I wasn’t planning on doing a full Trial by Stream on Knight Rider. It was supposed to be a small part of a 1982 Fall Season retrospective, but once I hit play on Tubi, I was sucked in. I grew up with this show, but sitting down with KITT in 2026 is a completely different experience. It’s nostalgia and a warning, especially poignant in today’s AI world.
Old Vegas, Spies, and the “Michael Long” Erasure
The pilot (originally a two-hour event, now split into two parts on FAST platforms) opens in “Old Las Vegas.” God, I miss that neon. It’s all surveillance, blueprints, and microchips — James Bond grit with an 80s hair-spray budget.
David Hasselhoff (pre-Baywatch, but looking exactly the same) starts as undercover cop Michael Long. He gets shot in the face by a spy named Tanya and only survives because of a metal plate in his skull. He wakes up with a new face, a new name, and a mission from a dying billionaire, who tells him: “One man can make a difference.”
Meet KITT: The Judgmental Robot
When Michael finally gets behind the wheel of the souped-up Trans Am, the show finds its Technicolor Urgency. KITT is more than just a car; it’s an autonomous, snarky, and deeply judgmental AI.
In one of the best scenes, Michael falls asleep at the wheel driving down a highway. After trying to wake the snoozing Michael, KITT just takes over. When the cops show up, KITT gives Michael tactical advice on how to make them look like fools. It’s hilarious, but it’s also eerie. Back in 1982, this was escapism. In 2026, we’ve got Tesla and Robotaxis.
The “Buck Biggers” Mystery
Critics in 1982 were brutal. One Gannett review called it the “most ridiculous new show” and offered to sell the audience a bridge in Brooklyn if they believed a talking car.
But but while digging through the archives: NBC executives were defending the show to syndicated columnist Victoria Lee Biggers, telling her Knight Rider “had it all,” and they had no interest in cancelling it.
As I noted in my Fantasy Island Season 1 Guide, Buck Biggers, co-creator of Underdog, had already gone to bat for Fantasy Island after its 1978 premiere, taking critics to task for trashing a show audiences clearly enjoyed.
Apparently, both Biggerses had a habit of pulling for the underdog when everyone else was writing them off.
COBOL, Commodore 64s, and the “Fad” of the Future
The show moves into Silicon Valley, which is a trip to watch today. It reminds me of being forced to take COBOL classes in high school and asking my grandpa for a Commodore 64 after seeing WarGames. When my mother told me I should look into a career in computers, I famously told her: “It’s just a fad. It’s not going anywhere.”
Seeing Michael Knight use a payphone (God, I miss payphones) while his car sizes up the two guys ready to steal it is the ultimate brain collision. It’s a world where the tech is futuristic, but you still need a pocket full of dimes to call Devon.
The Verdict: Smashing the Wings off a Plane
The stunts are ludicrous. KITT drives on two wheels, Michael uses the ejector seat to breach a 100-foot wall, and the finale involves a Trans Am clipping the wing of a moving airplane to stop a villain. It’s physics-defying TRASH that is absolutely pure FIRE.
Michael Knight is a man whose old life is dead, and his only true friend is an AI who gets offended if he doesn’t say “Thank you.” It’s a lonely, high-stakes mission that is much more engaging than the “boiling water” dramas on modern streamers.
🔥 Final Verdict: WATCHABLE. Completely absurd, ridiculously entertaining, and more relevant to our “Robot-heavy” world than I ever expected.
