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{{open.jpg }}  **Knight Rider** 
(Series Run - 1982-1986 - 84 episodes)

Brandon Tartikoff, youthful head of programming at NBC, once gave California magazine this version of the creation of Knight Rider: It seems he and one of his assistants were discussing the problems of casting handsome leading men in the series, because many of them can't
act. Why not have a series, he mused, called "The Man of Six words,"
which would begin with the guy getting out of a woman's bed and saying "Thank You." Then he would chase down some villians and say "Freeze!"
Finally the grateful almost-vitims would thank him, and he would murmur,
"You're welcome." End of show. In between, the car could do the
talking. The series that made it to the air as Knight Rider was scarcley
less preposterous than that, but it was played with such a twinkle in the
eye that viewers--especillay kids--made it one of the hits of the 1982 season.

The opening episode told the story of how a dying millionaire named [[Wilton Knight]] rescued a young undercover cop who had
been shot in the face. After plastic surgery officer [[Michael
Long]] had a new face, a new identity ([[Michael Knight]]),
and a new mission in life: to fight for law and justice in the Knight's
incredible super-car, the Knight Industries Two Thousand--or [[KITT]],
for short. It was love at first sight between Michael and KITT. The car,
a sleek, black, customized Pontiac Trans-Am, was impervious to attack, could
cruise at 300 mph, could leap up to 50 feet through the air, and was loaded
with such armaments as flamethrowers, smoke bombs, and infrared sensing
devices. Best of all, it could talk, and in fact had a personality all its
own; peevish, a bit haughty, but totally protective of Michael. He could
summon the car when in trouble, and it would come crashing through the walls
to get him. Its deceased inventor had left behind a huge fortune to finance
the crime-fighting, and a trusted associate, the suave [[Devon]],
to look after things. Based at a palatial estate, called somewhat grandly
the Foundation for Law and Government, Michael (and often Devon) went forth
each week, trailed by a large maintenance van that served as a sort of mobile
command post. Rounding out the crew was a beautiful mechanic, variously
[[Bonnie]] or [[April]], and "[[RC3]]," a streeet-wise mechanic who joined the team
in the fall of 1985. 

Though the gimmick in the
series was the car, much of the show's appeal was due to actor [[David Hasselhoff]], a tall, handsome former soap-opera heartthrob
(on The Young and The Restless) who joked and kidded with his computerized
companion. While he had more to say than "The Man of Six Words,"
his tight jeans, wavy hair, and laidback style (his favorite phrase was
"You got it") made women melt.

Michael Knight and his "Buddy" K.I.T.T began their future together fighting crime and criminals who operated "above the law".  We find that with each episode that "One man (and his KITT) CAN make a difference". Our Knight in shining armor arrived to fill our hearts with hope and our world with peace. 

Faithful Fans still follow the series plots,scenes, and actors. There are also "KITT" builders who build their dream car. They show us what determination can accomplish. Many internet sites are run and operated by fans of the series. The series that caught our eyes and captured our hearts.

[[http://knightrideronline.com/season.php|View Episode Guide]]