NBC to Reboot Knight Rider

[God Magnus]

You have to ask yourself, where would the danger and suspense be if Knight Rider industries was flourishing with more than a dozen of random tech people, a huge base and endless supplies.

"Oh KITT was destroyed, well we have enough resources to build another"

But that's exactly what happened in the original series. When KITT was destroyed in "Junkyard Dog". His body was destroyed and next thing you know a team of scientists and Bonnie are slapping together a new body for the AI. The drama/suspense came from KITT having lost confidence because of his defeat, and Michael helping him win it back.

 

[John Picard]

As long as they're getting rid of the "Terrorist of the Week" protagonist, are they also going to cease with the gratuitous "Stripping off clothes" element as well? I know some of you are 16 years old (both physically and mentally) but if you want improvements then demand them all around.

 

[ELURIA]

Am I the only one wondering if the 3 characters will leave the series because of

Spoiler

KARR ?

 

[Dream]

They have to get rid of several main characters at the very least because a huge cast means bigger budget and the ratings don't justify that. They can save tons of money if it's just KITT, Mike, and Sarah. Besides this type of show works much better when it's mostly about KITT and Mike on the road on missions.

I know that as a fan of 24 that I always want to see more of Jack Bauer kicking ass and less of CTU's crappy storylines.

 

[EnsignAmy]

Didn't Alias do a major retooling during the middle of its second season, even airing a sort of "second pilot" after the Super Bowl? Sounds kind of similar.

 

[bigdaddy]

Wow, I'm sort of curious to tune in just to see a show basically reinvent itself in the middle of a season. I guess it shows how desperate NBC actually is...

The fact they made a TV movie, the fact they picked this show up, the fact the show has a full season shows just how desperate NBC is.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Am I the only one wondering if the 3 characters will leave the series because of

Spoiler

KARR ?

I'm thinking probably not. The Hollywood Reporter article went into more depth than Digital Spy's — the two-part reboot will be episodes 10 and 11; #12 is the episode featuring your spoiler, so unless that episode turns out to be the end of a three-part arc, I'm thinking it's doubtful that "spoiler" is involved.

 

[Aragorn]

Can't they just boot Knight Rider and move KITT one hour down to the next time slot? Charlie Crews loves sporty cars. Crews would be a perfect fit with KITT. KITT can help him find the cheapest bargains on fruit.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Didn't Alias do a major retooling during the middle of its second season, even airing a sort of "second pilot" after the Super Bowl? Sounds kind of similar.

Yes. Midway through the 2nd season of Alias, SD6 was destroyed and they completely dropped the double agent angle. The show became a more straightforward show about Sydney working as a secret agent for the CIA. Although, rather than drop the SD6 characters, the more likable ones were pardoned and integrated into the new CIA team.

This isn't the first time I've heard of a show getting revamped like this but it is one of the few times I've heard of it getting revamped this early. (The other major instances I can think of were...
Angel Season 5 when they stopped running a paranormal private detective agency and began running the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart.
Earth: Final Conflict Season 5 when the Taelons & Jaridians died out, Liam Kincaid died, and the show was now about Renee Palmer & J Street fighting a secret war against a new hybrid race called the Atavus.
Stargate SG-1 Season 9 when Jack O'Neill left the show, Col. Mitchell & General Landry were added to the cast, and the Goa'uld were replaced by the Ori as the show's main villains.
The earliest revamp I can think of is Tru Calling, which changed the tone of the show significantly halfway through Season 1 when they added Jack Harper to the cast.

 

[Dick Whitman]

It was strange that the cast of this series was so large in the first place. Most of the characters simply stood around the KITTCave and monitored Mike and Kitt's actions. Also while that set is impressive... it serves no real dramatic purpose. Was the TV movie cast contracted for the potential series? Perhaps that is the only reason they keep them for the first 13 episodes?

 

[cardinal biggles]

The cast from the pilot movie probably all had the option to carry over, but they dropped Wayne Kasserman (Mike's weaselly buddy Dylan). Billy, Zoe, and Torres were the new additions in September.

 

[Darth_Pazuzu]

As far as I'm concerned, we didn't really need another remake in the first place! The network suits should have just let this dog die a natural death, bit the bullet, and then brought back Friday Night Lights!

 

[nx1701g]

^ Friday Night Lights is going to be returning thanks to the Starz deal.

 

[Brolan]

Any change would be a good change because the show as it stands now is dreadful.

 

[Darth_Pazuzu]

Another thing I'd like to point out is that I'm actually a pretty big fan of My Own Worst Enemy, starring Christian Slater is the agent with the split personality. Okay, granted, the whole premise is just as absurd and outlandish - and about as realistic - as that of Knight Rider. But on a dramatic and character level, in its own crazy way it actually works! And part of the reason for that is that the dialogue is much better written and you actually feel emotionally invested in what happens to the character of Henry. It actually feels like we have real people functioning and operating within this absurd, borderline sci-fi premise. (And let's face it, on a technological level, this show is a lot closer to sci-fi than it is any other sort of relatively naturalistic spy-movie shenanigans!)

 

[Aragorn]

There's a rumor being reported that if Knight Rider makes it to season two, David Hasselhoff will join full time.