Knight Rider #1 on Sci-Fi UK

Good news for the UK premiere of the Knight Rider pilot movie! According to Knight Rider Online and Sci-Fi UK, the show got over half a million viewers!Knightendo77 posted this on the Knight Rider Online message board from Sci-Fi's site:

London, 13 May 2009: NBC Universal Global Networks today reveals that the premiere of brand new Knight Rider has delivered its SCI FI channel's best series ratings since the first run of Heroes in 2007. Over half a million viewers tuned in for the high-octane, feature-length pilot which guest starred David Hasselhoff.The premiere made SCI FI the #1 non-terrestrial entertainment channel amongst all adults in digital cable and satellite homes.SCI FI also enjoyed a steep uplift amongst young adults, with 33% of viewers aged 16 - 34, up nearly 60% on the channel's average. Surprisingly, women aged 16 - 24 outnumbered their male counterparts in the same age group by 6 share points, proving that cars aren't just for the boys.Jon Farrar, Programming Director (UK), NBC Universal Global Networks commented, "We've always said that the return of K.I.T.T. is an historic TV moment and the viewers have clearly agreed with us. We're thrilled with the ratings and really proud to bring such an iconic series back to life on the SCI FI channel. We've introduced the show to a whole new age group... a generation of young viewers can finally understand why us over 35s get so excited about a talking car."The series will continue to premiere on SCI FI every Tuesday at 8pm and is also available in high definition on SCI FI HD (available on the Sky platform). Following the feature-length pilot last night, Knight Rider will continue in one hour instalments and go back-to-back with the UK premiere of DOLLHOUSE, another highly anticipated fantasy from Buffy creator Joss Whedon, which starts next Tuesday 19 May at 9pm.

If the ratings keep up like this, there is more hope for a second season! Be sure to check out Knight Rider Online's Second Season Campaign if you wish to help out!

Hasselhoff for Gumball 2009

Nothing Less (Poster)

Gumball 3000 Official Site:

Alert the media, alert the authorities – David Hasselhoff will be driving this year’s "Coast to Coast" Gumball 3000

Accompanied by his daughters, Taylor-Ann and Hayley, the Hoff will be joining over 100 supercars in the seven day drive from Los Angeles to Miami, which departs from Santa Monica Pier on Saturday 2^nd May.

The actor, whose hit show ‘Baywatch’ remains the most watched television show in the world with over 1.1 billion viewers, waved the starting flag in San Francisco for the 2008 Gumball.

Gumball blogger, Georg Fecthter, convinced the star to join him on last year’s rally. As the Hoff’s godson, Georg was given one of the original Knight Rider KITT cars as a gift on his birth and, after spending $40,000 on restoring the 1982 Pontiac Trans Am to its original condition, entered the world famous car in the 2008 rally.

Unfortunately, KITT came a cropper with a broken fuel pump in Los Angeles just one day into the rally. Luckily though, the Hoff had already swapped vehicles to a more up to date and reliable Audi R8.

The star is still to confirm what he will be driving on this year’s rally. But you can rest assured it will be one of the most photographed cars on the route.

---Official Press Release---

Hasselhoff-Friends

Vivid Racing is a huge part of this years Gumball 3000 rally from LA to Miami on May 1 going to May 8. Not only have we prepared 4 cars that we have been blogging about here on the VR Blog, we are also going to be doing LIVE Video Coverage with Ustream.tv on our site. You can see where the Gumball will be stopping each day on our official schedule here - http://www.vividracing.com/forums/events-meets-shows/22961-2009-gumball-3000-schedule-la-miami.html. So Stay tuned for more info or go to www.vividracing.com/gumball3000. Now read the PR!

Ladies, Gentlemen, prepare to start your engines …as the 11th annual Gumball 3000 Rally from Los Angeles to Miami is about to begin!Attracting ‘rock stars’ to ‘royalty’, the entry grid of over 100 amazing cars and participants in this year’s Gumball is nothing short of spectacular! From David ‘The Hoff’ Hasselhoff to Jackass’s Bam Margera and Ryan Dunn in a custom BMW; next to action sports legends Tony Hawk, Danny Kass, and Dave Mirra in tricked out Jeeps, Chevy Trucks and Porsches; alongside Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs, British indie stars The Enemy, MTV’s Dirty Sanchez, the hilarious Cuban Brothers and the fire-breathing Fuel Girls together with vintage rocker Lemmy from Motörhead and Avenged Sevenfold – Gumball has it all – showcasing Bugatti Veyrons, Lamborghini’s to Low Riders and classic American muscle cars. With event sponsors including lifestyle sportswear brand Puma providing ‘Gumball 3000 Edition’ driving shoes, Nixon creating unique timepieces, and Monster Energy supplying the drinks – this eight-day ‘road trip’ is certain to live up to all expectations of being a stylish, adrenaline fuelled adventure. Think of Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett and Captain Chaos in the 70s Cannonball Run movies and you start to get the picture. Playmates, supermodels and an international cast of eccentrics come standard issue!On Friday May 1st Gumball 3000 is hosting a ‘free’ music concert on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade – With live performances from LA hipsters U-N-I, Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs and the Cuban Brothers – followed by a ‘VIP’ party at the Viceroy Hotel with guest DJs including DJ Spider, DJ Fashen and Beef Warehouse.The amazing super, muscle, import and luxury cars will all be displayed next to Santa Monica Pier on parking Lot 1550 from midday on Friday May 1st - ready for the flag to drop at 1pm on Saturday 2nd May! From Santa Monica the 3000 mile route includes a spectacular sight-seeing tour of the good ‘ole USA, peppered with overnight stops, parties and checkpoints in Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Dallas, New Orleans and Orlando - before crossing the finish line on Miami’s Ocean Drive on Friday 8th May.In addition to experiencing a classic road trip adventure, racetrack stop-offs at the Lonestar Motorsports Park in Sealy, Texas, and at the Palm Beach International Raceway in Florida will allow drivers the chance to put pedal to the metal and test their supercars to their limits. One participant that will undoubtedly use these stops to show the other drivers “how to drive” is legendary champion ex-Ferrari Formula 1 racing driver Mika Salo, winner of last years ‘24 Hours of Le Mans’- taking his Ferrari F430 Risi Competizione Scuderia GT2 on the rally!Gumball 3000 Rally are officially working with the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organisation benefiting and raising awareness for the needs of severely injured United States Service men and women. Wounded Warrior representatives will be present throughout the event as well as partnering with Gumball 3000 at forthcoming events and fundraisers.For daily updates go to www.gumball3000.com, and catch highlights of the action on YouTube, Pumamotorsport.com, Monsterenergy.com and on MTV - but if you live on route – then stop whatever you’re doing, get out of the house - and come along to see your favorite stars and cars roll into a town near you!2009 Gumball 3000 Schedule LA to MiamiCome out and see the madness of Gumball 3000. Here are the scheduled main stops where you can view the cars, celebrities, and more! Look for the BMW 750IL wrapped in Gold for the Vivid Racing crew?Still want to enter, last minute entries being excepted, go to www.vividracing.com/gumball3000UPDATE - The dates are where we will be staying that night! The day is driving and stops.1st of MayLos Angeles CA, Viceroy Hotel2nd of MayLas Vegas NV, Hard Rock Hotel3rd of MaySedona AZ, Enchantment Resort4th of MaySanta Fee NM, Eldorado Hotel5th of MayDallas TX, W – Hotel6th of MayNew Orleans LA, Royal Sonesta Hotel7th of MayOrlando FL, Ritz Carlton Hotel8th of MayMiami Beach FL, Gansevoort Hotel

Interview with The Hoff

Digital Spy

Monday, April 13 2009, 1:33am EDT

By Dan French

Rex Features

Where do you even begin? From Baywatch and Knight Rider to 'Jump In My Car', this man is a living legend the world over. And with a new show - The Hoff: When Scott Came To Stay - and his daughters about to launch their pop careers, it seems The Hoff is making a welcome return to our screens (and our lives). With a million burning questions and more than a little excitement, we gave David Hasselhoff a call.How did the idea for the show come about?"It came about because Scott had done me a favour and I got to know him. He championed this crazy video I did for fun called 'Jump In My Car' and it went to number two in the charts and I thought, 'What a cool guy!' The people behind the show wanted someone to come and live with me and I was against it, but then they suggested Scott."You specifically wanted Scott Mills to come and live with you?"I was interested in putting my daughters together as a singing group because that is their dream - to follow in my footsteps and sing - and they were getting really close to being ready. I wanted to make it real and I wanted to make sure they were going in the right direction, so having Scott come with me seemed like a great idea. I told my daughters, 'This is a number one DJ and we have to listen to him because he knows what sells.'"Aside from the music, why did you want Scott?"I wanted to show him how crazy it was living with me but to also show him how we are a family and we are normal people - but it's impossible to live a normal life. I wanted to take him to some crazy things - we were going to go skydiving, but we couldn't in the end because of insurance reasons."So what did you and Scott get up to?"I took him out in the ocean and rung his bell on the jet skis and took him to some crazy clubs and I wanted to just show him what happens when you walk around Las Vegas. It was a lot of fun, but the main thing for me was to see if I was going down the right track with my daughters."What did he make of your home life?"When he was leaving, he said 'I feel like I've been here two weeks - I'm exhausted'. But he said the most amazing thing that he got out of it was that we're a loving family and that with a massive amount of people and fans coming up to me I was never rude or negative. If you watch the show, you'll see what it's like. A long time ago I realised that I could use being a celebrity in a positive way and it makes you feel great!"If you were to do another series, who would come stay with you?"I don't know - that's a really good question! I really enjoy playing off another guy. I loved working with David Chokachi (Cody Madison, Baywatch) and I would have loved to have worked with Robert Wagner when he did Heart To Heart. I also loved working with Edward Mulhare (Devon Miles, Knight Rider). I like playing the younger guy to an older guy but now that I'm older, it can be the other way around."What do you make of the new Knight Rider?"When Knight Rider was coming back, it could have been Michael Knight and his son, but they didn't go in that direction. It's no big deal, but if they had gone in that direction, it would have worked. Everyone loves to see a father and son - Baywatch had the babes and the beach but when we did the focus reports, people said they watched it over and over again because they liked Mitch and Hobie. I'd love to work with Jeremy Jackson (Hobie Buchannon) again - he's a great kid."Have your daughters recorded anything yet?"We've got one song in the can, but we're not going to release it yet - you'll see it on the show. We're going to wait and see what the reaction is but so far we're getting offers and it's not just because they're The Hoff's daughters! At the moment, they're in dance class, they're working with trainers, and they're working with stylists - they're basically working their butts off!"We hear they're going to be called 'The Hoff Drops'..."No, they're not - don't listen to what you've heard! They have a different name, and it's all very serious. We're going to be back in the studio recording the rest of the album and we're getting them prepared to launch. Hopefully, it'll happen some time in the Fall."

Original Knight Rider on NBC

NBC.com has put up episodes of the original Knight Rider! Check it out.

Knight Rider Festival Recap

What can I say? Easily the best weekend of my life.. met tons of celebrities and friends from online communities. I can't really put it into words how amazing the Festival was, I was on excitement overload until the drive home from Vegas.We arrived in Vegas on Friday evening, and I got dressed for the VIP party.  Was planning on just walking around and seeing where things were for a little bit beforehand, but I got a call from Scott saying there was going to be a press conference in 20 minutes. So I walked outside the Golden Nugget to the first street stage for the ceremony.  Ever carry a heavy news camera and tripod in heels all the way from the 19th floor of the hotel to Fremont stage? Not fun! But I did it, and got lots of great footage and even interviewed Justin Bruening and Rebecca Holden! It was so amazing. I ended up editing a whole 2 minute story for the news on Monday with all the footage I got, and it's up on the website at KCSG.com if you want to see it.I was so star struck after those interviews! If that wasn't enough, I met Justin again at the VIP party later that night. He is the nicest guy, very personable and approachable. Catherine Hickland was also there, and I got to chat with her. It's weird, because you meet these people that you watch on TV all the time, and you just don't know what to say to them. If you could just chat with them, what would you say? My mind came up with a blank.. and all I could mutter out with Catherine was "OMG I'm talking to Stevie right now." She just laughed and was very nice.I asked her what it was like working with David Hasselhoff on Knight Rider, and she told me, "Well he was my husband at the time, so it was weird." She even stood there to let me take a few pictures with her.Then I saw Justin Bruening and he was standing in the corner on the balcony, and it took me about an hour to just get to him. When I did get there, he took a swig of beer and shook my hand. It was kind of amusing. He was really chill and just talked about funny things that have happened on Knight Rider. He was telling me and others that were standing around this silly story about KITT's voice globe. He said, if you step on the gas quickly, or jerk forward fast in the car, KITT's voice globe will fall out of the dash."I've actually caught it a few times," he said. He went on to talk about how in attack KITT, the voice globe blocks the air conditioning vents so he likes to take it out.He signed my DVD copy of the tribute video I did for Knight Rider Online, and said he's visited that site a few times and liked it. He then told me he'd check out dhasselhoff.net because he thinks the Hoff is a cool guy.I got some video of the VIP party, with Glen Larson and Justin Bruening. I wasn't able to meet Glen Larson, which makes me sad, but I'm glad I was able to get some video of him at least from afar.

The Fremont Street Experience put on a "Knight Rider Tribute" video on Viva Vision, which was really awesome. It was cool to see images of Knight Rider past and present on such a big screen. There was even a KITT scanner 5 blocks long!After the VIP Party, Neil, Scott, Sue (from KRO) and I went downstairs and walked to the garage to see all the KITT replicas. Neil and Sue rode in a replica and then Scott and I were able to ride in another. That was amazing - I couldn't believe I was actually riding down the Vegas strip in KITT.The replica I rode in was unbelievable. It actually had functional buttons! Ignition, windows, doors, headlights, dash lights.. all controllable from the ceiling buttons. He even had a functional "Oil slick" and "smoke screen." He said he wanted to get a nitrous kit, so his "Turbo Boost" would actually work.Lots of people were looking at us, since we were in a line of KITTs. Some people on the street were screaming about how they love KITT and the show, and some people in their cars next to us were doing the same.We all drove to the Vegas sign and took pictures, checked out other replicas and chatted with Michael Scheffe. He was so humble, such a nice guy he was.Saturday was the main event! I met Justin again a few more times, but the end of the day, when he walked by he would nod to me!Hung out with more friends that I've known online for 10+ years, and some people I've only known for a few months.The original K.I.T.T. was on display and I was able to talk to the owner and get pictures of the dash. It's one thing to see a replica, quite another to see the original. It was in prestine condition, but you could see the wear and tear on the seats and some parts of the dash, which was the more fascinating thing, if that makes sense.So many things happened on Saturday, and trying to recount it now is harder then it was to recount Friday. Saturday night there was lots of entertainment. Paul Casey sang and played guitar with Don Peake and they were really good. One of the songs he sang was "Johnny Be Good." Rebecca Holden also graced the stage and sang a few songs. I didn't know she could even sing until that day, and was impressed.Despite the amazing replicas and all the celebrities, it wouldn't have been as fun if I didn't get to meet all my friends from online. Everyone was so nice and approachable. My_friend_KITT, jup, neps, mike pajaro, scott, vegasmike, victor kros, MR2NR, vampire knight, tigersharka, season2fan, Sandra and anyone else that I met were all great nice people. I really enjoyed hanging out with them all.To see more photos and videos, check out the gallery.

David Hasselhoff Will Not Attend The Knight Rider Festival

Paul Casey of the Knight Rider Festival announced that David Hasselhoff will not be attending the festival today on Knight Rider Online. The following is the email he received from Joe Townley.

Paul,Thank you for your emails about David appearing at the Knight rider Festival in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, David will be unable to attend.While David was very excited about the festival and was very keen to attend, sadly his schedule does not allow it as he has to be in NY shooting America's Got Talent, and work must come first!I am sure that David thoroughly appreciates your efforts and we will be happy to prepare a video message for you. Please give me an idea of the sort of thing that you would like him to say and we will organize it.Many thanks,Joe Townley

Read the complete post here.

Get Knight Rider Merchandise For Charity

The Knight Registries opened up their store yesterday with tons of Knight Rider toys for you to enjoy. Unfortunately, the David Hasselhoff autographed Knight Rider car has been sold. But there are many other things to buy.The best part: All proceeds go to the Children's Miracle Network.Check out their store here. Just click on "Store" on the menu.

Knight Rider Video Contest

Posted by Sue at Knight Rider Online

One favorite fan activity is to create video tributes to the shows, stars and cars that we love. Now you have a chance to have your video seen by the dignitaries themselves. Three finalists will receive an invitation to the VIP party at the Knight Rider Festival in Las Vegas where their video will be shown.Video submissions must be high energy and 3 to 5 minuets in length. They must be made with high quality footage that is clean of markings and advertising. Knight Rider footage may be used if the audio track is muted. Be original and creative!Some suggested video topics would be: A tribute to the stars of the show both living and dead in honor of their work. A tribute of the cars, the stunts and some of the more spectacular moments. A tribute to the show, both old or new. A tribute to Las Vegas highlighting the many times classic or new Knight Rider was filmed in the "entertainment capital of the world"All entries must be submitted to knightrideronline by March 5.

Donations for the Children's Miracle Network

Supported by Knight Rider Online, DavidNet, and the Knight Rider FestivalThis March, Knight Rider fans and stars from around the globe will unite in Las Vegas to celebrate a series that touched so many of us. Created on the belief that one person has the power to make a difference, Knight Rider taught us that each of us has the capacity to help others.It is the basis from these teachings that the Knight Rider Festival began its genesis. To not only bring together fans of Knight Rider and celebrate those of us (the fans, the replica owners, the stars) who continue to keep Knight Rider alive, but to also take that energy and apply it to something positive, something that can give hope.The organizer, Paul Casey, realized this and has made arrangements with the Children's Miracle Network. While the event is free, donations will be accepted and appreciated. They will go to help champion the cause of the innocent, the powerless, the helpless. Their attackers may not be visible in a way KITT could help, but their threat is very real.

How to help

We realize that many fans around the globe would want to participate in donating to this noble cause, but wont be able to be in Las Vegas for the event. It is because of this that we are agreeing to accept donations on behalf of the Children's Miracle Network via secure transaction via PayPal.By submitting a donation of any amount on this page, you joining a pool of funds from around the globe. When the Festival arrives, a representative from Knight Rider Online will present a check for the total amount along with a list of all names of people who submitted donations greater than $1.00. The presentation will take place at a VIP event the Friday of the event, in front of all the distinguished guests. We will video tape this happening and post it for the world to see.Even if you can not make it, you can have the power to affect someone's life. Join the community at Knight Rider Online and come together to help support the Children's Miracle Network.

Official letter from the Children's Miracle NetworkMessage from Paul Casey

KRO's donation page

David to Appear at the Knight Rider Festival?

As posted at the Knight Rider Online message board by tigersharka:

Friends of Knight Rider, Fans and car owners here is the link to our event's charity, the Theme of Knight Rider as eloquently stated by original Michael Knight, David Hasselhoff.I met David and he personally told me he would be there for me and my daughter, a special needs child. I applaud David and all who support this cause.I hope you will participate and help those that need your help. Remember, Knight Rider Festival is for you, the stars of the event.I encourage all members of the website to participate. Yes, even if you can not attend Knight Rider Festival, you can contribute.I ask the moderators or administrators to take the lead and set the tone. Be a leader for your group. Represent all of your members. Ask they send in their donations and you present the funds directly to the Children's Miracle Network. Remember no funds are to be paid to Knight Rider Festival AND any amount will be gladly accept.When you make the presentation at the VIP party, you and your group will be the focus, the stars of the event. All of the celebrities, media, local and state officials will see that your group made a difference is a child's life and their family. I have told all of the celebrities how you are making a difference in a child's life. That motiviated them to come to your event, Knight Rider Festival.An amazing opportunity to follow the Theme of Knight Rider.I will personally recognize these efforts at the VIP party. Each VIP-celebritiy has graciously given their time because of the efforts of the fans to raise money for these special children and their families.Take a moment, and read this link. Hopefully, you can make a difference in someone's life...and even your own.Thank you. I look forward seeing you in Las Vegas for Knight Rider Festival.Paul CaseyProducer

If you are to attend, please help out the Children's Miracle Network. More information can be found at the Knight Rider Festival Charity page.

Knight Rider - Exit Light, Enter Knight Review

i just finished watching it, and it really hit the nail on the head. now, if it was like this since the beginning, i think it would've done better.

the ending was a bit rushed but at least we had some sort of ending. maybe NBC will understand that the ratings suck because it's on against american idol, and as soon as american idol disappears from wednesdays it will do better.. or maybe they should move knight rider to a non-american idol night.. 

this was just a great episode. just.. great.

Knight Rider - Knight to King's Pawn Review

WHY.this could have been one of the best episodes of the season if they had just taken the time to make it a two parter episode. spread out the story line a bit, let the audience hang and come back for next week for the battle sequence. i mean, you advertise this episode for weeks, and it's supposed to be the "new beginning" of the show, make it a freaking two-parter./ranti smiled and laughed and giggled when KARR appeared. now, if they ended the episode RIGHT THERE and said "to be continued" - that would've been perfect, and i would've squeed and screamed. just end the episode with KARR running out and saying "Now, I give the orders." PERFECT ENDING.i did expect it to last longer then it did. i was just getting all giddy during the sequence when it ended.i am glad that they finally mentioned wilton knight. that makes me happy. i can't wait to see where the series goes from here, it can only get better.

up and running!

Got this site back up and running! I added this nifty little blog here,  thought it'd be a good place to talk about what's going on with the Hoff, and the new Knight Rider. Speaking of which, if you want to see the Hoff in the new Knight Rider, you will have to write NBC and tell them you want a second season! This will be the only way you'll get to see David return to the series as Michael Knight. In my opinion, it was the best show he's ever been on.Write to:Angela BromstadCo-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio100 Universal City PlazaUniversal City, CA 91608

Hasselhoff says new Knight Rider TV series will bomb without him

The Cheers News Agency

London, July 7 : Former 'Baywatch' star David Hasselhoff feels that the new Knight Rider TV series will turn out to be a failure because it does not star him."It's like having Indiana Jones without Indiana Jones," the Daily Express quoted him as saying. Hasselhoff played a brief cameo in the pilot episode of the US remake of his old show.The role depicted him as the father of the new driver of supercar KITT.However, since the producers are planning not to bring him back in the upcoming series, the 55-year-old says: "It's going to miss the target a little bit." (ANI)© 2007 ANI

Knight Rider car being auctioned on Ebay

Telegraph.co.uk

The original KITT car from the eighties hit show Knight Rider is being sold on eBay, the internet auction site.

By Urmee Khan Last Updated: 7:24PM BST 16 Jun 2008

Several KITT cars were used to film Knight Rider

Knight Rider, the cult US show starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a former policeman recruited by the Foundation of Law and Order (FLAG) to fight crime.His companion was the super-car KITT, described as "a 300mph, high tech, self aware communicative, man-made marvel" on eBay.The black 1984 Pontiac Trans Am with a distinctive red light bar in the nose, has so far attracted a top bid of $27,000 (£13,500).The KITT car, short for Knight Industries Two Thousand, in addition to extraordinary mechanical powers, it possesses an acerbic wit spoken with a nasal drawl.The car, used in the third and fourth series of the series, is famed for its Turbo Boost mode that allows it to leap and manoeuvre over obstacles and villains.The description on eBay states: "This is one of the original vehicles from the series introduced initially in the third season and then re-converted to simulate the "Super Pursuit Mode" variant of KITT that featured in the 4th season and was later used in the Knight Rider made for television movie (1984) and for exhibition and promotional purposes."One of KITT's many technologies, the "Super Pursuit Mode" was designed according to the show to give KITT a 40 per cent increase in speed through the assistance of retractable airfoils and jet boosters."Inside, a panel of lights and screens depicted a look at the future of automobile technology - a future that exists in some ways today."

David Hasselhoff: My Knight Rider snub

Mirror.co.uk

David Hasselhoff has revealed how US TV bosses turned down the chance for him to return as Knight Rider.The Hoff told Radio 1's Scott Mills: "I said to them why don't we bring back Knight Rider with me and a new car?"So they called me back and said, 'We love this idea - you're not in it, but we love it'!"It's lucky Hoff has his singing career to fall back on then...

Knight Rider roars back with 13m

guardian.co.uk

  Jemima Kiss guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 19 February 2008 11.01 GMT NBC's Knight Rider remake looks likely to earn a full series commission, after the 1980s show returned to US TV on Sunday night with almost 13 million viewers.A two-hour Knight Rider TV movie special was watched by 12.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen preliminary ratings for Sunday.Newcomer Justin Bruening is now the star of the show, although cult favourite David Hasselhoff made a guest appearance as Michael Knight.The wise-cracking car, known as KITT, is now voiced by Val Kilmer and a black Ford Mustang has replaced the Pontiac Trans Am that featured in the original series.NBC will confirm its new commissions in May but the network is expected to order a full series of Knight Rider following Sunday's figures. The show is returning after a 16-year break.Knight Rider's comeback follows NBC's successful revival of American Gladiators, which attracted 7.3 million viewers for its series finale on Sunday night.American Gladiators has already earned a second series on NBC and the entertainment format is also being revived in the UK by Sky One.Also on Sunday night, CBS broadcast the first episode of serial killer drama Dexter, which has transferred from US cable network Showtime.Dexter was watched by 8.1 million viewers in the 10pm hour on CBS, finishing third among the major US networks in that slot. However, this was CBS's best Sunday 10pm figures since December.In its first series on Showtime, Dexter averaged 733,000 viewers. Showtime will broadcast the third series of Dexter later this year. 

Knight Rider Zooms to the Lead

NPR

Listen Now add to playlist

The Bryant Park Project, February 18, 2008 · Some of the most popular stories on the Web, including word of Knight Rider's triumphant return to television.

KITT the car gets a kaboodle of upgrades in new 'Knight Rider'

USA Today

By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

On NBC's Knight Rider, horsepower equals star power.

The talking car at the center of the 1980s action show returns in updated form in a two-hour movie (Sunday, 9 ET/PT) that could rev up a new Knight Rider series.

 

MORE: These TV cars helped soup-up the show

 

Twenty-six years after the original series, creating a new KITT — upgraded from Knight Industries Two Thousand to Three Thousand — posed a challenge: keeping ahead of computer-driven, GPS-directed auto technology. "What we said when we started this was, 'Everybody's got a talking car,' " executive producer David Bartis says.

But they don't have a car that can shift shape and color, as the current KITT can. "It can change shape slightly to increase its speed and handling," he says. "That's something we've read about as a technology that's not too far away."

The crime-fighting KITT still has an artificial intelligence, voiced by

 Val Kilmer, that can hack computer systems and tell its driver, Mike Tracer (Justin Bruening, filling David Hasselhoff's seat), when he's heading the wrong way, Bartis says. "This car knows it's right, and we've got a guy driving the car who does things a little by the seat of his pants. So you'll see the car questioning him and challenging him." 

KITT will now be played by a Ford Mustang, replacing the original 1982 Pontiac Trans Am. The movie features the iconic Mustang, showcasing a muscular, limited-edition Shelby GT500KR (KR stands for King of the Road, not Knight Rider), as part of a marketing and production partnership with Ford. NBC has been one of the most aggressive networks in placing sponsors' products in its shows.

Kilmer, who drove the Batmobile in the 1995 film Batman Forever, just replaced Will Arnett (Arrested Development), who gave up the role because of his long relationship doing voice work for GM. William Daniels voiced the sharp-tongued KITT in the series.

"Val's voice is incredibly rich and expressive, and he also gets the comedy of it," Bartis says.

In the movie, KITT creator Charles Graiman's daughter, Sarah (Deanna Russo), joins forces with ex-Army Ranger Tracer and an FBI agent (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) to search for her father (Bruce Davison) and find out who's trying to get their hands on KITT. Hasselhoff also appears and could occasionally return if the film leads to a series.

The movie tries to retain the lighter, action-drama tone of the original, while grounding it more in reality, going home with the characters and putting them in real jeopardy, Bartis says. To that end, the new KITT drops a few bells and whistles, including its turbo boost.

Bartis acknowledges that some fans of the original may object to changes, a phenomenon experienced by new versions of Battlestar Galactica, Bionic Woman and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

"We wanted to find the balance between how much to keep of the original and how much to reinvent it," he says. "For the most part, we found a really good balance."

 

First Look At David Hasselhoff In New Knight Rider

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Some new promo stills for the Knight Rider TV movie have come out, and... they're super boring. They show Justin Bruening, the show's new driving wheel, and some other characters in suits, possibly funeral wear. And you glimpse David Hasselhoff, looking way less bright-eyed and bushy-haired, in his cameo. Also, there's a new synopsis.

The new KITT is the "ultimate car," with a super-weapons system and the ability to change shape and color. Some evil guys want to get their hands on this awesome ride, and they try to kidnap Sarah Graiman, the daughter of KITT's inventor Charles Graiman. Sarah enlists the aid of Mike Tracer (Bruening) to find out who's trying to steal KITT and to track down her missing dad. Also joining them is an FBI agent played by Sydney Poitier (Veronica Mars). [Daemon's TV]