knight rider online

well Deanna Russo confirms what we already knew.
its interesting to hear what she says about the whole shenanigans behind the scenes.

It is a disgrace to be honest what NBC did with KR08, treating it like a piece of junk, changing things whenever they wanted.

Source? Sounds like a juicy read.

Here's a link to our news article Stylez.

Matt

I was watching the bonus features on the DVD yesterday, and she didn't sound all that clued up ('World wide information highway'?), but Deanna makes a sound point in this interview: TPTB, whether on the show or at NBC, were embarrassed by Knight Rider, that's why the new series missed the mark. They claimed to have watched some of the original episodes to understand the backstory and the style of the show, but then they were loathe to include Turbo Boost until the reboot because it was too cheesy! As Deanna says, cheese works, but it has to be good cheese, that the original viewers will get a kick out of.

We have munster cheese,chedar cheese,provalone cheese,swedish fontina cheese,grande gouda cheese,american cheese,string cheese,Erik Estrada cheese,oh and lets not forget David Hasselhoff cheese.

So does this mean that the show is now officially canceled?

I can agree that in the end, "the network" killed "KR08" because there was no stabilization with its leadership and when you think about it the same kind of similar thing happened in "football" with "The Washington Redskins".

Well, this is what happens when you have the creator from Fast and the Furious making KR all hip. The pilot was awesome but it was doomed as soon as GST came on board. They should have just left it up to the people who made the pilot.

I don't think Knight Rider is dead. As Long as fans like it, IT LIVES!!!

I think Deanna was awesome.
But I disagree with her on one point.
Knight Rider didn't need cheese.
The pilot was not cheesy .
The old Knight Rider wasn't cheesy either. (At least not at the time)
The most hip shows get cheesy after watching them 11 years later.
If you make something cheesy (TKR) it will be unwatchable 11 years from now.
I believe that they went down the Knight Rider 2000 route. (Serious with a hint of humor)
And thats not bad in and of it self. But then GST happened...
(sigh)

Hello There Everyone,

I am still left scratching my head as to why some of you give NBC a free pass here and want to blame the cancellation of Knight Rider on Gary Scott Thompson? I know that the show wasn't perfect by any means but, at the same time not bad either. I watch USA Network for Wrestling and from time to time I got promos for NBC shows like Chuck and Jay Leno and yet when Knight Rider was on the air I didn't see one lousy promo for Knight Rider. Yet, when I watched NFL Sunday Night Football on NBC in 2008 I quite a few promos for Chuck and Hereos. Funny on how NBC was behind those shows and not Knight Rider. What about the pre-emptions NBC made of Knight Rider Thanksgiving and Christmas 2008? How about for The President? How about when NBC first order a full season for the show then back tracked on it and ended Knight Rider with only 17 episodes and 19 if you count the pilot as a two part episode. You see these are all good questions that I bet that you can not answer.How about this NBC meddling with the show. First they air the show then, make changes-the reboot and fail to stick it out with more then three or four episodes before pulling the plug on the show. If I were them I would have Knight Rider go the full 22 episodes and decide from there what to do with the show. I know that Gary Scott Thompson didn't help the show but, it was not all his fault either. NBC as I just explained here and many posts in the past was the big problem here.

As for Turbo Boost it was used before the reboot and I liked the fact that previous tools from The Original Show was brought over to this version. Grappling hook was another device that was brought over from The Original Knight Rider. That is how I see things and hopefully Knight Rider will back. I have a feeling that finally someone whom is a fan of the show will take over as programming for NBC and try to bring the show back.

Thanks and take care,

Michael P. Nepa

I think nbc was counting on knight rider to sell knight rider. It was not an action packed show... it was a relationship/drama show with a small side of action. They missed the mark on so many levels. For starters nothing in the show was believable..... If we wanna see transformations we can watch transformers. The acting/ situations was garbage. Can't recall the episode but Mike was dying and makes a joke.

Not to mention kitt getting shot of a cliff by a missle and the next scene you see is they in submarine mode acting like they are out for a sunday drive... Just unrealistic stuff all the way around.

I think that's what Deanna's "bad cheese" comment was referring to.

And yes Turbo Boost was used in the very first episode.

Hello There Everyone,

I am still puzzled here. Where do some of you have a problem with the KITT's transformations? Go back to the original series fourth season and didn't the original KITT transform from regular car to convertable? How about Super Persuit Mode and Emergnecy Braking System? Why was that not a problem or issue but attack mode and so forth with the new KITT is? Unlike some of you I do not have a problem with that and realize that KITT had to be modernized for the 21st. century. The original series had it continued beyond a fourth season would have headed in that direction. I had no problems with the attack mode and so forth. As for the KITT being hit by a missle and them being in what appears to be a submarine that too I had no problem with since the car is to be advanced and be able to protect it's self and the people in it. I thought the show was believable and can point out other issues that hurt the show besides the special effects here. I don't need to be told to watch the transformers here. I was expecting the special effects to be better then in the original show. The acting was fine and when you are dying what are you suppose to do act like a scared fool? Cry? I have no problem with the character Michael Knight making a joke in that episode. I thought that NBC tried to do too much with the show and it cost them. I am currently watching the DVD right now and do see action, relationships, and action and needed more of a connection to the original show. An appearence by the original Michael Knight would have helped and being on a night away from Lost and American Idol also would be nice and a help. I am not sure what the term cheese is supposed to mean but, I am convinced the show would have succeeded if NBC was not so hands on here with Knight Rider.

Well, that is my two cents for now and take care,
Michael P. Nepa

yes but season 4 was rubbish

yes but season 4 was rubbish

I'm sorry but that's the craziest thing I've ever heard! How can you say that season 4 was rubbish? Super Pursuit Mode, Convertible Mode, new front nose, everything updated, it was EPIC!

I agree, Season 4 was pretty good, it used to be my favourite season, actually, but not sure about now. What let it down, obviously, was the lack of overall stunts but the dark tone and story of the episodes made up for that.

Unfortunately, it does have the worst episode ever in the series....Knight Song.

Yeah, but if we are to single out episodes from the season I'm sure we can find one or two bad ones. The budget is limited and that is why some have less stunts. Let's not forget here that they spent over $250 000 on modifications to the car.

What killed the KR08 version was the writing, plain and simple.

The problems they faced in the episode got repitive. The Continuity between the episodes was lacking. They started to build a sub plot into figuring out who Mike Tracer really was, and that started to get a bit interesting, but they dropped it. The writers forgot "Screenplay Writing 101" so to speak. Focus on Character development, which should be seperate from Plot development. There should be two seperate writing teams that focus on each.

I had hopes for the show. And as they killed off characters in the show, I was hoping they were going to lead into Hasselhoff having to be called in to play the Leader role - it was so almost there, it was like they just couldnt find their way.

Really though - they just didn't have that Glen A. Larson touch to it. Can't wait to meet him in person at the LV Festival!!!!

All comes down to what Michael Knight told KITT in Soul Survivor, when the KITTless Knight 2000 car turbo boosted over them: It didn't have your soul. Without it, it could never be the same.

It just didn't have the soul, didn't have the heart.

Hello There Everyone,

I see that I have another post to respond to:

"mkrumpe » Jan 14, 2010 2:37 pm

What killed the KR08 version was the writing, plain and simple.

:DThe problems they faced in the episode got repetitive. The Continuity between the episodes was lacking. They started to build a sub plot into figuring out who Mike Tracer really was, and that started to get a bit interesting, but they dropped it. The writers forgot "Screenplay Writing 101" so to speak. Focus on Character development, which should be separate from Plot development. There should be two separate writing teams that focus on each.

(This makes sense and it was NBC that had all of this changed during the show's brief run.)

I had hopes for the show. And as they killed off characters in the show, I was hoping they were going to lead into Hasselhoff having to be called in to play the Leader role - it was so almost there, it was like they just couldn't find their way.

(Again this makes sense but, NBC had imput here and made the show what it was.)

Really though - they just didn't have that Glen A. Larson touch to it. Can't wait to meet him in person at the LV Festival!!!!"

(I wish I could meet him too but, I doubt that I will.)

I can not help but feel repetitive myself here. I feel like hit my head on the wall. I got done posting in my points on what hurt Knight Rider 2008 and yet I have to be told about the script writing and character development here. I love on how NBC is getting a free pass here. To make my point I will use The Original Series Star Trek. NBC had that show and drove Gene Roddenberry nuts on what he can and can do with the show, how to use the characters, and how much he could spend on each episode. This version of Knight Rider was no different and was placed in a time slot where it could not win at all. Even if the show had great script writing and character development as stated above plus guest stars from the original show it would not have done much to dent the ratings from Lost or American Idol. How do you draw 30 millions viewers from a hit show to one that has been off the air for about 22 years? What about the preemptions Knight Rider faced. I am sorry but, I feel that NBC was more responsible for the show's demise more so, then the lack of guest stars, script writing, and further character development.

I agree with the comment about using the original Michael Knight in the leader role and I am not sure what Larson could have done with NBC dictating things to save the show. For what the show is I am enjoying it on DVD and hope that it comes back soon.

Thanks and take care,
Michael P. Nepa

Hello There Everyone,

I am not sure what this is supposed to mean and which verision of Knight Rider it is referred to:

"Amir » Jan 14, 2010 6:55 pm

All comes down to what Michael Knight told KITT in Soul Survivor, when the KITTless Knight 2000 car turbo boosted over them: It didn't have your soul. Without it, it could never be the same.

It just didn't have the soul, didn't have the heart."

I thought both shows were fine and did heart and soul just lacked network comittment and backing. Atleast with the original show NBC tried it on different nights like Friday and Sunday to keep it on the air as for the 2008 version NBC didn't do that. Any other night and no preemptions and the show would still be on. It would still be on if they had promoted the heck out of the show like they are currently doing with Chuck.

Well, that is my two cents for now and take care,
Michael P. Nepa

Super Flash wrote:Where do some of you have a problem with the KITT's transformations? Go back to the original series fourth season and didn't the original KITT transform from regular car to convertible? How about Super Pursuit Mode and Emergency Braking System?

Super Flash, if you were to do the show in the 80's, with the limited special effects that could be had for the price, then yes, the convertible and SPM were direct fore bearers of the transformations that occurred in KR 08. Times do change, and if this is truly what the writers were hoping to accomplish, then they got their wish. I think most people here just hated the fact that the transformations all lead to other Ford products, and then not just cars, but trucks and vans...

My opinion is that the 1st season is the best of the 4, with season 3 beating out season 2, and then ending with season 4. Why? Because the first season didn't rely on over the top ingredients, things that were too out of left field, and it was still learning about KITT's capabilities, and how things worked. Season 3 because Bonnie was Back! Season 2 because the show grew from season 1, but because Bonnie was replaced with April, it didn't have that spark of the Michael/Bonnie tension. And Season 4 (for me) sucked, because there was too many model shots, SPM shots, too many "we've gone to the well and it's dry" plots. And no offense to Peter Parros, but there was no reason for RC3. It was another stab at getting people to watch KR, and it didn't work. Thats's why SPM transformations have no real reason being in KR. KITT should be able to do all the things he did in Season 4 without the addons, because he didn't need to draw attention to himself, the ultimate stealth mode.

People have to realize that KR 08 is gone. It's not coming back this year or next, or the next after that. 17 eps and done (TKR got more!). NBC doesn't work like the BBC, or Fox, by bringing shows back after there's been no production for years. Do we need to assign blame anymore? it was a comedy of multiple issues, that led to too many cooks in the kitchen.

THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT KNIGHT RIDER IS DEAD...just this version. Will there be another updated KR somewhere down the line?...who knows. Will the movie ever come out? Let's see how the A-Team movie comes out, and I think depending on the cheeseiness factor (Super Flash, do you really not understand the term "Cheese"? it's basically anything that makes you grit your teeth, going, "uh, that was cheep", just put in there to get a rise, get a laugh, etc?) we'll see something greenlit... I'm not holding my breath for a Glen Lawson BSG film; it's too soon after Ron D Moore's version, and Caprica didn't even start yet.

KR 08 is dead. Long live KR!

Amir wrote:All comes down to what Michael Knight told KITT in Soul Survivor, when the KITTless Knight 2000 car turbo boosted over them: It didn't have your soul. Without it, it could never be the same.

It just didn't have the soul, didn't have the heart.

I agree, and that quote is perfect.

Deanna was right about the "cheese" being a factor, the scenes between Billy and Zoe were full on cheese humour which, IMO, wasn't funny but bordered on being cringy.

Even the original didn't have cheese like that.

The tone of the series and the pilot were vastly different and they obviously should have kept the tone of the pilot.