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The Knight Belongs to the Rider 2008

By Garrett Godwin

Knight Rider: a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist

Last spring, old and new fans revved up for the return of Knight Rider on NBC. Now, this fall, the story will pick up where the two-hour premiere left off. But don't expect this 2008 series to be like the classic 1980s series that made David Hasselhoff a household name -- because this isn't your parents' Knight Rider. However, it is still a show you can watch with the entire family.

Still, the premise is the same: a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, and the powerless in a world of criminals that operates beyond the law. In this case, the "young loner" is ex-Army Ranger Mike Tracer (All My Children alum Justin Bruening), who is destined to be the "one man who can make a difference" --like his father, the legendary Michael Knight (Hasselhoff).

The new KITT (voice by Val Kilmer) -- the Knight Industries Three Thousand -- is the 2008 Ford Mustang GT500KR that is similar to the original, but has several capabilities such as Internet access and nanotechnology.

Knight Rider 2008 has high-speed action mixed with the buddy-buddy genre and budding romance. It is Transformers meets Alias. Bruening is the definite choice as the new Michael Knight; he has the mold, the looks, the charisma but also the talent to back them up with. He is truly one of the potential breakout stars on television this year as well as the potential to become a leading man.

Gary Scott Thompson (Las Vegas) and the producers sets to make sure that Knight Rider 2008 remains true to the original mythology as well as the core of it all: that one man can make a difference.

Knight Rider rides once more, on Wednesday, September 24 at 8pm on NBC. To get your engine up for more, go to the official website on NBC.

Garrett Godwin writes for NewsBlaze from Michigan. Contact him by writing to NewsBlaze.