Knight Rider

1 9 8 2 - 1 9 8 6 (USA)
84 x 60 minute episodes

The adventures of a rebuilt ex cop and his incredible talking car (!?!). Tailor made for David The Young and the Restless Hasselhoff (later to reach the pinnacle of his fine acting career in Baywatch). There were babes, guns, fights and plenty of action, but there was just one problem . . . David Hasselhoff had absolutely no idea how to drive!

This show was popular with kids, heterosexual women and folks who understood it was not meant to be taken completely seriously! In the first episode, Hasselhoff's character was rescued from death and disfigurement by Wilton Knight who bequeathed the cop his name, a plastic face, tight  jeans, a mission to protect world peace and . . . a supercar that could talk! The Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT).

Basically a 1982 black Pontiac Trans Am with optional extras from hell, such as a cruising speed of 300mph, more armaments than most third world countries and the ability to jump 50 feet into the air.  The speed of the car was incredible - every time there was an internal shot the car was always accelerating! The bloody thing never seemed to reach maximum speed! . . . and like every American TV show ever, the tires still screech on dirt roads!

The best part was that the car could speak and had it's own (somewhat truculent) personality. Although the car was completely obnoxious it was fiercely protective of old plastic face and would drive though anything to protect him.

As luck would have it, the wealthy industrialist Knight also left Hasselhoff a fortune to finance the Foundation for Law  and Government (FLAG) mission along with a mansion HQ and a loyal underling, Devon.   Car maintenance was provided by Bonnie Barstow, April Curtis and black homeboy, Reginald Cornelius III or RC3 respectively. Emmy-Award winning actor William Daniels gave KITT his voice

Universal obtained prototypes of the black Trans Am  from GM in order to boost publicity before its release. Later, GM requested that Universal no longer referred to the car as a Trans AM due to an overwhelming number of customers waiting to buy the Knight Rider version of the car.

This series was played with such gusto that viewers made it one of the biggest hits of the 80s.  Though the gimmick of the series was the car, much of the show's appeal was due to actor David Hasselhoff, a tall, handsome former soap-opera star  who joked and kidded with his computerized car. His tight jeans, wavy hair and laid-back style made women melt. The show had 4 successful seasons on NBC, and became an  international hit (the title translated as Super Car in some countries). 

TRIVIA NOTE
Exterior shots for the Foundation For Law And Government (FLAG) Mansion were shot at the Arden Villa - a 20,000 square-foot mansion located at 1145 Arden Road in Pasadena, California. This mansion was also used for the garden and pool shots for Dynasty. Michael Knight had an "evil twin" and nemesis called Garthe Knight. What's more, even K.I.T.T had an "evil double". It's name was K.A.R.R. - the Knight Automated Roving Robot.