History Series / KnightRider

* BackdoorPilot: The two-parter Season 2 finale "Mouth of the Snake" introduced one David Dalton (a Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan of sorts) who was going to be the star of his own series, and later on even got his onw solo PilotMovie (titled ''Code of Vengeance'') but the idea never panned out.

* OffTheShelfFX: Several of the original series's Turbo Boost shots were done with Matchbox cars. A discerning eye might notice the bright red "KNIGHT 2000" lettering on the sides of the car -- present on licensed merchandise, but ''not on the show''.
** ''Jossed''. They DID use scale models for some stunts, but they were custom-built models roughly in 1/10 scale. Some of them were badly built, but none had the "Knight 2000" lettering.

* ArtEvolution: KITT's voice was represented by a flat screen flashing red when he talks. In KARR's first appearance the screen had a yellow pulsing synthesizer-like graphic, which was well received, and a modified red version was adopted for KITT midway through the first season. Season three updated it slightly to be more complex.

* BackdoorPilot: The episode "Mouth of the Snake" introduced one David Dalton (a Series/TheSixMillionDollarMan of sorts) who was going to be the star of his own series, but the idea never panned out.

* NotEvenBotheringWithAnExcuse: At the end of "KITT Vs. KARR", Michael uses FLAG funding to purchase a business for a key character in the episode. Devon then angrily calls him to ask why a large amount of money has suddenly disappeared. Michael simply responds that he will once he thinks of an excuse.

* NotSoInvincibleAfterAll: As nice as being MadeOfIndestructium is, there's a huge difference between being protected from ''nearly everything'' and ''absolutely everything''. KITT is still built on the frame of an 80s American sports car, and that platform just isn't massive enough to be fully indestructible. Military-grade weapons are a concern, but perhaps most notably, Goliath. The same formula that makes KITT NighInvulnerable applied to a massive semi truck, simple physics means KITT comes off worse every time the two go head-to-head.

* AndThisIsFor: KITT states this while he's beating up the MonsterOfTheWeek in ''"Killer KITT"'', for his reprogramming, forcing him to try and kill Michael, one for computer lovers, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking making him say 'ain't'.]]

** His voice becomes deeper and gains a heavy Dalek-esque modulation when he's reprogrammed by a rogue FLAG member in "Killer KITT". [[spoiler:This reprogramming is found to be far more effective than the earlier attempt.]]

* VillainessesWantHeroes: Adrianne Margeaux, one of the series few recurring villains, wanted a piece of Michael after their first encounter. She thought Garthe might make a good substitute (she later decided he didn't). In a little twist, [[spoiler:[[HighHeelFaceTurn she ends up sacrificing herself to save Michael by taking the wheel from Garthe just before he could ram KITT with Goliath]].]] The twist being that Michael never learns the truth for himself.

* TheAestheticsOfTechnology: The time period of the original show had an emphasis on lots and lots of buttons to depict advanced technology, making KITT's interior look like a airplane cockpit. By the late 80's the idea of touch screen interfaces and holographic displays started taking shape, which lead to much cleaner design schemes and reflected in later shows in the franchise. By the time of the '08 series a number of cars were coming with standard LED screens, and in turn the only modification to KITT's interior was for his voice module.
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: Jokingly {{Discussed|Trope}}: A native Indian thinks KITT is a god of the wind, who was depicted with a horse. The native suggests that said god decided to take a modern form as a car due to this being the 1980's.

* BottomlessMagazines: Like many series from the 80's, ''Knight Rider'' consistently showed revolvers to have infinite ammo.

** Some fans, however, enjoy speculation and {{Fix Fic}}'s dealing with the above subjects.

* NotSoInvincibleAfterAll: As nice as being MadeOfIndestructium is, there's a huge difference between being protected from ''nearly everything'' and ''absolutely everything''. KITT is still built on the frame of an 80's American sports car, and that platform just isn't massive enough to be fully indestructible. Military-grade weapons are a concern, but perhaps most notably, Goliath. The same formula that makes KITT NighInvulnerable applied to a massive semi truck, simple physics means KITT comes off worse every time the two go head-to-head.

* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: KITT again, though its use was limited in the 80's series. In the 2008 series everyone other than KITT and Michael shares this role, even though KITT can do it himself making the rest of the cast pretty much redundant.

* ArtEvolution: KITT's voice was represented by a flat screen flashing red when he talks. In KARR's first appearance the screen had a yellow pulsing synthesizer-like graphic, which was well received, and a modified red version was adopted for KITT in season two. Season three updated it slightly to be more complex.

** His voice turns abnormally deep and slow when reprogrammed by a rogue FLAG member in the fourth season. [[spoiler:This reprogramming is found far more effective than the earlier attempt.]]

* PlotInducedStupidity: The new series gives KITT a host of weapons such as tranq darts, missiles, Gatling guns and even EMP. These are almost never used when they would actually be useful, and rarely does their lack of use get so much as a HandWave.

* {{Fanservice}}: Very, very sparingly, mostly in beach scenes (where it is at least technically justified). Two major examples, however, were ''Knight of the Chameleon'', which had gratuitous shots of Arabian-styled belly dancers, and ''Many Happy Returns'', when Michael (on his birthday) was sought by the GirlOfTheWeek in a two-piece swimsuit. (Having said that, April in BareYourMidriff mode was used for the opening credits shot of Rebecca Holden when she was on the show.)

* AluminumChristmasTrees: People often see KITT drive up into the semi while both are moving at highway speeds on the show, and it was long thought that this type of stunt would be impossible. In the show, this was accomplished with models. But Mythbusters did the same thing with a car similar to KITT and a semi truck moving at highway speeds, and not only did it work, it worked *exactly* like it was depicted in the show (save for the part about the trailer being BiggerOnTheInside)[[note]]The reason it works is because when the car hits the ramp, it's inertia keeps it moving at the same speed, forcing the tires (whether they are connected to the drive train or not) to quickly slow down[[/note]].

* {{Fanservice}}: Very, very sparingly, mostly in beach scenes (where it is at least technically justified). Two major examples, however, were ''Knight of the Chameleon'', which had gratuitous shots of Arabian-styled belly dancers, and ''Many Happy Returns'', when Michael (on his birthday) was sought by the GirlOfTheWeek in a two-piece swimsuit.

* ExtraLongEpisode: "Goliath", "Goliath Returns", "Knight of the Drones", and "Mouth of the Snake".

Accepting the challenge, Michael Long becomes Michael Knight. To aid him, he is given a car -- and what a car it is! So much horsepower it can't be measured, every electronic device imaginable and then some, impervious to anything short of heavy artillery -- and controlled by an Artificial Intelligence with the voice of Creator/WilliamDaniels. The '''K'''night '''I'''ndustries '''T'''wo '''T'''housand -- "KITT" -- was the ''real'' star of the show; Creator/DavidHasselhoff's Michael was simply a plot device used to give the car something to do and someone to banter with. In fact, according to Website/{{Wikipedia}}, the show was created in response to a perceived lack of leading men who could act, with then NBC Entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff suggesting that a talking car could fill in the gaps in any leading man's acting abilities.

Accepting the challenge, Michael Long becomes Michael Knight. To aid him, he is given a car -- and what a car it is! So much horsepower it can't be measured, every electronic device imaginable and then some, impervious to anything short of heavy artillery -- and controlled by an Artificial Intelligence with the voice of Creator/WilliamDaniels. The '''K'''night '''I'''ndustries '''T'''wo '''T'''housand -- "KITT" -- was the ''real'' star of the show; Creator/DavidHasselhoff's Michael was simply a plot device used to give the car something to do and someone to banter with. In fact, according to Wiki/{{Wikipedia}}, the show was created in response to a perceived lack of leading men who could act, with then NBC Entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff suggesting that a talking car could fill in the gaps in any leading man's acting abilities.

[[caption-width-right:240:[[HellBentForLeather Cool jacket?]] Check. CoolCar? Doublecheck. TheyFightCrime]]

* TheyFightCrime: A former cop and his talking car.

-->'''KITT:''' ''(in a calm and almost deadpan voice)'' Michael, I believe as usual you may have attracted the attention of some highly homicidal personalities.

* TravelingAtTheSpeedOfPlot: KITT only ever seems to get to his destination in just the nick of time. Considering that his top speed is 300 MPH (around 480 KPH), you have to wonder where it all goes. Especially blatant in the fourth season which used Super Pursuit Mode for the final chase scene in ''every'' episode, even ones that barely lasted 20 seconds.

** KITT's scanner was lifted from the Cylons of ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}''. Not surprising, however, as both programs were created and produced by Glen A. Larson. In fact, there's an episode of the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' called ''The Long Patrol'' that features an Artificial Intelligent controlled Viper that has a voice modular that moves when she speaks. And her name is also made up of an abbreviation.

* KnightOfCerebus: Some of the villains in certain episodes really stand out this way. Philip Nordstrom, in particular, was so no-nonsense and effective that he'd usually have his own (very dark) {{Leitmotif}}. Even Garthe wasn't **that** bad.

** Seven of them: Garthe Knight to Michael Knight, KARR to KITT, Goliath to KITT (Or Rook the FLAG semi), Devon Miles' masked imposter, Bonnie's imposter, possibly Adrianne Margeaux to Bonnie, and KARR-E to "[=KI3T=]". Though in both Garthe and KARR's cases it's a case of the good ones being mirrors of the evil/morally ambiguous originals, and Goliath was more of an EvilCounterpart (and its arguable whether it was even that, since unlike KITT it had no AI running it). Thus, it could be said that Goliath is more of an evil twin/counterpart to the Rook, the FLAG semi.
** In "Knight of the Cameleon" a criminal MasterOfDisguise uses a LatexPerfection mask to impersonate Michael Knight. Michael even comments how one EvilTwin is already a headache, two is just ridiculous.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Most episodes' titles had "Knight" as a pun: "Knight of the Phoenix", "A Good Knight's Work", etc.

* IWorkAlone: Michael and KITT once encountered a government agent who was working on the same case as they were. He stated this literally word-for-word.
--> '''Michael''': Well me too but I don't make a religion out of it!

In 2008, a feature-length PilotMovie aired in February, featuring an assortment of B to C list actors, and [[EverybodyOwnsAFord a lot of]] [[ProductPlacement Fords.]] Fan reaction varied heavily, some feeling it was at worst mediocre with others feeling like it was a total trainwreck. Most felt it was, at the least, more faithful to the feel of the original. Also universally appreciated was ignoring the past attempts at [[{{revival}} reviving]] the concept. Ratings were solid though, and NBC ordered it to series, premiering in September. Some fans have nicknamed it [=KR08=] to differentiate from the original ''Knight Rider''.

* [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist By Her Own Petard]]: [[spoiler: Tanya attempts to shoot Micheal through KITT's windows, in spite of everyone warning her the windows are bulletproof. The bullet richochets directly back at her and she dies from the self-inflicted gunshot.]]

** The old KITT had lasers and occasionally other systems that he tended to use for defense or minor attacks on key points. The new KITT, to emphasize just how more badass he is, is armed with a laser, rocket launchers and [[MoreDakka three]] [[GatlingGood miniguns]], [[PlotInducedStupidity which typically aren't used when they would actually be useful]].

* EvilTwin: Seven of them: Garthe Knight to Michael Knight, KARR to KITT, Goliath to KITT (Or Rook the FLAG semi), Devon Miles' masked imposter, Bonnie's imposter, possibly Adrianne Margeaux to Bonnie, and KARR-E to "[=KI3T=]". Though in both Garthe and KARR's cases it's a case of the good ones being mirrors of the evil/morally ambiguous originals, and Goliath was more of an EvilCounterpart (and its arguable whether it was even that, since unlike KITT it had no AI running it). Thus, it could be said that Goliath is more of an evil twin/counterpart to the Rook, the FLAG semi.