History Series / Viper

** Jeff Kaake did not get along well with his co-stars - Joe Nipote, and especially Heather Medway. As Heather was dating the show's producer, Danny Bilson, she was able to exert her influence and get Kaake removed after Season 3. [[http://web.archive.org/web/20170217121948/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115413/board/thread/27526435 Source]] In series, Cole was removed from the team after the Season 3 [[Cliffhanger]] ending.

** The latter with Julian Wilkes. Dorian Harewood didn't want to be in a wheelchair and also left after Season 1. As the writers were not able to think of a way to write him out of the wheelchair, in Season 2's opener, it's explained that Julian took a post in Washington, DC. Julian would later return in Season 4, now walking normally. However, as his duties were taken over by Frankie during Season 2-3, there was no place for him to return full-time, so he would make only three Special Guest Star appearances during the season. In show, Julian had taken a job with NASA for Season 4.

*** Season 4 opener also has Joe WithAFootOnTheBus. He delivers the Viper to the Complex, but tells Frankie he's doing it only as a favor for Julian, as he already has plans to leave for Iceland in two days. However, after Julian gets kidnapped by the thugs who were targeting the Viper, he ends up driving the Viper to rescue him. After that, Joe once again tells Frankie that his job is done, only for Julian to tell him that he had already taken the liberty of asking FBI to assign him to the team as the driver. After Frankie asks him to stay, Joe agrees to "give it a shot, but no long-term commitments."

** The Season 2 opener "Winner Take All" features the main villain, Colonel Dekker committing robberies using a custom-built heavily-armored International Harvester Transtar 4300 semi-truck, carrying an army inside.
*** Knight Rider season 2 opener's "Goliath" and later episode "Goliath Returns" featured a custom Peterbilt 352 Pacemaker semi-truck named "Goliath" driven by Garthe Knight. Goliath is armed with 4 missile pods on the cab, and an African mercenary army riding in its trailer; and coated with KITT's Molecular Bonded Shell coating, making it bulletproof and virtually indestructible.

** The latter with Julian Wilkes. Dorian Harewood didn't want to be in a wheelchair and also left after Season 1. In Season 2's opener, it's explained that Julian took a post in Washington, D.C. - as the writers were not able to think of a way to write him out of the wheelchair. Julian would later return in Season 4, now walking normally. However, as his duties were taken over by Frankie during Season 2-3, there was no place for him to return full-time, so he would make only three Special Guest Star appearances during the season. In show, Julian had taken a job with NASA for Season 4.

** Jeff Kaake did not get along very well with his co-stars - Joe Nipote, and especially Heather Medway. As Heather was dating the show's producer, Danny Bilson, she was able to exert her influence and get Kaake removed after Season 3. [[http://web.archive.org/web/20170217121948/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115413/board/thread/27526435 Source]] In series, Cole was removed from the team after the Season 3 [[Cliffhanger]] ending.

** Jeff Kaake did not get along very well with his co-stars - Joe Nipote, and especially Heather Medway. As Heather was dating the show's producer, Danny Bilson, she was able to exert her influence and get Kaake removed after Season 3.
[[http://web.archive.org/web/20170217121948/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115413/board/thread/27526435 Source]] In series, Cole was removed from the team after the Season 3 [[Cliffhanger]] ending.

* GeniusCripple: Julian Wilkes. [[spoiler: In Season 4, he is again able to walk normally, with the help of his new invention, even if using a cane.]]

** The latter with Julian Wilkes. Dorian Harewood didn't want to be in a wheelchair and also left after Season 1. In Season 2's opener, it's explained that Julian took a post in Washington, D.C. - as the writers were not able to write him out of the wheelchair. Julian would later return in Season 4, now walking normally. However, as most of his duties were taken over by Frankie in Season 2 and 3, there was no place for him to return full-time, so he would make only three Special Guest Star appearances during the season.

* TheBusCameBack: Joe Astor (James McCaffrey) returned for Season 4 after Cole's reassignment.

* GeniusCripple: Julian Wilkes.

** KITT's most recent appearance before ''Viper'' was made was in ''Series/KnightRider 2000,'' where he was installed in a Dodge Stealth that [[http://kr2k.com/bts1.html the studio customized to look like a Plymouth Banshee]]. One could interpret the events of the pilot episode to mean Joe wrecked KITT to upgrade to the Viper.

* PutOnABus:
** Joe Astor after Season 1, when the series was moved to Canada.
** Jeff Kaake and Heather Medway didn't get along and often butted heads. As Heather had married the show's producer, Danny Bilson in August 1997, she was able to exert her influence and get Kaake removed after Season 3.[[http://web.archive.org/web/20170217121948/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115413/board/thread/27526435 Source]]

** Jeff Kaake and Heather Medway didn't get along and often butted heads. As Heather had married the show's producer, Danny Bilson in August 1997, she was able to exert her influence and get Kaake removed after Season 3.

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDfAma4h830 This]] early Season 1 promo features Basil Poledouris's "Anvil of Crom" from the ''ConanTheBarbarian'' soundtrack.

* ExpandedUniverse: DCComics released a 4-issue comic book miniseries in late 1994. It features an original plot set in Season 1.

With a heavy emphasis on identity and morality, and featuring a soundtrack composed by [[RoxyMusic Eddie Jobson]] and [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Shirley Walker]], the first season had incredible writing and production values for something that was basically [[ProductPlacement a weekly Dodge commercial]]. This creative style [[ExecutiveMeddling was abruptly dropped at the end of the first season]] and [[AdaptationDecay was never really picked up again.]]

* BrainUploading: The episode "Once A Thief" deals with Joe meeting one of the [[ReluctantMadScientist Reluctant Mad Scientists]] responsible for his brain implant. The doctor reveals he has a backup of Michael Payton's ''entire mind'' on a small harddrive and offers to digitally re-install it onto Joe's microchip in true ''JohnnyMnemonic'' style. [[spoiler: Joe eventually declines the offer and destroys the backup, fearing the potential evil his own criminal half could cause in his new position.]]

!!''{{Viper}}'' provides examples of:

** Jay Ferguson would later reuse the opening theme he created for Season 4 in [[{{Tremors}} Tremors 4: The Legend Begins.]]

Season 4 sees Joe Astor returning as the story's main protagonist and becoming a member of the Season 2-3 cast. It serves as a compromise between the show's two distinct formats, combining elements of both while trying to maintain a single canon. There are a few notable throwbacks to Season 1 spread throughout, but this season's true MagnumOpus is the two part finale entitled "Split Decision." In addition to ending the series as a whole, it can be seen as the proper (albeit [[{{Retcon}} somewhat flawed]]) conclusion the first season never received.

''Viper'' is a live-action science fiction TV series that was created by [[Film/TheRocketeer Paul De Meo]] and [[Series/TheSentinel Danny Bilson]] and aired from 1994 to 1999. The show revolves around a modified Dodge Viper that can transform into the Defender, [[CoolCar an armored supercar]] designed for catching the most dangerous criminals. The first season aired as an NBC exclusive from January to April 1994 and disappeared from the network after completing its first run. The show came back for a syndicated second season in the fall of 1996. It retained this format up through its concluding fourth season.

Think of it as a '90s version of ''KnightRider''.

* EvilCounterpart: The Firehawk, which is driven by a former Viper test driver who went AxeCrazy after failing to cope with rejection. Going back to the ''KnightRider'' analogy, it's basically the unholy fusion of KARR and Goliath.

** KITT's most recent appearance before ''Viper'' was made was in ''KnightRider 2000,'' where he was installed in a Dodge Stealth that [[http://kr2k.com/bts1.html the studio customized to look like a Plymouth Banshee]]. One could interpret the events of the pilot episode to mean Joe wrecked KITT to upgrade to the Viper.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The "Project Wind Storm", which is a bike with some cool stuff like an EMP gun and a laser cannon looks like a CoolBike at first. But at second glance it turns out to be useless. One example is the steering. You can control the bike with your head movement. Sounds awesome, but imagine driving 75 mph on an Interstate and you see something beautiful on the road side. You move your head and then you are CaptainCrash.

** You are the bad guy and you think you are safe inside a car because ConcealmentEqualsCover? "The Best Couple" proves wrong. Even when Cole is setting his machine gun to the smallest amound of caliber the bullet rips through the passenger door and injures the driver.

* Foreshadowing: When Joe Astor creates a Hologram of a Police road block in the chase of "Aftermath" he is foreshadowing the real road block that comes next. He also comments "Where is our REAL backup?".

* SequelEscalation: The Defender in Season 2 has even more insane gadgets like a flying drone.

** In "Cold Warriors" a retired secret agent appears to fight the bad guys. He is driving a Ferrari 250 GTE which does look similiar to an [[{{Goldfinger}} Aston Martin DB5]]. Everytime this secret agent appears a Bond-like music is played in background and its also mentioned that it has some gimmicks (but only a secret storage under the seat is revealed).