Knight Writers Think Small

This week it's Matt Pyken contributing to NBC's Official Knight Writers Blog, and he talks about his episode Knight And The City... an episode that was created in the spirit of The Original Series.

"As a group -- the writers, the studio, the network -- all agreed that the original KR formula – one man and one car taking on a bad guy, saving a pretty girl, and making things right was a pretty sweet template for a series," Pyken writes. "When the 're-boot' was contemplated, I immediately decided, with deliberate intent, to tell small stories. By small I mean that Mike and K.I.T.T. don’t need to save the world every week. By small I mean the stories don’t always have to come to the SSC through some quasi-governmental source. By small I mean we see some kick-ass action, unravel a mystery, have a few laughs along the way, and by the end of the episode Mike and K.I.T.T. make a couple of lives a little better, and straighten out their own karma a little in the process."

But it wasn't all plain sailing. Pyken's episode was met with a lot of internal resistance, "but to GST’s credit, it made it to air as the penultimate episode of Season 1."

Pyken is pleased with the finished result. "If there is a second season," he says, "these are the kinds of stories I’d like to tell."

Knight Writers Blog: Think Small

Knight And The City Highlights!

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has posted highlights from Wednesday night's episode, Knight And The City. In this clip, Mike and K.I.T.T. deal with a tough crowd. It's only available to the Knight Rider fans in the USA, but if you can, check it out!



NBC.com: Knight And The City Highlights

On This Day: 19th February, 1984

Today sees the anniversary of another classic Knight Rider show, Goliath Returns. Originally airing as a movie-of-the-week, it was the second of three feature-length adventures of the 1983-84 season.

Garthe Knight escapes from prison with the aid of Goliath, rebuilt and now completely invulnerable thanks to the efforts of Adrianne St. Clair, who has also evaded justice. Together they set about kidnapping a prominent scientist in order to sell him to a foreign power, but not before Garthe has also kidnapped Devon and April to force a final confrontation with Michael and K.I.T.T.

It's a fan-favourite, and rightfully so. Written during a long lunch at the Hamburger Hamlet in Hollywood by producers and staff writers Robert Foster, Robert W. Gilmer, Janis Hendler and Tom Greene, Goliath Returns was the first show to bring back successful badguys to challenge Michael and K.I.T.T.

Garthe and Goliath previously appeared in the second season premiere Goliath. Their accomplice, Adrianne St. Clair, previously crossed paths with Michael and K.I.T.T. in the episode Soul Survivor -- although for that episode she was credited as 'Adrianne Margeaux'; the name-change isn't explained, and she is referred to as 'Margeaux' in the episode.

If you haven't seen it, it comes highly recommended and is available on DVD as part of Knight Rider: Season 2.

Tonight... Knight Rider: Knight and the City

Don't miss tonight's latest adventure for Michael and K.I.T.T. at 8/7c on NBC!

"Nothing like a little Zen in your life to help you relax -- Mike (Justin Bruening) decides to visit one of his old haunts, Sonny's bar, during his decompression time. When Mike arrives, he notices that the crowd has changed for the worse. After learning of Sonny's death in a car accident, Mike is pleased to hear that his daughter Julie is now running the bar. He offers to lend a hand in order to bring the bar back to its original glory. Meanwhile, Mike gets suspicious when he hears of the recent fires at the bar and discovers that someone has secretly being trying to get Julie to sell the place."

Be there!

On This Day: 17th February 2008

It's already a year since Knight Rider returned to NBC as a movie-of-the-week. This feature-length pilot was the fourth attempt to revive the Knight Rider concept, after two earlier TV movies (Knight Rider 2000, Knight Rider 2010) and a syndicated series (Team Knight Rider).

The story focused on Sarah Graiman (Deanna Russo), a 24-year old Ph.D candidate at Stanford University, who was following in her genius father Charles' (Bruce Davison) footsteps. But when men attempt to abduct her, Sarah receives a mysterious call from K.I.T.T. (voiced by Val Kilmer) warning her that he's a creation of Charles, who also invented the first K.I.T.T. 25 years ago -- and that her father is in serious danger.

Sarah and K.I.T.T. track down her best friend from childhood, Mike Tracer (Justin Bruening), a 23-year-old ex-Army Ranger, whom Sarah hasn't seen since he left home at 18. Having served in Iraq, Mike is now jaded and lost and initially resistant. Eventually he agrees to help Sarah and the two set out to discover who's behind the attempt to procure K.I.T.T. and find Charles. Along the way, Carrie Rivai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) plays the agile yet tough FBI agent who has a long- standing friendship with Charles and Sarah. Due to those ties, she is brought into the mix to help in the search.

Unsurprisingly, the movie didn't set the world alight critically, but it did well enough in the ratings for NBC to commission a full season of new Knight Rider adventures.

Knight Light App For iPhone

i-Doodz have unveiled a brand new app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which is available for download at the iTunes Store for £0.59p!

Knight Light turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into the hood-mounted scanner of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider: The Original Series, complete with scanner sound effects!

The app is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch, and requires iPhone 2.2 Software Update.

On This Day: 13th February, 1994

It's fifteen years since Knight Rider 2010 was first screened as part of the Action Pack on NBC. Unpopular with most Knight Rider fans, this feature-length story (and pilot for a possible series) made the unprecedented move of dropping all references to Michael Knight, K.I.T.T. and the Original Series, and reinvented the Knight Rider concept from scratch.

The Mad Max-style TV movie followed the exploits of Jake McQueen, a fugitive people-smuggler in an unrecognisable post-apocolyptic L.A. who builds a supercar to avenge the death of his adoptive father and bring down the evil Chrysalis Corporation, which is harvesting human bodies for "spare parts" on the black market. When his girlfriend Hannah is killed in cyberspace, Jake installs her Prism (a crystal containing her downloaded memories) into his dashboard and becomes a new Knight Rider.

More information can be found in the Knight Rider 2010 section of the site.

Valentine's... Knight!

Treat that special someone in your life to a Knight Rider themed E-card, courtesy of NBC! They have a selection of six available, featuring all the cast members of the show with a humourous message ("You can check under my hood anytime"; "You get my heart racing"; "My work is classified. My feelings for you are not").

Notes From The Underground: I Can't Win

Billy has updated his Notes From The Underground Blog, and reveals the results of his recent survey -- is 'sandwich' funnier than 'boat'? More importantly, he thanks readers for the contribution of help with the lip-reading video last night.

This week he signs off with a special message:

"I don't usually make such appeals, but if there's a show you like to watch that is 'on the bubble' for renewal, tune in and spread the word. Get your friends to watch too. And your family. And your friends' family. And even some people you don't really like. The people who work on those shows will be greatly appreciative... I assume."

Notes From The Underground: I Can't Win

Knight Writers Blog on Fly By Knight!

Dave Andron offers insight into the creative process behind his episode Fly By Knight over at NBC's Official Knight Writers Blog.

"Anytime I sit down to write anything, that initial idea is always the hardest part," he writes. "Especially in the middle of a season of television, when you’ve just wrapped shooting on your last episode, so you’re already kind of beat up and exhausted and you get into the office the next morning and sit down at your desk and there’s this eerie calm as you set up your laptop and stare at that blank screen and think, 'Oh man, I am so screwed…'

"But then, you have a coffee and bang your head against the wall for a while and talk to your fellow writers and somehow you get an idea: What if a plane went missing? Okay, that’s something. And what if Kitt, for the first time since we started the show, takes the initiative and gets Mike up at four in the morning to investigate instead of the other way around? That could be fun. And what if when Mike and Kitt arrive at the spot where the transponder failed, the plane had crashed! Cool. But then what? Okay, maybe the plane crash isn’t a real plane crash, maybe it’s been faked! But why would anyone fake a plane crash…?

"And onwards and onwards until hopefully you’ve got a story that doesn’t suck."

Fly By Knight contains Andron's favourite K.I.T.T. material so far. "What else can I tell you? I think, looking back at those first moments of panic, this episode turned out kinda great."

Knight Writers Blog: Fly By Knight

Fly By Knight Highlights!

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has posted highlights from last night's episode, Fly By Knight. In this clip, K.I.T.T. is wanted by the law and disguises himself. It's only available to the Knight Rider fans in the USA, but if you can, check it out!



NBC.com: Fly By Knight Highlights

Notes From The Underground: Any Lip-Readers...?

Billy is asking for help via his Notes From The Underground Blog. He and the team are trying to find a young boy that has been kidnapped:

Click on the picture to be taken to F.L.A.G.'s Surveillance section. "Check out the last three files," Billy writes. "We're trying to figure out where his abductors are taking him, and we think a clue is in those videos. These videos all come from the same gas station.

"In the one marked "Abduction/Shooting," the kid says something to the security camera, but there's no audio. I tried to figure it out myself, but all I got was a recipe for making coconut brownies, and I'm guessing that's not what he's shouting as he's been carried away by a gun wielding man."

If you're able to help, head on over straight away and let him know at:

Notes From The Underground: Any Lip-Readers Out There?

And don't forget to watch the episode! It's Fly By Knight, tonight on NBC at 8/7c!

Tonight... Knight Rider: Fly By Knight

Don't miss the latest shadowy flight into the dangerous world of the Knight Rider at 8/7c on NBC!

"Everyone needs a little help -- A plane carrying a 10 year-old federal witness has crashed or so it seems. Mike (Justin Bruening) tries to help the DEA Agent Jessie Renning, by informing her that the crash has been faked and that the drug dealer that killed his father has kidnapped the boy. Considering this information for a brief moment, she instead arrests him for hindering her investigation. Meanwhile, Sarah (Deanna Russo) tries to make a deal with the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for autonomy for the SSC's future cases. Running out of time, Mike and K.I.T.T. (voiced by Val Kilmer) need to find the boy before he is forced to tell where the drugs have been hidden and is killed."

Be there!

SciFiWire Talk To Justin Bruening

SciFiWire have posted an interview with Justin Bruening from the set of I Love The Knight Life -- now the season finale -- where the star of Knight Rider talks about the changes that have recently swept through the show.

"People will be able to relate more," Bruening says of the show post-'reboot.' "They reinvented the show, so it's going to be more of the original format, where it was usually Michael and K.I.T.T. going out on missions. When you do a mission on a global scale, there's too much to fit in 42 minutes. With a more localized murder-mystery mission, you can get more in-depth. In this, we can have a smaller mission with more twists and turns that can make it interesting. We still have these grand-scale missions, just not this week."

With Mike on the road assuming the 'young loner' mantle of the original Michael Knight, he now sees less of his co-stars. "Obviously, I'm sad to see people go," Bruening explains. "They are great friends, and I've learned a lot from them, but the way it happens, it makes the story stronger, and it makes the remaining four characters much stronger. We all have to step up instead of relying on the other cast members. It gives us more to do."

The fact that the remaining cast members have more to do is something that has pleased Knight Rider fans on internet forums, who have complained vocally since the show premiered that the show lacked focus and that Mike was often not the driving force behind the capture of the bad guys -- regularly being bailed out of trouble by Sarah (Deanna Russo) or the team in the SSC. Now that Sarah is in charge of operations back at the SSC, the action and adventure is firmly Mike's department... but how does Justin see the dynamics of their other relationship changing?

"I wish I knew, and I don't even think my character even knows," he says. "We are getting to the point where we come together, events have happened, and it makes us shut down in terms of romance. In [I Love The Knight Life], there is a new girl from my past, someone I knew from my childhood, and Sarah knows of her. Oddly enough, she is going through things that are almost a carbon copy to what Sarah is going through. This episode is a new step for Michael and has nothing to do with Sarah. And Michael doesn't know what's going on with Sarah, and he's starting to get frustrated. In episode four, she knew he loved her, and still nothing. It's like 'Why beat a dead horse?'"

Of course, major relationship that defines Mike's character -- and the only relationship that really matters in a show called Knight Rider -- is that between Michael Knight and his car. "The relationship that is developing is more brotherly," Bruening says. "It's basically the same principle as Iron Man, where he was a normal guy without the suit. When K.I.T.T. is around, Michael knows he's not going to get hurt. That also allows us to joke around more. In the midst of gunfire, because he's bulletproof, it's fun to play the opposite of what you normally would. At the same time, we do care about each other like a family. K.I.T.T. continues to learn, and in an upcoming episode he gains even more personality, to the point he starts playing practical jokes on me. It's a buddy-cop show with the banter. The one thing I would be excited to see is K.I.T.T. becoming angry and how he would retaliate."

So, no modern takes on classic episodes such as Killer K.I.T.T. this season then, but Bruening reveals that K.I.T.T. has plenty of aggressive ammunition in the season finale. "K.I.T.T. gets some new guns that exhaust his ammunition, which is 8,000 rounds, in seven seconds," he says. "It's pretty impressive, but I actually make fun of him for only lasting seven seconds. That's the fun part of the show. K.I.T.T. is becoming such a strong character that we're trying to find a way to make the scenes humorous."

So far, after Gary Scott Thompson's Exit Light, Enter Knight and Wednesday's Fight Knight the majority of fans are pleased with Knight Rider's new direction. Hopefully the network will follow suit. Bruening himself is happy with the result. "I think it's always fun to reinvent. It's exciting. There are changes, and you see progress that way. It's not stagnant, and it makes sense why we change. Plus, it makes it more like the original series with missions. Sarah is more of the mechanic, and she runs the place. Billy and Zoe are the computer techs, so knowing everyone's expertise allows Michael to call the right guy."

SciFiWire.com - Knight Rider Got An Overhaul...

Notes From The Underground: Crime-Solving, Billy-Style

The subject of Billy's Notes From The Underground this week is 'mystery', which gives Knight Industries' resident tech a chance to reveal his Patented Presolved Mystery Solutions!

"There are mysteries everywhere we look," he writes. "Well, to the untrained eye, at least. As a man of science, though, I don’t believe in mysteries. If you can’t explain something, then you’re just not trying hard enough. As my old college professor used to say -– 'a mystery is merely a story without a proper ending.'"

Here are two of his pre-solved mystery solutions:

"A person is found dead in a room with no windows and just one door that’s locked from the inside," he writes. "He's also been shot in the head, and the gun lays by his side. The death must be suicide, right? Wrong! It’s foul play! Check the walls. You’ll find that one wall is newer than the other three. That’s because the killer built his own wall and is currently hiding behind it. Why? Insurance fraud! You'll find his life insurance policy substantially changes in the event of suicide, which is why someone went to a great deal of trouble to stage one."

The second, more relevant mystery and its solution: "Your former army drill sergeant is found dead, and the local sheriff claims it's a drug overdose? Don’t believe him!! Small town sheriffs are frequently in cahoots with the local underground fight club organizers. Your old army friend was actually murdered by the fight club organizer and the sheriff helped cover it up."

If you have any presolved mystery solutions -- or you think "boats" are funnier than "sandwiches", head on over and tell him at:

Notes From the Underground: Crime-Solving, Billy Style, Part 1

Knight Writers Blog on Fight Knight

This week it's Rob Wright offering thoughts and feelings by way of NBC's Official Knight Writers Blog, focusing on last night's episode Fight Knight. This episode is notable as on the surface it seems to follow the template of many TV series from the 1980s, "Michael Knight comes to town to help a friend in need. In so doing, he gets into a heap of trouble with local tough guys, a femme fatale... even a Sheriff who just might be hiding a sinister secret. Will Mike save the girl? Who knows! First he and Kitt must work together, fighting and driving, to stop the bad guys before time runs out." If it sounds familiar, that's because it could apply to several Original Series episodes -- and that was Wright's intention all along!

"It takes 8 days to shoot an episode of Knight Rider," he says. "Well, we spent three of them shooting all the fights in the cage sequences... plus another night for the bar brawl." It was a tough shoot -- Hawaii aside, this episode took the cast and crew furthest from LA -- and it was particularly rough on Justin. "[He] reminded me that he went to bed sore every night on this episode. Why? Because even with all our visual effect capability... even with the use of Justin’s amazing, MMA blackbelt stunt-double Antal Kalik... even with the vast array of options that camera trickery offers, there are still moments where your actor has take a punch. In a show centering on cage fighting, those moments add up!"

Wright gives props to guest stars Tiki Barber and Michael O'Hearn (American Gladiators' Titan) -- "due to their unique builds both these guys did all their own fighting and stunt-work. I’m pleased to say both of them kicked ass" -- and also to Stunt and Fight Co-Ordinators Danny Wynands and Dino Haines. "As you can tell, we worked our actors pretty hard on this show (as we do on every show) but we always did it with a safe and well-choreographed fight plan," he says. "It's 'cause of guys like Danny and Dino -– and the rest of our team of stuntmen and women -– that the director and producers can go and make good action sequences great."

Wright also reveals that Meghan Markle, who plays Annie, only learned the extent of her fighting duties after she got the part! "Luckily, she’s a natural athlete who was able to step up to the plate and deliver," he says.

Knight Writers Blog: Exit Light, Enter Knight

More Fight Knight Highlights!

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has posted more highlights from last night's episode, Fight Knight. In this second clip, Mike infiltrates an underground fight club to investigate a murder. It's only available to Knight Rider fans in the USA, but if you can, check it out!



NBC.com: Fight Knight Highlights - Clip Two

Fight Knight Highlights!

NBC's Official Knight Rider Website has posted highlights from last night's episode, Fight Knight. In this clip, K.I.T.T. directs Mike through an informal autopsy. It's only available to the Knight Rider fans in the USA, but if you can, check them out!



NBC.com: Fight Knight Highlights - Clip One

Fight Knight Interviews From NBC

The Official Knight Rider Website has posted a new behind-the-scenes video. This one goes behind-the-scenes for tonight's episode Fight Knight, guest starring Football Legend Tiki Barber and Titan from American Gladiators.

Tonight... Knight Rider: Fight Knight

Don't miss the latest shadowy flight into the dangerous world of the Knight Rider, tonight at 8/7c on NBC!

"Down for the count -- Mike's (Justin Bruening) old Army friend recruits his help to investigate the suspicious death of a tough-as-nails drill sergeant Jack Burber. Mike learns that the drill sergeant was participating in an underground fight club for military veterans for extra money. In order to find out what really happened, Mike has to infiltrate the fight club and try not to get himself killed in the ring."

Be there!

On This Day: 3rd February, 1985

Today sees the anniversary of another classic Original Series show, Junk Yard Dog.

A raid on a toxic waste dump goes terribly wrong when K.I.T.T. is destroyed. In an attempt to rebuild the supercar, the Foundation must call in the original team assembled by Wilton Knight, but there are fears that the car will never be the same again...