New Knight Rider: KITT and Kitsch

Knight Rider was a cheesy 1980s TV show about a high-tech, computerized crime-fighting car that would sometimes sass its owner... that's right, it was a talking car called KITT. Well, NBC has pulled KITT out of the junkyard and is airing a new Knight Rider movie on Sunday night, with the possibility of a series to follow. Are the studios really that desperate for show ideas? Maybe they should have kept KITT in the junkyard with Herbie.

The driver of the original KITT was Michael Knight, played by king of kitsch David Hasselhoff. "The Hoff," of course, later went on to become a legend of cheesy TV with "Baywatch," and recently he was seen in a YouTube video, eating a cheeseburger while lying drunk and shirtless on his floor while his daughters begged him to sober up. But I digress...

The new Knight Rider airs at 9 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, and of course this is a new KITT for the 21st century, with all kinds of new gadgetry, including shape-shifting capabilities. I bet it even has side airbags and cup holders. And get this: the new KITT is a Ford! C'mon, how believable is that?

Is Knight Rider really an idea that needed to be revived for the new millennium? The reviews have said that "The Hoff" himself even has a cameo role, reprising his role as Michael Knight. Yes Mr. Knight is older, but is he any wiser? I'm betting we won't see him lying on the floor drunk while chomping on a burger. Imagine the sarcastic comments KITT would make about that!