Knight Rider

Will Arnett was originally cast as the voice of KITT and had already recorded his lines, but he was later replaced by Val Kilmer before the series aired.

The revival was initiated by NBCUniversal chief Jeff Zucker and new programmer Ben Silverman, who sought to revive old franchises like Knight Rider and American Gladiators to boost NBC's ratings.

The deal to bring back Knight Rider was endorsed by Ford Motor Company, which supplied the vehicles used in the show.

Before the weekly series began, NBC introduced the reboot with a standalone television movie that aired on February 17, 2008.

NBC initially gave the series a full season order of 22 episodes on October 21, 2008, but later reduced it to 17 episodes on December 3, 2008, and ultimately canceled it after one season on May 19, 2009.

On November 10, 2008, NBC retooled the show to more closely resemble the original series' storyline, removing three main cast members (played by Yancey Arias, Bruce Davison, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier) after their initial thirteen-episode commitments ended, shifting focus to a more character-driven story centered on Michael and KITT.

The new KITT, based on a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR, could transform into several other vehicles including a Ford F-150 FX4 pickup, a Ford E-150 van, a Ford Flex, a Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, and a 1969 Mach 1 Mustang for disguise purposes.

KITT's interior was redesigned to replace the original single center-console screen with touch-enabled head-up displays spanning the entire windshield, along with a pulsing orb on the dashboard representing KITT's presence that shifts to visually 'look' at whoever it is addressing.