The first season is the show at its most serious. Michael Long (David Hasselhoff), a police detective left for dead, is given a new face, a new identity (Michael Knight), and a partnership with the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT)—a nearly indestructible, AI-equipped Pontiac Trans Am.
Then came the most controversial season in Knight Rider history. Facing declining ratings against Miami Vice , the producers made a desperate, lore-breaking gamble. In the premiere, Knight of the Juggernaut , KITT is destroyed by an armored truck. Michael rebuilds him... but with a new, interior, a more aggressive dashboard, and the ability to convert into a third mode: Semi-bulletproof "Attack Mode" (a jagged, armored shell).
By Season 3, the formula had become a rigid template: crime occurs, Michael investigates, KITT gets disabled by a new gimmick, Michael saves the day. The writers introduced "Super Pursuit Mode" (futuristic body panels that popped out for extra speed) and "Convertible Mode" to sell new toys, but the stories grew thin.