Knight Rider Series History, Episode Guide, Characters, Vehicles and more!

History

The story of how Knight Rider came into being is a humerous one. The then head of programming at NBC recalls discussing the pros and (considerable) cons of casting handsome men in leading roles of television shows, the biggest problem being that the vast majority of them lacked any kind of acting talent. Jokingly, he suggested a show entitles 'The Man of Six Words', which would open with the hunk getting out of a woman's bed and saying 'Thank you.' The 'beef' of the show would involve a car chase culminating in the hunk capturing the villain, using the age-old 'Freeze!' line in the process, and the show would then wrap up with the victim of the villain thanking the hunk, who would say 'You're welcome' and then make his exit. Any dialogue in between would be provided by the hunk's talking car. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

Despite the ridiculousness of the premise, however, Knight Rider, the resulting show, was a huge success with children and adults alike, not least because it had a charm about it that was difficult to ignore, and made NBC a lot of money in its 1982 season.

The plot of Knight Rider begins when dying millionaire Wilton Knight saves the life of an undercover cop called Michael Long, who was shot in the face during an assignment. Michael Long is given a new identity after extensive plastic surgery, and becomes Michael Knight, whose purpose from that moment onwards, is to work as an agent for Wilton Knight's Foundation for Law and Government. He became a lone agent fighting for justice by taking on the problems of ordinary people struggling against the more corrupt and greedy members of society.

His key weapon is the aforementioned talking car, the Knight Industries Two-Thousand (K.I.T.T), a highly sophisticated (not to mention completely customized) black Pontiac Trans-Am, which is programmed to protect its driver, and completely impervious to any kind of attack. It cruises at 300mph, has a turbo boost that can propel it fifty feet in the air, can smash through walls, and has its own arsenal including smoke bombs, flamethrowers, infrared sensors and jamming devices. By far the most impressive feature of K.I.T.T, however, is the fact that it is programmed to talk and demonstrate considerable personality, and despite having an enormous ego, and lacking a sense of humour, K.I.T.T becomes something of a close friend to Michael.

The Foundation for Law and Government is run by English gentleman and trusted associate of the deceased inventor, Devon Miles, who smoothly manages the Foundation's finances, and Michael's assignments.

When out in the field, Michael often returns to the Foundation's mobile maintenance lorry, where Bonnie, the top class mechanic works her magic on K.I.T.T. (Bonnie was replaced by April after the first season, but returned shortly after. In Autumn of 1985, RC3, a more streetwise mechanic joined the team).

Knight Rider survived mainly because of the appeal of the car, however, David Hasselhoff's portrayal of Michael knight won a great many people over (mainly ladies) with his jeans and jacket look, friendly camaraderie with K.I.T.T, and his laid-back attitude. As it turned out, he had far more than six words to say, and while his performance wasn't award winning, he certainly looked good saying them! Whatever the reason for the show's success, it ran for four full seasons, from the first beginning in September 1982 to the final one that finished in April 1986.

Characters

Full name: April Curtis

Actress: Rebecca Holden

April took Bonnie Barstow's place while she was away during 1983, and as well as doing the usual repairs, modifications and designing, she also acted as an assistant field agent, and Devon's personal assistant.

Full name: Bonnie Bartsow

Actress: Patricia McPherson

Bonnie joined the Foundation as Lead Design Engineer not long after the Knight Industries Two-Thousand was created. It was her job to repair, upgrade and modify K.I.T.T's systems and features, and it was she who created the Super Pursuit Mode.

These repairs and modifications were her main input into Michael's assignments, which were conducted from the Foundations Mobile Unit, a forty-foot articulated lorry.

She left the Foundation for a year in 1983 so she could complete her studies at graduate level.

Her relationship with Michael was always something of a mystery - the two of them enjoyed a playful 'will-they-won't-they?' relationship right up until Michael left the Foundation.

Full name: Devon Miles

Actor: Edward Mulhare

Devon was a trusted friend of Wilton Knight and took on the responsibility of heading the Foundation for Law and Government after his death in 1982.

Devon acted as an informant to all Foundation field agents, had a seat on the Knight Foundation's Board of Directors, and most importantly, was one of only three people in the world who knew two of the three vital components of K.I.T.T's molecular bonded shell.

Unfortunately, Devon met an untimely demise when he was shot by rogue police officers attempting to slow down one of the Foundation's investigations.

Full Name: K.I.T.T.

Actor: William Daniels

K.I.T.T. is the acronym for the Foundation's top-secret super-car; full name the Knight Industries Two-Thousand. K.I.T.T was a sleek, black Pontiac Trans-Am with a molecular bonded shell, making it impervious to any attack, and as well as having a deadly arsenal of weapons such as flamethrowers and smoke bombs, not to mention other useful devices including grappling hooks, infrared scanners and a jamming device, it could cruise at 300mph, and project itself up to fifty feet in the air thanks to a unique turbo boost. It's most innovative feature however, came in the form of a CPU allowing it to talk intelligently, make decisions of its own, accept voice commands and retain a personality of its own, making it an ideal partner, and to some extent, a companion, particularly as it was programmed to protect its driver at all costs.

Full name: Michael Knight

Actor: David Hasselhoff

Once a police officer, Michael Knight (formerly known as Michael Long) was rescued by the dying millionaire Wilton Knight after being shot whilst on duty, and not only given a new identity, but a new job as a field agent for the Foundation for Law and Government, which saw him become the driver of the Foundation's Knight Industries Two-Thousand (K.I.T.T.) super-car. He worked for the Foundation from 1982 to 1990, but returned occasionally to help his good friends. Known for his tight jeans, wayward curly hair, his casual swagger and laid-back attitude.

Full name: RC3 (Reginald Cornelius III)

Actress: Peter Parros

RC3 became somewhat of a vigilante (borrowing his brother's M-16 rifle, wearing a disguise and calling himself The Street Avenger) after being brought up in an old Chicago neighbourhood and taking a serious dislike to the considerable crime level he encountered.

He gained more direction after meeting Michael Knight in 1985, and helped Bonnie reconstruct K.I.T.T in his father's garage.

Full name: Wilton Knight

Actor: Richard Basehart

Wilton Knight was the founder of the Foundation for Law and Government, and the Knight Industries project, the results of a life dedicated to improving the world he lived in. It was Wilton who facilitated Michael's rescue and subsequent identity, encouraging him to take on the role as an agent of justice for the Foundation.