With Knight Rider on a break till the end of the month (and it being quite slow comics-wise at the moment for me), I figured its a good opportunity to weigh-in on the show so far.
The show’s got a lot going for it. In these days of dark and gritty remakes, thanks to the success of Battlestar Galactica, Gary Scott Thompson has chosen to turn his back on the norm, and instead try to recapture the spirit of the original, and aim for his show to primarily be fun.
Its a move I’m whole-heartedly in favour of. As Bionic Woman proved, dark-and-gritty isn’t necessarily a blank cheque and can backfire horribly (and in truth, I tend to find even Galactica a bit hard going at times). Doctor Who is currently enjoying huge success by being a fun, family-focused show, and that’s the same feel I think Knight Rider should be aiming for.
Which is not to say that either is an easy line to tread. While Bionic Woman didn’t take off, going down the fun route can also go wrong. There’s a danger of pushing it too far and being seen as too silly for a start. Something that Knight Rider’s so far avoided I’d say, although some of the technology being used has required a blind eye (although its nothing worse than some of the things the original KITT would do back in the day).
The cast seems to have settled in well. The only exception I’d really make is Sydney Poitier’s Carrie Rivai, who’s role in the show has been taken over by Torres (FBI liason to Knight Research). As a result, she’s not really had much to do in the episodes so far. Even Billy and Zoe, who I originally wasn’t too keen on have grown on me and I quite enjoy their interplay now.
The arc plot regarding Mike’s past has been a bit of a mixed bag. I like the mystery and the way that both Graiman and Torres seem to be in on it, and the hints that Mike has met KARR before. However in some of the earlier episodes a nod to it seemed to be chucked in at the last minute with the villain suddenly remembering meeting Mike before (just before he himself dies). There’s also the issue with Mike having to fake his own death and change his identity (becoming Michael Knight), and yet the next episode he’s looking up old friends. There needs to be a bit more consistency regarding Mike’s need to change his identity.
I’m really liking the new KITT. While the Mustang was a controversial choice for the new car, I’m a fan of its looks. I’m not a huge fan of the attack mode (as I’ve said previously), but its been used sparingly in the show, so it doesn’t bother me that much. I’m really enjoying the scenes where we see KITT bonding with the other members of the team, be it watching westerns with Mike, or helping Billy and Zoe spy on Mike and Sarah.
The big fan-excitement at the moment is, of course, coming from the KARR plotline. He’s first mentioned in Knight of the Living Dead as the reason Graiman secretly built a self-destruct into KITT, and when KITT finds some details on KARR, Mike finds them familiar. Its caused excitement and complaints in equal measure (as is the norm with fandoms), but I’m in the excited camp. Granted, while this looks like it may not be the original KARR is a bit of a dissappointment, there’s still the chance that he’ll turn out to be the original CPU in a new body. His appearance as some kind of warbot hasn’t proven popular, but looking at the pictures on the Knight Research website, I’m wondering if he’ll actually take the form of a Mustang that will transform into the warbot. Personally speaking, I’ll be perfectly happy if that’s the case. Otherwise they’d be losing the “evil doppleganger” element that made KARR so popular in the original series.
If I had to make a change to the tone of the show, it would definitely be to tone down the T&A. Some episodes have suffered a lot worse than others, but the over-long shots lingering on women in bikinis seem to be at odds with what should otherwise be a fun family show.
Of course, the word has come down that NBC have now quietly cut the number of episodes this season, with the season now running to only 17 episodes instead of 22. Its not a good sign, especially when combined with the flagging ratings following the week off at Halloween. It’ll be a real shame if this show dies off now. I’m really enjoying it, and the tweaks to make it more like the original sound promising. I just worry that they may be coming too late in the game.
What I would be tempted to do, is a heavy advertising campaign focusing on the return of KARR. If it is the same CPU as the original (something that’s in doubt, granted), then some ads featuring clips of KARR from the original show teasing his return in the new show could work as a ratings grab. Not to mention, that if the door’s still open for Hasslehoff to return, now’s the time. Although with the number of episodes cut, I don’t know if that window’s passed.
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