Knight Rider Outruns Primetime Competition
Overcoming more obstacles off screen than KITT faced in the average episode of the original show, the “Knight Rider” revamp won Sunday’s primetime race for NBC.
Original KITT voice Will Arnett (Arrested Development) had to bow out before the show aired. Arnett has done voicework for GMC products, while the new KITT is a Ford Mustang. Ford sponsored the movie and wasn’t happy about the potential conflict of interest. The controversy reinforced TV critics’ perceptions that the whole thing was a two-hour commercial for Ford vehicles.
Val Kilmer stepped in and had to re-record all the lines Arnett had already finished. Not surprisingly, critics universally panned the remake of the 80’s vehicle that made David Hasselhoff a household name somewhere other than Germany.
But large numbers of viewers tuned in, about 12.7 million according to Nielsen Media Research’s preliminary estimates. It pulled a 5.0 share among the coveted 18-49 demographic. That’s the best performance for a TV film since Oprah Winfrey’s heavily promoted 2005 effort “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” The Peacock Network has to be pleased since Rider faced stiff competition including the CBS premiere of “Dexter,” and new episodes of “Extreme Makeover” as well as “Brothers and Sisters.”
NBC will rebroadcast the show Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. EST. The big number from the initial showing all but guarantees the remake a spot in NBC’s fall lineup. I wonder if they made the new KITT from leftover parts from the Bionic Woman?
Tags: Bionic Woman, David Hasselhoff, KITT, Knight-Rider, NBC, Val Kilmer, Will ArnettRelated Stories
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2 opinions for Knight Rider Outruns Primetime Competition
Cynthia
Feb 19, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I wanted to like this movie, I really did. But sadly they missed out on a chance to make it modern and spiffy. They made it like an 80’s show - which worked in the 80’s but doesn’t work now. Cheesy dialouge, flat characters and major car accidents where no one (well, hardly anyone) dies ala The A-Team. The leading man — no charm whatsoever and that’s the killer.
Is Your Favorite Show On The Bubble?
Mar 15, 2008 at 11:30 pm
[...] SFUniverse has discussed, the backdoor Knight Rider pilot did well enough in the ratings to earn a series slot at NBC. The [...]
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