Knight Rider IS supposed to be fun... but it is supposed to be half-way believable as well. Concerning the latter, it is seriously lacking, and that's disappointing.

The new KITT is great. The new special effects are also very good. The storyline and the characters are pretty weak though. The dialouge between the charachters is extremely corny. I think that in an attempt to make the show hip and up to date somewhere along the line great storylines and believable characters got lost. The focus of Knight Rider has always been the car, but having a cool car in the show won't be enough to keep people interested. If you want more than one season I suggest that the storyline, characters, and the scripts get a complete overhaul.

I liked the show. I watched it tonight. Question is- what was the song they were dancing to on the beach. I loved the song but I don't know who sings it. Please?

Writers, please pay attention to the fans and their posts! The show is really lacking and numerous posters are calling you guys on your poor writing. Do something about it before you get canceled! I mean at this point many of us would much rather see the show canceled than to see the continued bastardisation of a show we all loved. Of course thats my opinion

I liked tonights show. I'm still getting used to the morphing stuff. But other than that, the story is line is getting interesting. Thanks for giving me something to watch on Wednesdays.

I'm enjoying modern, fun twist to this show and everything, but I still don't find myself attached to the characters. In everything they go through, I still find they are people I can't associate with at all in personality. Even this KITT is less likable than the old Kitt. For example, when Michael was in serious condition he didn’t react at all at first. Sure, maybe he’s going through some issues being younger, and still learning, but I hope that you’re more direct about that in future episodes. At the end of the episode he finally seemed concerned for Michael but there didn’t really seem to be any reason given in the episode for the sudden switch.
Overall, I liked how the old show had heart. I will probably keep watching this one, anyway, because of the car, gadgets and missions, but I hope you guys can make it better in the future so it doesn't get taken off the air. Thanks for making the new Knight Rider!

“A Hard Day’s Knight” **¾

Of the four episodes we’ve seen so far, this one is the best. Finally KITT’s ability to transform played out in a fun way, and had me fooled (of course, you can only do that once or twice). It still isn’t being presented in a believable way, but that’s a production issue—the writing was great.

I thought the dialogue was quick, funny, and much smarter than we’ve heard so far. KITT picking up colloquialisms and reusing them throughout the episode is fun, and makes a great character trait during his development. I laughed out loud a few times at the dialogue, which is a good sign for me.

At first I really thought this was going to be a remake of “Dead of Knight,” but it turned out to be its own thing pretty quickly. I thought Justin played the dying Mike very well, without losing the sense of humor about his character. The best parts were when it was just Michael and KITT.

I’ve read a lot of complaints about one thing in particular, but I haven’t really connected with it until tonight. There are WAY TOO MANY characters involved in the show. As soon as Michael is in the SSC, he has dialogue barreling at him from four people at once. Torres tells him one thing, Carrie adds something else, Sarah mentions something else, KITT makes a comment, Zoe makes a joke, Billy comes back, Torres belittles the hero again, Mike jumps back in the car. It’s TOO MUCH, I can’t keep up. Add in the awful soundtrack that seems to be nothing more than a bunch of noise to get your heart racing and it’s worse.

Then, Mike leaves the SSC, gets away from all the people shouting at him, and immediately he’s bombarded with talking heads every which way on the HUD. I can’t take it. Admittedly, the pacing of TV shows has changed a lot since the 1980s, but the pace of this show is enough to make me want to start taking Ritalin. It’s too fast, too disconnected. A little of this can be corrected in the writing, but a lot of it is a production problem. I’ve watched one episode of the TV show “Burn Notice,” but the pace of that show felt much more akin to a natural evolution of the crime drama of the 80s to 2008.

Please, slow it down about 40 beats, and back off the dialogue shooting at Mike constantly. If you strip away all of that nonsense, and just leave it to two or three people interacting with Mike a bit less infrequently, this episode would have shined. Most of the things I don’t like about the writing is really because of the framework these scripts have to be built on: returning to the SSC three times an episode, adding in dialogue for unnecessary characters, mysterious disconnect from FLAG and the original series. Trying to keep these issues out of my mind, I thought it was by far the best yet.

Have to admit its a daunting episode title, and well done. Really enjoying the story unfolding, even for the returning fans & new ones. Can't wait to see next week's episode.

is this really back will it b showed in the uk?

This epsidoe was awesome. Seriously, the spinning Kitt of Doom (my name for it XD) should be a ride at Universal. Would be much better than the original neglected KR rides there.

But you guys definantly need to thin out the herd of characters here...a lot of them are pointless and make the show hard to understand. I keep missing important things cause I'm trying to figure out what each character is doing and keeping them straight. OrKR showed ya only need 4 characters and you only need to see 2 of them 99% of the time.

Questions- what was the song they were dancing to on the beach and the one when Sarah was dressing him before the assonation. I loved the song but I don't know who sings it. Please someone anyone answer this. People are wondering alot...

Great Episode, My favorite so far! Now I have a question to you producers:
1- Why wasn't there any pieces of his past revealed and a lady that he was supposed to know?
2- Make the show a little more dark with the flashbacks that you guys obviously couldn't put in, is it because NBC doesn't want it too dark?
3- Keep up the good work but make it a little darker to give some edge for the older viewers like myself, I'm 20.

Thanks!

Hello Dave,
I'm not sure that you have read the last posting I had, but I live in Philadelphia and I have met your father, who can't stop talking about how good the show is and the way that you guys get along on the set and how the chemistry works. I agree and I think it's great, and I feel a little special that I can speak to him about Knight Rider. Wednesday's episode was great and I am really getting tired of all the negative posts that people are putting on here. It seems as if they are not getting it........again people, THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL KNIGHT RIDER!!!! You have to judge it on the merits that they are taking on from where the original show left off. Of course the whole idea of the "one man" thing was designed for the type of work that the first Michael Knight did. FLAG was designed to help law enforcement do the things that they were not permitted to do....this team is taking on a whole new ballgame: national threats. Of course a bigger team is needed (maybe not so many) but now Michael is NOT ALONE!!! People were entranced with the idea that one man can do it alone, when in actuality he couldn't, not all the time. (Remember, they did add R.C. in the final season.)
Some of the ideas, like the big rig and more live action shots may tone some of these people down, but don't lose your premise. The one thing that people can't deal with is that things change.....and that includes Michael Kinght and KITT. As much as we would have loved to see the same old, same old, would it really work nowadays? Now don't get it twisted.....I am a die-hard Knight Rider fan but I have realized that this is not FLAG and this is not the 80's anymore. The new MIchael is part of a larger scheme of things and we have to let them take this where it should go.....along it's own path. Thank you, Dave for taking on the massive task of trying to stay true to the original, but still incorporate newer ideas. Even KITT changed in the old series......why can't he change now?
Those who post on here.....please stop attacking the writers and producers of this show as if they were killing your dog. This is the NEW Knight Rider.......keyword here: NEW. See it for what it is trying to be, not for what it isn't.

While the tone of the above poster is pretty harsh, and the grammar is awful--I have to say the middle point is correct. If the show is picking up where the original left off, then it should feel emotionally connected to the original. (And I’ll keep saying this until I see evidence of it.) All organizations evolve over a period of 22 years—but there are always artifacts that remain true. Such is not the case for “Knight Research.” No Knight chess piece anymore—now it’s a cobra. We all know why it’s a cobra. It’s not because of any natural evolution this group would have gone through over the years; it’s because Ford Motor Company paid extra for it to be the show’s logo. I’ve studied brand management, I understand that. When real world business overtakes original canon and mythology, it’s really difficult to take a new show seriously.

“But, this is a business, and there are executives that we have to answer to…” I get that. So show them this:

Speaking of brand management, the reason NBC Universal remade this show was because they understood the “Knight Rider” brand still had value in the marketplace even after 20 years. But brands have value because of the emotional connection people have with them. The equity of a brand is held in the minds of the public—not in the rights of the production company.

For most people, the elements of the Knight Rider brand they connect with are David Hasselhoff, the Pontiac Trans-AM, the Knight chess piece, KITT’s voice and character, Super Pursuit Mode, car chases, bad guys, and fighting for the everyman. This show hasn’t capitalized on any of that, in fact, it’s changed EVERY brand element there is to capitalize on. Disagree? Read on.

Hasselhoff got nothing but a poorly written cameo that didn’t even connect to Michael Knight’s true character, the Pontiac was changed into a Ford, the Knight chess piece was turned into a cobra, KITT’s less human, Super Pursuit Mode was changed into Attack Mode, the car chases are a backseat to existential dialogue, the everyman has turned into the FBI and the NSA. They haven’t just changed a few things to update the show, they’ve changed *EVERYTHING.* And it’s severely damaging the “Knight Rider” brand.

Don’t believe me? Look at the classic branding disaster of Coca-Cola. They changed the formula for Coke in 1985, to make it more like the popular drink of the time, Pepsi. All of their marketing research told them people liked a sweeter cola; that was the taste of the times. There was a huge outcry; people had grown up with Coca-Cola—rich, emotional memories of grandparents and childhood were tied to the drink. Coca-Cola had missed the point—they didn’t own the brand, the people did. If everyone forgot what Coca-Cola meant to them tomorrow, no one would buy it. The equity is in the minds of the consumer. Coke realized their mistake, and changed the formula back. Will NBC Universal be willing to do the same? It doesn’t have to be the original—even Coke’s brand has evolved over the 123 years it’s been on the market, but you can look at an ad or a package for the product today and you can look at one from 1908 and you can see they’re cut from the same cloth.

Sadly, such is not the case for “Knight Rider.” I think there are too many egos, contracts and dollars involved to admit the error, and time is running out. NBC brought this show back because of nostalgia, but there’s no nostalgia here because they just took a different show and stamped “Knight Rider” on it. I just don’t see how there will be a second season if this show doesn’t start to feel like the original.

(Further, fans had to practically BEG for Turbo Boost, and it still doesn't touch the way it was done in the original series.)

There was a song that Kitt played at the end of the show for them to danced on the beach can you tell me who that was and what the song title was please?

As the saying goes, you can't please everyone. I've been reading the comments here, most of them I disagree and some I agree but the one complaint I agree is the use of many characters on the show. Being a writer myself I would find it stressful to find stories for each of the characters on the show. Otherwise the characters would say few lines here and there and that's it.

This episode in particular, I love how we found out that Mike still has feelings for Sarah and went so far as to tell her before he died how much he loved her. But I wanted to see a little bit more emotion from Ms. Russo as Sarah after learning about Mike's death. Maybe it's the acting on her part or the directors, we don't know. But I like the episodes so far!

Hey "Michael" - what do you think of Victor Kros? I mean, Nick Nugent. A real moron, don't you agree?

My god, either my head is going to explode from all the negativity that I've read on here, or I'm just going to continue to not care and watch this awesmoe show. Look, I wasn't alive for the first Knight Rider. But when THIS Knight Rider came on, I immediately did my homework and wacthed as many fs much as the first show as possible. I feel head over heels with the first KITT, then found that love conflicted with that of my love for the new KITT. Granted, the Hoff has always been...interesting to me, and I've alwaysed loved his hair...but i relized that as I watched the first show and waited for this show as a series to premiere, I knew QUITE well, that it wasn't going to be as happy-go lucky and campy as the 80's seires was, and I could AND CAN understand that. If I can, that why can't all you nausers do the same?

Sorry, let me restate that, since my keyboard just crashed...give this show a chance...This show has potential. You just got to let it work itself out. Oh...what if I were to tell you that KARR will have has time in episode 12 of this series? NOW are you people happy?!

Folks have high expectations--I'd be surprised if the network and the producers didn't understand that when they first brought this back. So, no, EV, it's not going to be enough for KARR to just come back. It's going to have to make sense, and it’s going to have to feel right.

This show is missing the charm and the swagger of the original. I don't think anyone is asking for 80's cheesiness. We just want some familiarity.

That said, the first 13 episodes of the original series are MUCH different than the rest. Those improvements came from the actors growing into their characters, writing adjustments, and drastic production changes (INCLUDING MORE UNIQUE SCORING!...hint hint…).

There’s a lot that has to be tweaked for people to really embrace the new show. But, “I have faith.” It happened with the original, it can happen with this one.

I can't get over how good the episode, "A Hard Day's Knight" was. This is the best episode yet. It's exactly how a Knight Rider episode is suppose to be. I hope there are more like this. Keep up the good work. Wednesday night is the highlight of my week!

"Hey "Michael" - what do you think of Victor Kros? I mean, Nick Nugent. A real moron, don't you agree?"

- What's that K.I.T.T? You think morons who refuse to post their names lack testicular fortitude? Yes --- I agree they are cowardly little dimwits.

-----

David Andron, congrats you obviously drew your inspiration from Mission Impossible 3 and Escape from L.A with this episode.

While not particularly original I would like to say with all due respect an episode like this should have come later when the audience actually has time to care about the death of characters.

This series has been so poorly written with respects to character development and rushed third acts as much as I'd like to have cared about Michael "dying" I really haven't had enough time to bond to him enough to care one way or the other.

Secondly as exec producer, you need to work back in your original effects ideas from backdoor pilot. As flawed as the pilot was, at least you had the right idea with keeping nanotech believable. For that I give you all the respect in the world.

Let's see the bullet "eggshell" fracture effects return and the organic looking color shifting abilities return to this show and then maybe, just maybe you might stand a chance of going the distance.

Show more damage to the car, thus far there has been no evidence of it being near indestructable nor superior to the original Knight 2000.

An advanced HUD is no substitute for the gimmicks which made Knight Rider a memorable show. Ski Mode, Smoke Screens, Oil Slicks, Microjam...

What you call "cheesy" we fans called practical (for the most part). These made the car special because it actually performed defensive attributes that made the car feel special, it didn't just drive and tap into satallites for an hour.

The grappling hook and the KITT laser are a nice touch but their introduction was so rushed it really stripped the excitement of them. Really pay attention to the pacing of the original series, it's still far superior to the bulletime editing style of today especially in the third act.

KITT tapped into computers but he also smashed through walls with ease, leaped over obstructions in real time, went 200+ MPH and did all of this in HERO MODE, not some other mode.

KITT didn't need to change in order to be near invulnerable or turbo boost, that's what made KITT, KITT. A single car, sleek and instantly visually identifiable. He didn't need three or so other "modes" to get the job done.

Knight Rider is about the characters first and the depth of those characters as much as it is about the super advanced car of tomorrow. If people don't care about the characters, all the visual effects in the world for your "hot car" isn't going to sustain your ratings.

Especially when the car still appears as just any other car on the road out there, except for the ability to have a HUD and transform in other forms for limited amounts of time.

That's all well and good but the fact you have to keep transforming it to get anything of interest out of the Shelby goes back to the same problem...you lack a wow factor.

The car is stock, the dash is stock, and Attack KITT is a giant unbelievable (and unattainable) toy car.

I find it not only rediculous but quite frankly unrealistic that a 50cal machine gun fired on a speeding "attack" KITT at practically point blank range does not cause siginificant damage, VISUAL DAMAGE that would do more then "hit a windshield" and shoot some sparks on the road, especially with so called "explosive tip rounds"

As exective producer you should have pointed out that the way this sequence was handled was poorly executed and destroyed all believability which was probably more prominant in your script.

You want longevity, really try to meet the fandom halfway because history has proven Knight Rider fans "new and old" can make or break this series.

We give Knight Rider its value, not you and your "new ideas" and not even the studios.

The studios give us merchandise which we choose to buy for our love of the Knight Rider WE make famous today. WE do it, WE build the replicas, WE hold the shows/events for Knight Rider Universal refuses to take part in. We fans new and old matter and YOU the studio need to realize that.

You respect us, we'll reward you by getting the demand high enough for more then one season of this series...you ignore or disrespect us, you're going to last as long as TKR.

Bank on it.

=VK=

I wouldn’t take Victor Kros’, (AKA Nick Nugent) rant too seriously. He’s been tossed off several boards for his over-the-top arrogance and disrespect of other posters.

I think a quick apology to Victor is in order.

He has a right to express his opinion, and if he gets overzealous at times, I think his heart is in the right place. He cares deeply about KR, and it’s the fans that make it go.

My post was a bit of a low blow, and I’m sorry..

With all due respect to those who choose to dislike me, yes I admit that at times I am very passionate but you have to keep in mind that I am both in the demographic of this new series and a man who understands and is putting out a book covering the old mythology of Knight Rider. The show we all rememeber and admire.

I make valid points which I support with valid reasons for why I like or dislike something. I believe that I speak for many of the older fans of Knight Rider who have concerns they themselves don't know how to express for themselves or just don't have the time to do it.

I do not speak for all or the majority of older Knight Rider fans but I do speak for those passionate fans out there who want to see a firm compromise between what is new and what is old with this fandom and I will continue to express that concern until it's been properly addressed.

We want this car to impress us, we want to feel this car is nearly indestructable as it claims to be. We want to see that Michael and KITT are more then one man and his "tool"
doing a job.

Regardless of how I choose to convey my thoughts, suggestions, or opinions, it is valuable data that can make or break the longevity of this series. If anyone from NBC's Knight Rider team wishes to contact me about these points, feel free to do so. I'm an easy man to track down.

I've said this before, I want this series to succeed but if you want to go the distance (more then one season) you really need to look at both generations of Knight Rider fandom and more importantly respect it.

When you chose to make a "new vision" of a show based on a worldwide phenomeon about a talking car built upon the premise of One Man Can Make a Difference then continue to insist it is a continuation, you inherited a responsibilty to listen to the fandom that supports and experienced what made Knight Rider inspire them to continue to carry the torch for a show 26 years old.

If you didn't want to deal with it, if you wanted to make something "new" you should have just created Spy Hunter: The Series or some other new hip concept that wasn't attached, firmly attached with nostaglia and iconography.

Michael and KITT (originals) are symbols of Americana and are recognized by nations all across the world. When you alter the perception of what Knight Rider was and what it is supposed to be now you're playing with fire.

You're not going to get this kind of longevity from specialized focus groups who don't have a clue what Knight Rider is or is supposed to be.

If it wasn't for the fandom, Knight Rider would not have it's lasting value.

I know what made the original show work, I've been in contact with the original people who made it work from creators to producers, writers, etc.

I'm not just some derranged fanboy out there demanding that KITT be a Trans Am and Michael be The Hoff.

I get that things need to change but the idea is to take steps forward not backward and so far for all the "new things" you've revealed I see very little progress forward that would make this show feel better then the original from the execution to the design.

=VK=

I haven't spent time on the Knight Rider boards, so I don't know the Victor Kros/Nick Nugent backstory--nor do I really care. But, the comments here by "Victor Kros" really reflect everything I was saying about the Knight Rider brand--and how it's equity is held in the minds of the audience.

So, I hope some business-minded folks involved with the show can cut through the childishness and focus on the professionalism of some of these comments. I've read that Gary Scott Thompson only reviewed the first season.

If that's true, I wish he had reviewed at least 1/4 of the second season, and the first half of the 3rd season. I think that's when Knight Rider really got its character.

He said you have to earn the slow moments that were so constant in the original series--and I completely agree with him. I just don't see how that's going to happen with all these characters, and this weird relationship with the FBI.

On the bright side, there's a whole season ahead now. So I have hope that in the second half of the season, some of our concerns should start to come through in the show.

And I really hope they fix the music. Doesn't feel right.

i have one heck of an idea when an agent is shot dead ssc asks flag to help them in solving this case because they cannot trust any one in the group so like that u can bring mr.mile mikes father ,and the kitt 2000 back in to action

the show is starting to pick up. Being more serious, bigger stakes and more exciting car stunts. I really like the idea that kit can transform but I feel certain things are too much. EG A cargo van? Try to keep the size proportional. I think Arnold said it best in t2 "it can only mimick things of equal or similar size" (something like that)

Plainly and simply, I've stopped watching the show and have stopped taping it on my DVR. It's a pointless and very disappointing show with pointless characters and dialouge.

Reading these posts are very informative as well as distressing. First and foremost people.....THIS IS A T.V. SHOW!!!!! To take this as far as making it almost a way of life is kinda embarrassing. Dave, you guys have taken on a HUGE task of trying to recreate a legend; Knight Rider, and you should be commended for the attempt that has so far been successful. Other attempts at bringing back old T.V. shows, like Bionic Woman, have fallen off by the wasteside. There are some posters on here that are truly passionate about the show and it's origins and that's good to a point, but when did you get the idea that what YOU may think is the only thing that will work. Your ideas, as well as my own and many others on here, are just that ideas and brainstorms; they are not the end all and be all of how the show succeeds or not! Again, we can not apply everything that worked for the original will work for this one (for the exception of the car) Yes, those who love the show, as I do, would love to see some adjustments, but they need TIME and TRIALS to do that. They have a TEAM of people to do this and they are hard at work on it. This is not a case of Wilton Knight's dream here; one man can NOT make a difference here, not alone and definately not without conferring with many others that have higer stakes in the success of this show than we have. A whole host of ideas have to be considered and with the feedback that we give, it gives them a greater idea of where the show is heading. (Oh, and by the way for those that think it's a waste of time.....it's WINNING in it's time slot according to the Neilsons). Ideas have to grow and mature and I'm more than positive that they have a good idea of where they want to take this. (Also, there is nothing wrong with the choice of the lead actor....my husband introduced me to his talent when he was on All My Children and he's only gotten better...and hotter!)
Anyway, in general, the ideas given here do hold some merit, like the lessening of the cast and less CGI, as well as more interaction of Michael and KITT alone. But, just like with the rest of your opinions, this is mine; and should be considered as such. The show is heading in a direction that will eventually answer all of the questions that you may have as to what happened to the original people and organization and maybe give some peace to those that have a thing about this show being like the original. GIVE IT TIME!!! They've been picked up, so just buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Reading these posts are very informative as well as distressing. First and foremost people.....THIS IS A T.V. SHOW!!!!! To take this as far as making it almost a way of life is kinda embarrassing. Dave, you guys have taken on a HUGE task of trying to recreate a legend; Knight Rider, and you should be commended for the attempt that has so far been successful. Other attempts at bringing back old T.V. shows, like Bionic Woman, have fallen off by the wasteside. There are some posters on here that are truly passionate about the show and it's origins and that's good to a point, but when did you get the idea that what YOU may think is the only thing that will work. Your ideas, as well as my own and many others on here, are just that ideas and brainstorms; they are not the end all and be all of how the show succeeds or not! Again, we can not apply everything that worked for the original will work for this one (for the exception of the car) Yes, those who love the show, as I do, would love to see some adjustments, but they need TIME and TRIALS to do that. They have a TEAM of people to do this and they are hard at work on it. This is not a case of Wilton Knight's dream here; one man can NOT make a difference here, not alone and definitely not without conferring with many others that have higher stakes in the success of this show than we have. A whole host of ideas have to be considered and with the feedback that we give, it gives them a greater idea of where the show is heading. (Oh, and by the way for those that think it's a waste of time.....it's WINNING in it's time slot according to the Neilsons). Ideas have to grow and mature and I'm more than positive that they have a good idea of where they want to take this. (Also, there is nothing wrong with the choice of the lead actor....my husband introduced me to his talent when he was on All My Children and he's only gotten better...and hotter!)
Anyway, in general, the ideas given here do hold some merit, like the lessening of the cast and less CGI, as well as more interaction of Michael and KITT alone. But, just like with the rest of your opinions, this is mine; and should be considered as such. The show is heading in a direction that will eventually answer all of the questions that you may have as to what happened to the original people and organization and maybe give some peace to those that have a thing about this show being like the original. GIVE IT TIME!!! They've been picked up, so just buckle up and enjoy the ride!

thhhhh

This is to the writers, hopefully you guys actually read these blogs.. I understand trying to update an old classic but to making a great T.V. show like Knight Rider into nothing more than a TNA young people show is disheartening, I'm 28 yrs old and I grew up on the old show which had so much heart and was with the time too, but this show is just purely embarrasing. So to the writers PLEASE take Glen Larson's vision and re-make it the way he would. I also suggest that you guys watch the pilot episode of the original series and take notes. Please watch "Knight of the Phoenix" and the rest of season 1 and revamp your show Please

thhhhh

This is to the writers, hopefully you guys actually read these blogs.. I understand trying to update an old classic but to making a great T.V. show like Knight Rider into nothing more than a TNA young people show is disheartening, I'm 28 yrs old and I grew up on the old show which had so much heart and was with the time too, but this show is just purely embarrasing. So to the writers PLEASE take Glen Larson's vision and re-make it the way he would. I also suggest that you guys watch the pilot episode of the original series and take notes. Please watch "Knight of the Phoenix" and the rest of season 1 and revamp your show Please