February 29, 2024 – Knight Rider

Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we’re spotlighting the year 1982, and that’s when Kight Rider premiered on NBC! It ran from September 26, 1982 to April 4, 1986. David Hasselhoff starred as Michael Knight, a crime fighter assisted by KITT, an artificially intelligent, nearly indestructible car.
The car used for KITT was a customized 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. It cost around $100,000 to build, just over $300,000 today. A total of 23 KITT cars were used in filming the series, though there may be as many as 25. All except 5 were destroyed at the end of filming. That’s because Universal Studios acquired the cars from Pontiac after a nearby train derailment. But their contract required the cars couldn’t be sold again for private use because of the train damage, so they had to be crushed when Universal was done with them.
William Daniels was the voice of KITT. He was simultaneously starring on St. Elsewhere and would record his lines after the majority of the episode was filmed. Hasselhoff would work with an assistant off-camera who would read KITT’s lines. Daniels and Hasselhoff were never in the same room together, and the first time they met was at a Christmas party after the show was already a hit. Daniels requested not to be credited as the voice of KITT.
There were 2 sequels, Team Knight Rider (1997-1998) and Knight Rider (2008-2009). There were also 3 TV movies, video games, and novels. The franchise has developed a cult following over the years and spawned many pop culture references. Learn more here.