Knight Rider (DVD) Review

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 27th, 2010

One of the more intriguing television shows of the early-1980s, Knight Rider (and K.I.T.T. in particular) captured the imagination of children everywhere while, at the same time, entertaining adults with its effective utilization of a traditional TV action genre. Knight Rider tells the story of an incredible crime fighting team brought together when the terminally-ill billionaire Wilton Knight saves the life of police officer Michael Long after Long gets shot in the face? When the billionaire helps out, providing Long with a new face and a new identity (Michael Knight), the young officer dedicates the remainder of his life to fighting injustice on behalf of the Foundation of Law and Government (FLAG). Singled out by Wilton Knight and aided by the staff of FLAG, Michael is teamed up with an extraordinary vehicle that, if necessary, is capable of fighting bad guys all by itself?

Knight Rider features David Hasselhoff in the role of Michael Knight, an ex-cop turned private crime fighter. But the true star of the show is Michael's car, K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand), a sleek black Pontiac Trans-Am impervious to bullets, fire, or most any type of mayhem. Outfitted with state-of-the-art, top secret Artificial Intelligence, K.I.T.T. is not only capable of self-operation (with his mission to protect all human life), but he's outfitted with smoke bombs, flamethrowers, infrared sensors, and countless other nifty gadgets. Able to verbally communicate with humans, K.I.T.T. maintains a special friendship with Michael, developing his own personality (which at times provides comic relief for the show). Just as criminal outlaws of the early-1980s feared the wrath of The A-Team, the prospect of a visit from Michael and K.I.T.T. certainly caused many sleepless nights for America's criminal element?

The Knight Rider DVD features a number of action-packed episodes including the season premiere "Knight of the Phoenix" in which the downed police officer Michael Long is revived, after being declared dead, by the billionaire philanthropist Wilton Knight. After agreeing to carry out the proposed task of crime fighter, Michael is introduced to K.I.T.T., a sports car durable as tank, outfitted with the latest technologies, able to travel at speeds in excess of 300 mph, and equipped with a mind of its own? Other notable episodes from Season 1 include "Good Day at White Rock" in which Michael and K.I.T.T.'s vacation turns into a working vacation when a biker war erupts in the small town of White Rock, and "A Plush Ride" in which Michael goes undercover as a limousine/bodyguard trainee in order to foil an assassination plot with international implications?

Below is a list of episodes included on the Knight Rider (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Knight of the Phoenix: Part 1) Air Date: 09-24-1982
Episode 2 (Knight of the Phoenix: Part 2) Air Date: 09-24-1982
Episode 3 (Deadly Maneuvers) Air Date: 10-01-1982
Episode 4 (Good Day at White Rock) Air Date: 10-08-1982
Episode 5 (Slammin' Sammy's Stunt Show Spectacular) Air Date: 10-22-1982
Episode 6 (Just My Bill) Air Date: 10-29-1982
Episode 7 (Not a Drop to Drink) Air Date: 11-05-1982
Episode 8 (No Big Thing) Air Date: 11-12-1982
Episode 9 (Trust Doesn't Rust) Air Date: 11-19-1982
Episode 10 (Inside Out) Air Date: 11-26-1982
Episode 11 (The Final Verdict) Air Date: 12-03-1982
Episode 12 (A Plush Ride) Air Date: 12-10-1982
Episode 13 (Forget Me Not) Air Date: 12-17-1982
Episode 14 (Hearts of Stone) Air Date: 01-14-1983
Episode 15 (Give Me Liberty? or Give Me Death) Air Date: 01-21-1983
Episode 16 (The Topaz Connection) Air Date: 01-28-1983
Episode 17 (A Nice, Indecent Little Town) Air Date: 02-18-1983
Episode 18 (Chariot of Gold) Air Date: 02-25-1983
Episode 19 (White Bird) Air Date: 03-04-1983
Episode 20 (Knight Moves) Air Date: 03-11-1983
Episode 21 (Nobody Does It Better) Air Date: 04-29-1983
Episode 22 (Short Notice) Air Date: 05-06-1983