What if Knight Rider had been picked up for a 5th Season...

[GuestGuest]

Something I've always wondered was if Knight Rider had been picked up for another season, would it have gotten better and returned to form or were episodes like 'Voodoo Knight' the shape of things to come?.

Of course in hindsight it is easy to say, but my memories of it are similar to many shows...to watch it slowly and dismally coming to an end, and all with the best intentions too. I've seen it with every show of the period, new cast members, bigger stunts, more lavish sets and locations, more complicated storylines...and still the shows lose the thread and fade in front of our eyes.

I'll start the ball rolling and it's just my opinion.

Season 5 needed to go back to basics, and when I mean 'back to basics', I mean the style of the early episodes of 'one man, one machine'. The bickering and loathing between Devon and Michael would have needed to have returned, and also a return of the tension between Bonnie and Michael would have been interesting to see too.

I am not saying that RCIII would have no place, but it would be nice to see him out in the field more and working alone.

Also it would have been nice to see a return to the kind of early storylines which sometimes involved Michael being the stranger in town who unintentionally became the saviour for the 'helpless and the powerless', as in the series tagline ha ha.

Finally, I would have liked to have seen the Knight 2000 return to being a bit more independent and not so reliant on Michael as he became in later episodes.

So, for a 'Season 5' to work for me it would have to be 'back to basics', less 'adversary of the week' and more focus on people as in the 1st season. More detective work as in season 2's Goliath and less in additional clutter such as unnecessary scenes for extra cast members and 'gadget of the week' moments.

Over to you! I'd be fascinated to read your thoughts and ideas too.

[Knight Rider Archive]

I think a fifth season could potentially have been better than season four - the writers would have gotten used to the extra cast member in RCIII, and there would have been a month or two to prepare decent scripts before shooting began. Odds are the quality would have tailed off again towards the end of the season like the previous two years though.

I don't think we ever would have seen a return to the early, bickering relationship between Michael and Devon - they were too firmly ensconced in the father-son relationship by that point. There would still be episodes where they don't see eye to eye, of course.

One thing I always wanted to see more of later on, and that was Michael being a detective (as in Goliath and other earlier shows). No pun intended, but Michael is the driving force - K.I.T.T. is the tool. There was no mystery in the later shows when all Michael had to do was ask a question and have a ready (and correct) answer from K.I.T.T.'s computers. Make Michael more active, like during the search for the locker in Goliath, and have him be wrong about people sometimes like he was about Lloyd Newald in Big Iron. Better yet, have K.I.T.T. be wrong about someone every once in a while - that would give him some interesting insights into the human condition.

It'd be great if they could have brought back some of the more memorable bad guys from earlier seasons, and I would have loved to have seen a three-parter. Realistically though, by the fourth season Knight Rider had moved away from it's Lone Ranger origins to become more of a James Bond show, and I think the show would have shifted into Mission: Impossible territory if it had survived, with more RCIII and Bonnie in the field with Michael and K.I.T.T. - as in Knight Sting.

[GuestGuest]

I think a fifth season could potentially have been better than season four...

Paul,

Thanks for adding to the post. I have to thank you also because after we last spoke I watched Golaith again (with a new perspective) and for the first time I actually enjoyed it! Michael as the Lone Ranger and the Knight 2000/K.I.T.T. as his trusty steed worked great.

You are right that quality would have probably tailed off towards the end of an imaginary 5th season as many shows do, and I agree that turning it into an 'ensemble show' would have helped develop the extra characters and given them a chance to shine too.

As for Devon and Michaels relationship, maybe that is all it would have taken, Devon to be strict with Michael, and Michael to have been less casual around him to bring back a little creative tension...some of those early scenes of Devon playing croquet and shaking his head whilst looking to the heavens are great!

I will put my neck on the block and say that I would lose the script technique of the juggernauits/ferrets/drones/karr/doppelgangers etc...though a return of some old adversaries would have been fantastic...Kincaid plotting another robbery from inside Jail would have been great to see!

One main problem to me with the latter series is the lack of suprise, and by that I don't mean just technically. One of my favorite moments in the entire series is when Michael delivers his classic wide-eyed "this car is something else"...okay, this couldn't have happened all the time but once upon a time Michael was in awe of the Knight 2000 and he relied on it to get him out of jams. Later on, like with Devon and Bonnie, they were best buddies and the balance was lost.

[dgacampbell]

I'm not sure there could have been a fitth season, even at 9 years old when the original series ended airing over here I prefered watching vhs recordings of the earlier seasons.

For me the show was pretty much finished by the end of the 3rd season.

Maybe a handful of season 4 shows where good.

But like has been said they tried to reinvent the show and failed IMO.

I guess I better get my coat now............. lol

[GuestGuest]

I'm not sure there could have been a fitth season...
For me the show was pretty much finished...I guess I better get my coat now............. lol

No don't do that! I agree with you for the most part. Glen Larson is the first to admit that after he left (mid 1st season) the show developed a different premise and it never really found that early form again...it became a totally different show.

Of course, as fans growing up the same as you and watching it first time - week in - week out, it did feel like a show that was coming to an end, but as I said in my first post, I have watched all of my favourite shows do the same thing before and since for the most part.

They have all suffered with 'The Brady Bunch cousin' or 'the Bundy family step-child', the 'Batgirl syndrome' or worse still, when the writers move to a different network to work on the new show on the block...such as Street Hawk in Knight Riders last season.

Maybe if Glen would have stayed the show would have taken a different path. I beleive that he stayed on board of Fall Guy, Buck Rogers, Battlestar, Quincy, Switch etc. for longer. I wonder why he and Stu Phillips left Knight Rider so soon?

[GuestGuest]

They would probably have made KITT able to turn into a plane, submarine, or something else stupid and it would have been like the new Knight Rider series that bombed......tbh I'm glad it didn't get a 5th season, it was getting silly......it kinda ended for me after season 2, with a few good episodes in season 3.

The first few while Glen was still on board were the best, KITT changed and became something....I don't know....harder to belive in, during later seasons (jumping skyscraper to skyscraper, driving through lava, driving on water and all sorts of rubbish), the first season he was believable as a car that was customised into something special (like our cars)....but basically limited by the fact he was STILL essentially a car.

[dgacampbell]

Your right Steve!
I too have seen just about all the shows I have loved go down hill badly.
Some good shows listed there, loved the original BSG at the time, I think It was the only show to make a good come back ever. Although the end was duff IMO.

Agree with you too black t top (sorry dont know your name yet lol) It was turning into transformers or such like.

[pbryant_knight]

I too think a 5th season would have been largely a failure.

I think when they added SPM mode to an already "as fast as you wish it to go" car and a convertible roof that just seems to vanish then a lot of the credibility left the show.

I didn't really have a problem with the RCIII character, just the new KITT effects.

If it HAD ran to a 5th season, i'd have like to have seen it return to the way it was in the 1st and 2nd seasons.

Peter

[knight5695]

in a 5th season they could have brought back KARR in what ever shape they wanted to at the end of KITTvsKARR all you saw was KARRS CPU and you have to think what happend to KARR so a Season 5 could have done that and if so S5 could have fianly put him to rest once and for all and S5 they should have had Michael on Vacation with KITT and witness something and find out whodunit he without any help from the outside due to comunitcation being down what do you think

[GuestGuest]

I think as a fan, we seem to forget jist how awful some episodes were, but love the show because of the memories attached to it, the 5th season would introduce features on the car that wernt possible in real life, this was put into fact when we all pointed and laughed at a mustang changing into a pickup truck

[pbryant_knight]

Season 5.............

Knightboat - The crime solving boat

Peter

[GuestGuest]

Maybe they should leave any hopes of a new show where it belongs, in our memories, look how many times its tried and failed.

Although a one off, showing the life of Michael before he was shot and how KARR was created etc would be great

[dgacampbell]

Agreed!

[GuestGuest]

Although a one off, showing the life of Michael before he was shot and how KARR was created etc would be great

That's a great idea actually, instead of continually trying to 'reboot' the series, they could have done TV movies, it's worked for most other shows and I think pretty respectfully too...if the original cast, crew and writers are involved of course.

[HalloweenKnight]

4th season had only few good episodes, I think 5th season would've been a disaster but in the best scenario 5th season could've gone back to the basics and tell more great stories about criminals who are above the law which Michael and KITT must get behind bars.

I think they put their attention too much for the thing that few real cars had talking features and thought KITT must be something far more futuristic or even far fetched, thus the SPM & C-mode were created. In my opinion real cars with few pre-programmed spoken words were still just ordinary cars and KITT something else with AI producing the speak. Real cars didn't drive itself or turboboost nor drove on 2 wheels automatically.

First and second seasons are my favourite, 3rd season was still mostly as great but 4th season was very different, only few great episodes there.

[knight2]

Hi Guys

A good topic.

My views on the original show are........
I preferred the music from season three and four.Don's style with the theme and sound was pretty damn good then.Season 2 i found really irritating, music wise.
I actually loved season four ..........BUT i think they overused the SPM mode.It was as cool as hell in 'Knight of the juggernaut' but then overused and it spoiled the WOW effect.
It also got a bit tiring of K.I.T.T against a souped up vehicle each week.I think someone stated here, some more of the story types from the latter part of season one would've been better.
Season two had it's moments .'A good knight's work' and Knightmares' spring to mind.
Season three has some of the best stories ever.
'Lost Knight', Knight of the drones',K.I.T.T. v's K.A.R.R.','Junk yard dog' to name a few.

Some things also annoyed, like when Michael was watching Devon by video link via his car monitors, how the camera Devon was looking at followed him around!

The very early season one episodes were cringeworthy at times.The scenes with Bonnie,Michael and Devon in the semi (white semi) spring to mind.The acting looked uncomfortable and i believe Patricia has stated had to rewrite some of the scripts to humanise them more, between herself and David.

As for season five.That we will never know.I think the reason knight rider does'nt seem to work now is that it was OF IT's TIME.It was new and had the WOW factor, now most take the p--s and demoralise it on the comments i've seen on TV.

They all missed the point of the show, choosing to pull it to pieces and ridicule it.It was entertainment that had humor , great action, and a big heart.Most love their cars so we could relate to this premise very well.Plus a lot feel hard done buy and have been 'ripped off' or persecuted by those who think they are better and 'in control', so the stories worked well.It also gave you the self belief that YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.....AMEN to that.

............Kev

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