Comparisons with other spin-offs

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Arjun
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Comparisons with other spin-offs

Post by Arjun » Tue Jun 30, 2009 2:47 pm

For all those who loved the old Knight Rider, many spin-offs may have been rather hard to get used to, and complaints would come in. We seem to like this version of the show a lot more, so how would it compare with the other shows that were spun off from Knight Rider? To begin, it's absolutely nothing like Code of Vengeance, which only lasted four episodes, and had nothing in common with any Knight Rider show.

Team Knight Rider

The new Knight Rider show is quite similar to this show, from the time the vehicles are launched. Both shows have the vehicles stored in cargo planes manufactured by Lockheed. Both shows have teams operating, with more than one operative on the site. And of course, both shows have the old Michael and KITT appearing only (more or less) in one (often the same) episode each. The differences I find (from what I have seen in some clips elsewhere) is that Knight Rider 2008 is very bright and upbeat, with some very fast-paced action sequences, while Team Knight Rider goes on very slowly and the lighting is very dark. Moreover, the actors in KR08 are more emphatic than their TKR counterparts, and KITT is the emotionless, logical, machine-like entity like in the original, while the five TKR machines have distinct personalities that are almost human.

Knight Rider 2000

Surely the most controversial Knight Rider spin-off. You had a Pontiac Banshee...um...Dodge Stealth modelled on a Pontiac Banshee. You had KITT, dismantled and packed up, and not happy about it, to the level of rudeness. You had an uneasy partnership between Michael and KITT, which ended in a not too friendly manner. You had a very angry Michael for most of the movie. You even had the goons kill Devon Miles- surely the most disturbing part of the movie. While KR08 has very few connections to the original Knight Rider unlike KR2K, and has a rather emotionless KITT and a rather easy-going Michael, it has its own fair share of shock.

Knight Rider 2010

KR2008 and KR2010 are similar only because it's one man and one talking car, and you don't see anyone from the original Knight Rider series in the show. Otherwise, they've very different. Almost chalk and cheese. KR08 has slightly more in common with this show than Code of Vengeance.

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Re: Comparisons with other spin-offs

Post by GT500KR » Wed Jul 01, 2009 12:51 pm

How is Code of Vengeance techinally related to Knight Rider? Just confused about it under the spin-off section
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Re: Comparisons with other spin-offs

Post by Knight Rider Archive » Wed Jul 01, 2009 1:18 pm

GT500KR wrote:How is Code of Vengeance techinally related to Knight Rider? Just confused about it under the spin-off section
During Knight Rider's second season, NBC were keen to cash in on its success and looked at creating a spin-off. One choice was Speed Demons, and would have focused on the Kelly Travis (John Macchia) character working for FLAG with a super-powered motorcycle (similar to Street Hawk, which came soon after). They settled on David Dalton from Mouth of the Snake, itself a backdoor pilot for the series that eventually became Code of Vengeance.

In the Knight Rider two-hour, Dalton was a government agent. In his series, he was a rootless drifter who roamed around helping the innocent (and the helpless and powerless, I guess :wink: ) He continued to be played by Charles Taylor, who originated the role in Mouth of the Snake. The characters of Joanna St. John (played by Joanna Pettet) and Archibald Henley (George Murdock) did not carry over to the series, which only lasted for 2 TV movies and 4 hour-long episodes.
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Re: Comparisons with other spin-offs

Post by Michael Pajaro » Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:49 pm

Agreed: TKR and KR08 both focused on a team. The TKR vehicles were (too) human-like.

But I think it's misleading to say "The new Knight Rider show is quite similar to this show". Yes, both shows use a transport plane but in TKR SkyOne was their main base of operations. It was a huge part of the show. In KR08, we rarely see the plane. The two shows are similar in the minor details, but are very different in the big picture.

And in spite of its many flaws, TKR had some great stuntwork in it which would have worked well in KR08.
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Re: Comparisons with other spin-offs

Post by Knight007 » Thu Jul 02, 2009 1:37 am

I like the way you made these comparisons. I didnt see TKR or KR2010, but from what I saw from the clips on youtube, KR2000 is as close as it gets to the original Idea.
the Reboot of KR08 was great, I enjoyed it very much, it was like re-watching KITT and Michel in action again after all those years.
I hope we get another shot to enjoy more of KR08 if it is still possible. Image :kitt:

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