Okay, back to old-school TV geekery for a moment…
I loved the original Knight Rider in the 80’s. For a geeky kid, the thought of a talking, sarcastic, hot set of high-tech wheels was more than the 10-year-old mind could bear. Sure, the stories didn’t hold up well over time and they’re tough to watch now, but the show will keep a soft spot of my heart forever.
Well, welcome to 2008. This year, NBC thought it would follow the indulgent failure that was 2007’s Bionic Woman remake with a similarly ill-conceived, hopeless remake of Knight Rider. I watched the “special event” two-hour movie that served as the pilot for the show last spring. Remember when you were a little kid, and you and your neighborhood friends would put on skits and plays for your parents? Yeah, the Knight Rider movie wasn’t that good. Would the actual series premier be any better?
No. Granted, I didn’t watch it, as my Tivo was already busy with Bones (love it) and Dancing with the Stars (don’t judge me; see previous post). However, this diaper bomb of a show got the absolute worst reviews of any geeky show in memory. I clung too long to the desperate hope that Bionic Woman would get better. I won’t make that mistake again with Knight Rider.
But why believe me? Here’s one of the best TV show reviews I’ve ever seen, from Mania.com:
Could a single episode of any television series be worse than the Stride Gum episode of Smallville? The answer is a resounding YES. Is this series a slightly more adult remake of the old animated television series MASK? This car transforms into a couple of versions of the car plus a pickup truck and who knows what else. The film that was supposed to kick this series off last year was pretty bad but it looks like an Academy Award winner compared to the series that followed with this premiere. The series feels like one of those really cheaply made series like Time Trax that plays on basic cable at 2 am. The transformation effects are horrible with the only worse effect being the blue flames shot from inside the car to the tailpipe. It’s just impossible to believe this is a real network show.
Fear not, David Hasslehoff. Your memory–and your legacy–will live on.
the geeky dad.com 
** crying *** sobbing *** i thought I was alone…not! The Stride Gum episode…*** crying louder *** it hurts thinking about it…so releive someone notice how pathetic this was…almost as pathetic as watching Smallville alone…but, hey! Gotta love the man of steal…And yes, I purposely avoided talking about KR…what a S*** load of steaming pile of g** d** shyte…Way worse than the bionic chick which sucked rear ends big time…We’re only missing a remake of The Hulk or worse, CHIPS!