs...the 70's and early 80's they were terrible.when they put the v8's back in them is when they started coming back.

[Uncle Yuan]

Could be worse . . .

[zuludelta]

That's the thing, I don't think they're going for the young audience. They're going for the kids from the 80's that watched it, and are now packing a mortgage and 2.5 kids.

That's most probably true... the fact that the show's a "sequel" to the old series and not a remake like the current Bionic Woman seems to be a deliberate nod to the older generation of viewers who grew up watching a pre-Baywatch David Hasselhoff. 

[thalaw2]

I like the car.  I guess that's cuz i'm from the old skool. 

[zuludelta]

Really?  Is this necessary?  What are we going to attempt to bring back next, Automan?

I'm personally waiting for Manimal. The animal-morphing sequences used to freak my mum out  :D

[Protomorph]

I hope at least, that they use the real music this time, rather than the terrible remakes by studio musicians.


(I'm not talking the theme song, but the driving sequences)

[Agent]

Val Kilmer voices 'Knight Rider'

A carmaker conflict has caused NBC to hire Val Kilmer to replace Will Arnett as the voice of KITT on its "Knight Rider" revival.

Arnett ("Arrested Development") had already completed his part for the pic, which is slated to debut on NBC in less than two weeks. Producers Doug Liman, Dave Bartis and Dave Andron -- along with the network and studio -- were all fine with his performance.

Problem is, Arnett had a contractual conflict of interest.

For the better part of a decade, Arnett has done voice-over work for General Motors -- as the voice of GMC Trucks. NBC's new "Knight," however, is "played" by a Ford Mustang.

What's more, Ford isn't simply providing cars for "Knight Rider." It's taking an active role in the marketing and branding of the pic, a backdoor pilot for a possible series. Ford's logo even appears all over NBC's on-air promos for the pic.

Not surprisingly, when GM found out about the Ford connection, it asked Arnett to pull out.

"I was very excited at the prospect of playing the part of KITT in the new 'Knight Rider' movie," Arnett said. "However, because of a long relationship with General Motors as the voice of GMC Trucks, I had to respectfully withdraw from the project."

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

It's on now.  So far, so good.  Val is doing good as KITT so far.

Too bad they had to pick today to send me back to 3rd shift temporarily.  I'll have to wait until next Saturday to finish watching it.

[BWPS]

Wow, if Will Arnett (greatest actor of all time) was still in it I would've loved this. Now I will never care to see it.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Okkaaay.  So you'd rather give up on a movie completely just because the voice actor you wanted was unable to stay because he was violating his own contracts?  That's a rather sore attitude there.

Well, you're only depribing yourself.

[BWPS]

Okkaaay.  So you'd rather give up on a movie completely just because the voice actor you wanted was unable to stay because he was violating his own contracts?  That's a rather sore attitude there.

Well, you're only depriving yourself.

I watch movies JUST because Will Arnett is in them. If the movie doesn't interest me at all and Will Arnett isn't in it, I'm not going to watch it. What's wrong with that?

[thanoson]

I saw the 1st 30 minutes of it and thought it sucked. Kitt's voice sounded flat and like it wasn't even coming from the car. The dialog between the girl and Kitt seemed way too forced as well.

[GhostMachine]

I wasn't able to watch it last night, so I'm glad they're going to re-run it Saturday. Otherwise I'd have to hope for it being put on the NBC website or someone uploading it to Veoh.

[77]

I wasn't able to watch it last night, so I'm glad they're going to re-run it Saturday. Otherwise I'd have to hope for it being put on the NBC website or someone uploading it to Veoh.

Its not Veoh but its ok.
http://www.watch-movies.net/movies/knight_rider_2008/

[bredon7777]

It was ok. Not great, but ok. Depending on what they put it up against I might watch the series.