Knight Rider was a popular show in the 1980s that followed the adventures of Michael Knight (played by David Hasselhoff), a crime fighter aided by his artificially intelligent car named KITT. The show ran for four seasons before being canceled, but in that time it captured the hearts of audiences all across America.

As it turns out, there were many reasons why Knight Rider was so successful and popular with viewers.

Knight Rider had a unique premise that made it stand out from other shows on television at the time like Airwolf or Magnum PI, as well as those currently airing today such as NCIS or Supernatural. So why was Knight Rider so popular during the 1980s?

The Rise Of Knight Rider

The first thing people noticed about Knight Rider when they tuned into an episode for the first time is that its hero wasn’t just some wisecracking detective who solved crimes, but someone who actually helped prevent them – not to mention the fact that our hero was almost always dressed in black leather.

Michael Knight, our hero, was a modern crime-fighter with an eye on the future. He did things that most regular law enforcement officers simply couldn’t do because of the technology available to him and his artificially intelligent car KITT (which stands for Knight Industries Two Thousand).

KITT, the Knight Industries Two Thousand, was a car with artificial intelligence that rivaled even the most advanced and modern computers available to us today. This car could communicate in full sentences and offered our hero information on traffic lights, pedestrians ahead of him or behind him as well as incoming vehicles trying to cut him off.

KITT was also customizable and could be programmed with a new driver, or even a new look, if Michael so chose with just a push of a button. The car had its own sense of humor as well which always made it more fun to watch.

People also loved to tune into Knight Rider to learn about some of the latest technology available on the market at the time such as GPS, touch screen computers, and even the latest advances in video conferencing.

Knight Rider also featured some of the hottest cars on television at the time with KITT being one of them. Viewers wanted to either own or even drive a black two-door sports car complete with all of the latest technology.

Knight Rider also had an iconic 80’s TV sitcom intro and a theme song that everyone will soon not forget.

Finally, viewers also enjoyed Knight Rider because each episode ended with KITT and Michael having some sort of competition to determine whether he would help Michael on his next assignment or simply let him crash into an object. Of course, this usually ended with Michael winning the challenge and KITT choosing to help him on his assignment.

In conclusion, many people tuned into Knight Rider each week to see what was happening with Michael and KITT next. They wanted to learn about the latest technology, customizations, and hot cars available on the market at that time.

What helped audiences flock to the show though were the chemistry between the two main characters, which is still talked about today over 30 years after it first aired.

Knight Rider will always be one of those unique shows we look fondly back on when we think of the 1980s, and one that we will soon not forget. What was your favorite part of Knight Rider?