Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Videos, Ford, Shelby, Celebrities
VIDEO: Newest Knight Rider spot arrives
One week from today, we'll be watching Knight Rider, the 2-hour telemovie that resurrects KITT as a new car (Mustang) with a new voice (Val Kilmer), a new driver (Mike Traceur, son of Michael Knight), and, if ratings are good enough, a probable weekly gig in primetime next Fall. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. Before that can happen, the pilot needs to be a success, and we're as interested as everyone else in seeing what the network and executive producer Doug Liman have cooked up. Liman's body of work as a director and producer is so money that despite our fears, the Knight Rider reboot could actually work.
Then again, based on some of what we've seen in the commercials and promos so far, it could just as easily wind up being a giant black hole of suck. On the upside, we expect to be entertained either way. The latest TV spot introduces us to KITT's new, raspier voice and magic disappearing shifter. If you have any issues watching the fancy-schmancy NBC embed above, the YouTube version's pasted after the jump.
[Source: Knight Rider Online]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
stealth 10:58AM (2/10/2008)
i cant wait to see kitt get smoked by a ZR1
the car that should have been kitt
too bad it will never be allowed
Reply
bernie 2:53PM (4/07/2008)
The new 725HP Shelby Supersnake will smoke that POC!(zr1)
stealth 7:47AM (4/02/2008)
maybe in a straight line. but no way on a track.
almost Dr. G.. 11:02AM (2/10/2008)
wow that promo is garbage. "im detecting a rise in body temperatures" oh wow now thats comedy. makes me want to watch it even less with futile attempts like that. is that the best nbc could do?
Reply
cowboy bob 11:26AM (2/10/2008)
This crap makes me ashamed to be called a "car guy". If you have in any way, shape, or form a grain of maturity, this show is a bad joke.
Reply
rpm773 11:28AM (2/10/2008)
How many sets of parking lights, turn signals, and fog lights does a car need? That thing looks like a Pontiac Sunfire circa 1999
Reply
mclassic 11:55AM (2/10/2008)
There's just something very wrong with KITT being a Mustang. If anything, they should have gone the Transformers route and used the '09 Camaro skin on a Pontiac GTO. Or, they should have used the Firebird concept skin on a GTO. I guess money was the cost.
Two other things that will likely make this show a flop. 1.) Mike is the wrong character. He looks like an ex-jock whose beloved muscle car was taken over by a Transformer. They should have used a much more polished carrier.
2.) If KITT doesn't appear to have that menacing and bad ass vibe like Barricade (in Transformers) this show might as well not even waste air time. As far as I can see KITT in Mustang form with that ugly wing, stupid wide mouth grille and numerous parking lights just doesn't strike me the way Barricade does.
Reply
Cornholio 12:31PM (2/10/2008)
"Then again, based on some of what we've seen in the commercials and promos so far, it could just as easily wind up being a giant black hole of suck."
Ha - well put. I wouldn't bet money against it.
Where is the originality? Why redo crappy TV shows from 20+ years ago? They sucked then, which means it's almost a certainty they're going to suck now.
Reply
mrhateme 12:57PM (2/10/2008)
wow, I didn't think I could care even less about this show, but now....
Reply
Brian 12:57PM (2/10/2008)
Ford paid the network to use a Mustang
Reply
Noidor 1:13PM (2/10/2008)
You guys are so spot on! I'm glad we still have people that can distinguish between merely watchable programming and something that is utter crap.
Oh and notice how it's slotted right after American Gladiators, which is another show designed to dumb down America further while still keeping the WT audience intact.
Reply
cowboy bob 5:09PM (2/10/2008)
There is no way to "further dumb down the American audience". A typical viewer has an I.Q. and shoe size that are identical.
AutoXN 1:43PM (2/10/2008)
That's what I first said about the "Terminator Chronicles" but it actually turned out to be an interesting show. It might turn out to be a hit even being Ford sponsored.
Reply
Jeremy 3:57PM (2/10/2008)
The new voice sounds like KARR, KITT's evil twin. I'm scared of him now. I demand a more pleasant, more feeny-ish voice.
Reply
John R 6:56AM (2/11/2008)
I was thinking the same thing. But even Will Arnet's interpetation sounded like KARR.
Did anyone who produced this thing actually watch the old show or looked it up on Wiki and Youtube?
Level 4:24PM (2/10/2008)
So you guys want a Firebird like the original? which wasnt popular to begin with, hence why the show got canned? The Firebird hasnt had any popularity in ages it even went out of production for always been the Camaro's shadow...
Everyone wants the original series which nobody watch, and everyone wants a GM product that wasnt even worthy to still be in production...
New show new car...Its a no brainer to have a mustang when it has sold as many cars as it did....For starters How many mustang owners will watch the show compared to Firebird owners????wake up, theres more of a mustang following...
Reply
Tom Fjord 4:33PM (2/10/2008)
I hate to be rude to the Autoblog bloggers, but is there a reason any of us should be remotely interested in this crappy tv show? This is, like, the 10th posting about it...
Reply
cowboy bob 8:51PM (2/10/2008)
It's simple Tom. It's like someone pukes on a busy sidewalk. You know it stinks, but a lot of people talk about it.
Zeus.:God 8:51PM (2/10/2008)
It just... Isn't... The same... Honestly, I would have just gone with a late model Firebird... Screw the Mustang. While Mustangs are good cars, they don't get the point across.
Reply
Go5Go 9:28PM (2/10/2008)
What was used to "sell" the show? Did the producers approach the car companies with renderings of how KITT might look with one of their cars? If so where are they?!? I want to see them!
If this show came around a few years ago could it have saved the GTO if it were its star? If GM put up the vehicle placement today I think the new CTS-V would actually be the sweetest thing in the show from GM's Stables.. Its aggressive and modern and looks like it could have a ton of wings and stuff pop out at any point for turbo mode. As cool as the new camaro might have been, CTS-V would have been better.. ok it has 4 doors, but then KITT could restrain bad guys in the back seat!
Reply