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« Roush Dispatch
Knight Rider: Stuck in Reverse
So I come back from a week away, and what should await me but a time warp to a long-forgotten (and happily so) era of kitschy schlock. Courtesy, naturally, of NBC, whose new regime appears to be operating under an embargo banning anything with a shred of originality. Two hours of American Gladiators (which I skipped) followed by two hours of Knight Rider (which I forced myself to endure). Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a forgettable night — unless you enjoy the rubbernecking spectacle of watching a network slip further into the abyss of cultural irrelevancy. (You doubt me? I guess you missed the promos for Monday’s newest reality gem, My Dad Is Better than Your Dad.)
The new (more or less) Knight Rider wasn’t really a show, it was more like the longest car ad in human memory: “Brought to you by the star of our show, (name of car).” Almost made you pine for the good old days of the writers’ strike.
Despite a few contemporary touches — one of the heroes (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) is a lesbian cop, not that that made her actually interesting, beyond her gratuitous Baywatch-lite entrance — this was about as old-hat as TV gets, a creaky jalopy tricked out with wooden lead actors, leaden pacing and abysmal writing. Ever wonder what NBC’s superior Chuck (developed by the previous regime) would be like without wit and engaging characters? Here’s your answer.
The GPS in my rental car last Christmas had more personality than Val Kilmer’s drone as the voice of KITT. I swear there were times I detected a yawn as KITT nagged the cocky son of Michael Knight, but maybe that was just me. (Kilmer was a last-minute replacement for Will Arnett, who might have conveyed a welcome droll irony, but it only served to remind me of how William Daniels’ haughty line readings were the sole asset of the original series.)
I’m with the show’s heroine, Sarah (Deanna Russo), who during her first reluctant joyride in KITT’s cabin, was heard to gripe, “This isn’t fun at all” and “How much more of this do I have to take?” (Sadly, there was at least another hour to go at that point.) Watching Russo and future trivia answer Justin Bruening ride around while the car did all the heavy lifting, they might as well have been saying, “Look, Ma, no talent!” I especially appreciated the scene when the generic bad guy shot and killed Mike’s mom, causing the stars’ emotions to surge, running the gamut (apologies to Dorothy Parker) from A to A-minus.
In industry-speak, this Knight Rider movie is what’s known as a “backdoor pilot.” (Scary thought, right?) But a lemon by any other name is still a lemon.
For another take on Knight Rider, read Cheers & Jeers.
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Feb 18, 2008 12:08 AM
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Just as dumb, pointless and unentertaining as the original. With Kinght, Dad and Gladiators NBC is really making a case for itself as the most disposable network on the air.
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Feb 18, 2008 3:11 AM
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At the risk of derisive laughter, or worse, I have to say that my family and I thoroughly enjoyed this "movie" and hope that it does get made into a series. It was fun. For me, the worst part of it was Hasselhoff's appearance at the end. First, I knew it was coming and, second, I've never been a fan of "the Hoff." I also didn't care for the serialized commercials for Ford. It just felt wrong to have those embedded in the show.
In contrast to another recent "updated" TV show, The Bionic Woman, this show was fun to watch. The action scenes with the car actually had me holding my breath - just a little. There were some laugh out loud moments, not memorable enough to be able to list, but fun at the time.
I thought the slightly robotic voice of Kitt was just right. After all, the car is actually a robot, isn't it?
Having the FBI agent a lesbian was pointless. I guess maybe they did that so that there will be no romantic entanglement between her and Mike in possible future episodes.
I also think that Justin Bruening did an admirable job as Mike. Was his acting Emmy-worthy? Probably not. But it wasn't as bad as I was afraid it could be. I enjoyed him on All My Children but wasn't sure how he would cope carrying a nighttime show. He did fine. He looked pretty fine too (even if I feel nasty for saying that given I'm old enough to be his mother). As a matter of fact, he was nowhere near as "wooden" as David Caruso on CSI Miami (in my opinion, the worst actor on television ever).
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Feb 18, 2008 7:04 AM
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"…future trivia answer Justin Bruening…"
You've started my week with a big laugh. Well played, Matt Roush. Well played.
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Feb 18, 2008 9:20 AM
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Will Arnett was replaced because he did voice over for GM and the new car was a Ford. I just went to the NBC website to check the movie out, and it was brought to me by Honda. You think Ford might have a problem with this? What a debacle of a network. Down with Silverman!
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Feb 18, 2008 9:58 AM
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I thought it was harmless fluff. I'd rather watch an "eye candy" kind of movie than reality-show drek like "Big Brother." As for Matt's comment about skipping "American Gladiators." I've really enjoyed watching it. Not everything on tv has to be masterpiece theatre.
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Feb 18, 2008 10:40 AM
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I watch a lot of television, and I think Knight Rider was one of the worst things I've seen in a long time. If NBC is trying to make a decision between this and Journeyman, I hope they go with Journeyman. I'd even prefer The Bionic Woman.
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Feb 18, 2008 10:45 AM
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I did not watch the entire show, only the first hour. The commercials were so many and close together I just hit the record button and will watch it later. I wanted to watch Dexter anyway. I thought Justin Bruening ( that was the kid playing the lead, right?) was way too young looking for the part. Not the greatest actor either. I did enjoy the first hour somewhat and I liked the new KITT.
Oh, and BTW Cindy, I agree with your opinion of David Caruso being the worst actor on tv. I don't even watch CSI Miami because of him.
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Feb 18, 2008 10:55 AM
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NBC has become my least watched network. I only watched it for FNL and since Ben Silverman seems devoted to putting on crap shows, I doubt I will watch it ever again. I gave Knight Rider 5 minutes. It was 5 minutes I will never get back.
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Feb 18, 2008 11:00 AM
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I SO wanted to see this show, but I missed it! Arrrrg! I was a huge fan of the original show as a teenager, resulting in the purchase of a car resembling as close as possible to the original KITT when I became an adult. Does anybody know if the movie will be re-shown? If it becomes a series, I plan to watch it. Though the "reviewers" obviously disliked it, I've read enough of those who enjoyed it, to know that I will too.
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Feb 18, 2008 11:31 AM
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Man I disagree.
Of course I went into it not expecting brilliance. All I hoped for was the same feeling of fun that the orginal gave me as a kid.
And I got it.
I thought all the stars were likable, the car chases were fun and K.I.T.T. felt like K.I.T.T. to me -- the newer high techness didn't take away from the the from K.I.T.T. ness of the pass.
I even enjoyed the unsurprising reveal that he was Michael Knights son, because well DUH he had to be.
I personally really enjoyed it, it was a great bit of fun escapism.
But yeah, I gotta agree with you on that Your Better than my Dad thing... gross, disgusting and just WHY? RealityTV always just finds a way to sink lower doesn't it?
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Feb 18, 2008 12:03 PM
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I'm not really surprised they remade this (those silly high-concept shows of the past, even only marginal successes like Knight Rider, tend to have a whiff of cult popularity about them). But there's a real cheesiness about so many 80s shows, which is pervasive but hard to characterize. I don't know if it's the mediocre guest stars, the obvious and formulaic plotting, the shoulder pads and big hair, or what, but even long-running shows from back then fail to hold up in reruns now. Knight Rider, Matlock, the A-Team, Charlie's Angels, and others all look really tacky and come off as forgettable at best and really bad in some cases.
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Feb 18, 2008 12:25 PM
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I didn't think it was good or bad, but rather somewhere in the middle. Val Kilmer was so wrong for the voice of KITT. It felt like he was trying to put me to sleep every time he talked. The plot was really simplified. Mike's mother getting shot and dying when she did was so cliche I was thinking 'come on, really?'. However, I thought the actors did ok given the material they had to work from and the new KITT was pretty cool except for the voice. At the very least it's better then watching any reality trash. I don't really care whether they turn it into a series or not, but I'd probably give it a shot if they did.
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Feb 18, 2008 12:32 PM
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Does anybody know if the movie will be re-shown?
It's replaying on Saturday, the 23rd at 9PM.
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Feb 18, 2008 12:43 PM
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I actually enjoyed the show. Was it perfect, No(Get rid of Mike's friend who had no purpose on the show). The producers seemed to be going for the same camp as the original, which is fine by me. My fiancee & I both thought it was fun. It wasen't too dark (like most of the shows on the air today) & we both liked the chemistry between Mike Jr. & the Professor's daughter Sarah. If this show is picked up for a series, I will at least give it a chance.
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Feb 18, 2008 12:58 PM
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