Though NBC kept touting that the revival of Knight Rider was a success, the ratings have told a different story. Just about everyone in the industry was shocked when the network gave the Justin Bruening series an order for the back nine episodes. Now, to little surprise, NBC is pulling the plug.
Knight Rider debuted on September 24th, as a follow-up to the TV movie that aired last February. The new TV show takes place 25 years after the original exploits of Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) and his high-tech, four-wheeled partner KITT (voiced by William Daniels). Mike Traceur (Bruening) is the son of Knight and the driver of the newest KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer). The car was built by Charles Graiman (Bruce Davison), the father of Mike’s former girlfriend, Sarah (Deanna Russo). As in the original series, Mike and KITT work together to thwart evil and save the innocent. The rest of the cast includes Paul Campbell, Yancey Arias, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, and Smith Cho.
A few revivals of Rider have been attempted over the years but none have been a success. The newest version is, unfortunately, no exception. The premiere episode debuted to just 7.35 million viewers and a 2.5/7 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic. The audience for Rider’s second episode grew to 7.77 million while the demo remained essentially flat at 2.4/7. The following three episodes averaged about 7.2 million but the demo began slowly dropping with each new installment.
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Likely due to the state of the rest of NBC’s sagging schedule, the network decided to stick with Rider and gave the series a greenlight for nine more episodes. This would bring the order to a full 22 installments for the season. Soonafter, the ratings took a serious hit in the November sweeps period.
After a week off, Rider’s audience sank to just 5.12 million and a terrible 1.6/4 in the demographic. The ratings weren’t much better for the rest of the month.
A few days after the first November ratings dip, showrunner Gary Scott Thompson announced that the show was going through a retooling. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “We’re moving away from the terrorist-of-the-week formula and closer to the original, making it a show about a man and his car going out and helping more regular people, everymen.”
As a part of this effort, three castmembers were let go – Poitier, Arias and Davison. Thompson maintained that this move had nothing to do with their performances. The decision likely had more to do with an effort to cut costs and make the bottom line more attractive to the network.
It seems the network hasn’t been sufficiently impressed by what they’ve seen and execs have cut the episode order back to 17 installments. The cast and crew are currently working on their 17th episode, written and directed by Thompson. They’re expected to wrap some time next week.
That episode, now the Rider season finale, is scheduled to air on February 25, 2009. The five remaining scripts will be utilized on the off chance that the series is renewed for a second season. Unless the ratings seriously improve, there’s no way that that will happen. Not even Mike and KITT will be able to save the day. Stay tuned! 
Related links:
Knight Rider on DVD || Knight Rider books || Knight Rider apparel || downloads
Image courtesy NBC.
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Knight Rider (2008)
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i am so depressed that the show ended please!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! BRING THIS SHOW..."
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NBC, Havent a clue what there viewers wont to see, K.R was a great show and for a show to bring a familey togeather for 1 hour once a week was great, But NO thay have to cancle and and replace with cheap crap, NBC you going down the loo.
LONG LIVE K.R
BRING BACK K.R
Hi, I am so disappointed that you took off Knight Rider. I loved the original, and liked the new series better, especially with the changing, fast Mustang. It is shame that you put Jay Leno back on, when he retired from the tonight show. We all saw enough of him, now you put him on five nights a week. Where is you reasoning??? Does He own shares of stock in Your network?? Please bring Knight Rider back. Thanks
Hi, there just wanted to say that NBC did a bad move by canceling knight rider, We are just so fed up with those ****** crap **** reality shows, we want knight rider back; something which entertain us and make us relax with the entire family and also some nostalgic moments, you didn’t even gave the show time to ‘fit in’. there are tonnes of TV shows nowadays and very few give us the joy that we use to feel when watching the TV shows in the 80’s and knight rider is one of it
i am over the moon they have cancelled the new Knight Rider i just hope they never try to bring it back as it is not like the knight rider i know and love…………..
I can’t believe that NBC would cancel Knight Rider it was a great show and any time a missed on I would watch it on line the next day. I thought that it was a great show and that it was also a family type show also (witch there are not may of those left.) Maybe NBC should have thought about advertising it a little more then they did and that way more people would have heard about it and tuned in to watch….
I am with all of the above on this one. This revival was one i went into very dubiously, given the fact that the original holds great sentimentality in my TV viewing history. As a child it was one of the shows that i was there every episode for, eagerly sat in front of the TV, waiting for it to start & i still, at 30 yrs old i watch any re runs that are on of the man Hoff & his more than faithful sidekick! So when i watched the pilot movie for this, i sat, to be honest not expecting too much from it, i mean, how can you top the Hoff as Michael Knight??? But boy, did this work, in fact, it rocked! I was very surprised & soon settled in to getting to know the new team & there history, which again, was really well thought out. Hats off to everyone involved, cast & crew, no one more so than a certain new boy, Mr Justin Bruening & his even newer Ford Shelby Cobra GT500, who together, took on a massive task, filling those boots & they carry it off, VERY convincingly! I am VERY impressed with the whole thing & thats coming from a massive fan of the old era. Every episode i could feel myself getting sucked back into the world of Knight Industries, the flag revival & more importantly, my childhood. I dont watch TV much at all, but this show would definately have me tuning back in every week!
So to NBC, i would like to say, give your heads a MASSIVE shake & give KR more of a chance, because from what ive read all over the web, this is the show that would have a lot of people hooked all over again. Something people have fond memories of & can watch with their kids, the new generation of TV viewers, the ones that are going to carry on paying your wages!!! Get this reality crap off the box, because everybody has there own reality every day of the week & dont want to watch someone elses! NBC are really going down in my estimation, first they kill off The Contender & now this, seriously, sort it out!!!
From Mike
Across The Pond ( England)
PS If you havnt already, do your bit to save Knight Rider & follow this link http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-knight-rider.html to sign the online save knight rider petition. Lets see if we can make NBC see the error of their ways people!!!
Sorry, but I couldn’t resist poking a bit of fun. This Knight Rider Intro video redo is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen.
http://doodiepants.com/2009/09/25/knight-rider-intro-redo-video-soundboard/
it is a shame that they cancelled kr it was the best show i really enjoyed watching the show every week
me and my husband love this show the crew is great i hope they rethink this
Bring the show back and give it a chance. The tech behind the show was great and the cast had great chemistry. A true Knight Rider fan will catch up, trust me. it’s a fun show to watch.
I was so damn heart broken to realize that the show I loved so much and looked forward to seeing every chance I could, was Cancelled. WTF? I am so sick and tired of NETWORK EXECS thinking they know what i want to see! Well they dont because if they did I would be watching my Knight Rider save the day. The show of my childhood was brought back for what was merely a second compared to the original if these folks today were around back then in the 80’s I wouldnt even have my memories of the original Kitt to keep me from being disgusted with NBC (Nothing but *****) the stupid “Office” loving idiots……. I work in a office and it is nothing I want to watch on freaking TV when I come home from my office. So NBC Execs GET A FUKING CLUE AND BRING BACK KNIGHT RIDER
I love the show . I thought that KARR looked cool in Knight To King’s Pawn. It would be nice to see the show come back on . I was looking forward to see if they would do a episode with Goliath after seeing KARR
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