Knight Rider (2008 TV series)
A new generation of KITT and Michael Knight.
Knight Rider is an American action television series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2008 to March 4, 2009. The series stars Justin Bruening as Michael Traceur, the estranged son of Michael Knight, who renames himself Michael Knight II at the end of the pilot episode. The series was in production for one season and was canceled on May 19, 2009.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action
- Based On
- Characters · Glen A. Larson
- Developer
- Dave Andron
- Starring
- Justin Bruening / Deanna Russo / Sydney Tamiia Poitier / Paul Campbell / Yancey Arias / Bruce Davison / Smith Cho
- Voices
- Val Kilmer as 'KITT' · Peter Cullen as 'KARR' 2.0 (Knight to King's Pawn)
- Theme Music Composer
- Christopher Tyng
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 17 + TV movie
- Executive Producer
- David Bartis / Glen A. Larson / Doug Liman / Matt Pyken / Gary Scott Thompson / Marc Ceccarelli
- Runtime
- 42 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The series continues from the pilot movie, with Mike Traceur partnered with KITT and working for Knight Industries Research and Development, a secret intelligence agency overseen by NSA Agent Alex Torres and FBI Agent Carrie Rivai. Other team members include Charles Graiman, his daughter Sarah Graiman, and Tech Specialists Billy Morgan and Zoe Chae. During the first episode, Mike reveals that a significant chunk of his memory is missing due to an unexplained trauma, and Carrie stages his death, leading him to rename himself Michael Knight II.
Reader's Guide
Knight Rider (2008) represents an attempt by NBC to revive a classic franchise, driven by NBCUniversal chief Jeff Zucker and programmer Ben Silverman to bring the network out of last place in ratings. The series introduced a new KITT, voiced by Val Kilmer (after Will Arnett was originally cast and later replaced), based on a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR. The show underwent a retooling in November 2008 to more closely resemble the original series, removing several characters after their initial episode commitments. Despite a full season order of 22 episodes, NBC reduced it to 17 episodes on December 3, 2008, and canceled the series after one season. The series is notable for its advanced vehicle features, including Attack Mode, multiple disguise forms, and various high-tech capabilities. Its legacy is as a short-lived reboot that failed to capture the longevity of the original.
Did You Know?
- Will Arnett was originally cast as the voice of KITT but was later replaced by Val Kilmer.
- The series was introduced with a television movie on February 17, 2008, before its weekly run.
- Peter Cullen voiced KARR 2.0, an evil artificial intelligence that could transform into a humanoid robot with wheels for legs.
More in Television series about robots 1-24
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