The General Knight Rider thread.

[Skipper]

I think they were; at least, a couple of the characters had similar but differing names according to Wikipedia. And back then, even shows that pretended to be in continuity with the original movies usually changed their specifics, like Starman bumping the events of the movie back 14 years so Starman could have a teenage son in the present. (Which only works if you replace the Voyager probe in the movie with an earlier Pioneer probe and assume the aliens intercepted it mere days after launch.)

I rewatched the beginning of the pilot on YouTube, and it's basically the same as the movie, but without the evil conspiracy (a lot of the film's footage is also present). The military has created this new helicopter and is lending it to the LAPD. Plus, there's a ground support vehicle to intervene where the Blue Thunder can't.

 

[JD]

I did a little research for this thread about the 80s vehicles shows and for whatever reason a good number of sites include Automan in the bunch.

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Just in the intro the main character makes some of the biggest technological advancements, impossible even today

• Creating a perfect 3d hologram
• The hologram is solid
• The hologram is sentient

and as a bonus, he can materiale every kind of vehicle from thin air.

Science!

How exactly did he create the physical version of Automan? In the scene there it didn't look like he had any kind of projector or somethng equivalent to the TRON laser.

 

[Skipper]

How exactly did he create the physical version of Automan? In the scene there it didn't look like he had any kind of projector or somethng equivalent to the TRON laser.

With a computer! AND SCIENCE!

In the show, Automan could materialize every where there is a computer.

 

[theenglish]

With a computer! AND SCIENCE!

In the show, Automan could materialize every where there is a computer.

So, Automan wasn't a car? I always thought it was a car. I grew up in Canada and never saw a single episode or clip of that show--I just kind of vaguely remember it being mentioned.

 

[Skipper]

So, Automan wasn't a car? I always thought it was a car. I grew up in Canada and never saw a single episode or clip of that show--I just kind of vaguely remember it being mentioned.

He was an AUTOmatic Man. Who could materialize a car!

 

[theenglish]

He was an AUTOmatic Man. Who could materialize a car!

Silly me!

 

[Christopher]

I don't think Automan was one of the shows I watched back then. I think at that point in my teens, I had less tolerance for lowbrow SFTV than I once had. (Which makes me wonder why I watched Knight Rider, though I was only a casual viewer. Okay, that was mainly because I liked KITT. And probably Patricia McPherson had something to do with it.)

From the look and the timing, Automan was pretty clearly trying to riff on TRON. I can't say much for the execution in that clip, but I kind of like the idea of Automan being egotistical about how perfect he is, since character flaws like pride can make characters more interesting.

I'm surprised at how few of the cast names I recognize -- just Robert Lansing, really. I mean, I know Desi Arnaz Jr. existed, but he never really made a splash beyond his association with his famous parents.

 

[Skipper]

Silly me!

Jokes aside, Automan had in common what many pre-TNG series with fantastical elements had:

• An interesting sci-fi/fantasy premise. In this case, the stated inspiration was Tron (the authors themselves stated so).
• The premise was completely squandered on the most generic detective plots possible, adapted for a young audience (because it was thought that these were the viewers most interested in the fantasy/sci-fi genre).
• The characters were little more than cardboard cutouts. They were defined by a single characteristic (the nerd, the grumpy boss, the Hero, etc.).
• No interest in exploring the implications of this or that fantastic/sci-fi premise (I mean, sentient solid holograms?!?)

These shows rarely lasted more than a season. There were several reasons for this. They were, on average, more expensive than a cop show. They were, well, pretty stupid. They didn't have much appeal to an adult audience. Kids, who were their target audience, stripped away the most interesting elements and were treated to the usual cheesy cop show: "Oh no, diamond smugglers! I'm really curious to see how it ends! (Nope)."

 

[Starkers]

Air wolf had one! It was just cut in this particular YouTube clip!

I didn't remember Airwolf having a narration, Street Hawk definitely did though.

 

[Skipper]

From the look and the timing, Automan was pretty clearly trying to riff on TRON. I can't say much for the execution in that clip, but I kind of like the idea of Automan being egotistical about how perfect he is, since character flaws like pride can make characters more interesting.

They've toned him down a lot in the series compared to this clip, but yes, he did have a bit of a superiority complex. Consider that he was practically invincible, invulnerable, and obviously had all the computers at his command. His only weakness (basically his kryptonite) was that he needed constant energy and therefore could only manifest at night (because the grid's energy requirements were lower).

It seems to have acquired a certain cult status over the years. You can find the full episodes on YouTube, but honestly, I wouldn't waste my time. This clip tells you everything you need to know about the series.

There is a documentary on the series on YouTube. Some FX were ingenious

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[Christopher]

His only weakness (basically his kryptonite) was that he needed constant energy and therefore could only manifest at night (because the grid's energy requirements were lower).

Probably easier to do the matte effects that way. Or, no, maybe not -- presumably his costume was bluescreen-colored, and bluescreens work better when well-lit.

 

[Skipper]

Probably easier to do the matte effects that way. Or, no, maybe not -- presumably his costume was bluescreen-colored, and bluescreens work better when well-lit.

From Wikipedia!

The Automan costume appeared to glow on screen due to its retroreflective sheeting designed by 3M. The fabric was made up of tiny reflective balls, and it was able to reflect nearly 100 percent of the light shone at it (the technique had been used several years earlier for the Kryptonian costumes in Superman). The costume also had highly polished plates attached to it to provide the holographic appearance, all enhanced in post-production through chromakey effects.

 

[Skipper]

I didn't remember Airwolf having a narration, Street Hawk definitely did though.

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[Christopher]

From Wikipedia!

Oh, of course, Scotchlite! AKA front-projection material (and the stuff used in reflective road signs). I should've realized that. Naturally that would work better against a dark background, so the bright reflections off the costume would make a clean matte.

 

[Starkers]

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It's weird because I genuinely had no memory of that, but it does sound familiar (and not just because Lance LeGault voiced it) I wonder if its been cut out of more recent viewings and a lot of YouTube videos?)

Presumably its either amended or removed once we get around to season 2 and Jean Bruce Scott joins the cast?)

 

[Skipper]

It's weird because I genuinely had no memory of that, but it does sound familiar (and not just because Lance LeGault voiced it) I wonder if its been cut out of more recent viewings and a lot of YouTube videos?)

Presumably its either amended or removed once we get around to season 2 and Jean Bruce Scott joins the cast?)

Maybe cut for syndication? It's quite long!

 

[Skipper]

When talking about Automan, another Glen A. Larson series can't help but mention: Manimal! They have a lot in common, including the fact that they both lasted a short time and have acquired a minor cult status over the years.

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And look at this Side-by-Side comparison!

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[Skipper]

Oh, of course, Scotchlite! AKA front-projection material (and the stuff used in reflective road signs). I should've realized that. Naturally that would work better against a dark background, so the bright reflections off the costume would make a clean matte.

at 5:30 there is a very rare (I believe the only one!) day scene

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[Owain Taggart]

The premise was completely squandered on the most generic detective plots possible

Oh man, that reminds me what they did when it came to the Minority Report TV series. Loved the movie, but turning it into a police procedural felt like it squandered its potential.

 

[Christopher]

Oh man, that reminds me what they did when it came to the Minority Report TV series. Loved the movie, but turning it into a police procedural felt like it squandered its potential.

I think that's just because it was too short-lived. I have a theory that shows with unusual concepts have to start out conforming to a formulaic, procedural mold to reassure cautious executives, but after the first half-dozen episodes or so, once they've appeased the suits, they're able to start telling more interesting and daring stories and fulfilling their original potential. I've seen it happen with a number of shows, like Dollhouse and Threshold. Even Orphan Black started out playing police-procedural for its first four episodes before it blew up that status quo. Sometimes it takes longer to break out of the procedural mold; Fringe didn't really get interesting until the second season, and Person of Interest needed 3-4 years before it really started developing the richness of its premise. And Lucifer wasn't able to stray too far from the procedural formula until it moved to Netflix.

Unfortunately, this often means that a show starts out too bland to hold an audience, so by the time it really starts living up to its potential in the later episodes, hardly anybody's still there to see it. I've seen that happen with a number of shows, like Threshold and Syfy's Flash Gordon. (Threshold was cancelled outright just before it really started to get interesting, so the best episodes never aired on the original network.)

My recollection is that I liked the Minority Report TV series. I'm disappointed that it doesn't seem to be streaming anywhere or available from the library, since I never got the chance to watch the movie and the show back-to-back and I've always wanted to. Although for me, the main area of improvement in the show was that the movie had a nearly all-white cast, even though it was set in the future of Washington, D.C., which is a majority-black city today and is likely to be even more so in the future. The show got it right by having a regular cast that was pretty much entirely people of color except for the returning movie characters.