David Hasselhoff's Iconic 90-Episode Sci-Fi Action Series Is Officially Free on Streaming

The 1980s action series *Knight Rider*, featuring David Hasselhoff as a crime-fighting cop paired with an artificially intelligent Pontiac Trans Am named KITT, is now streaming for free on Tubi. The show, which premiered over 40 years ago, blends exaggerated '80s tropes with a surprisingly prescient vision of AI integration into daily life. While KITT’s Turbo Boost and indestructible feats remain firmly in the realm of fiction, his conversational and task-oriented interactions with Michael Knight foreshadowed modern reliance on digital assistants.

*Knight Rider* distinguished itself not just by imagining AI that could talk, but by depicting a relationship where Michael Knight depended on KITT for information, advice, and remote communication via a wristwatch—a concept that predated widespread smartwatch adoption. The show’s portrayal of casual, routine reliance on AI reflects how contemporary users interact with technology, from voice assistants to navigation systems. KITT’s distinct personality, voiced by William Daniels, further set the series apart, offering sarcasm, caution, and even stubbornness, traits still challenging for modern AI systems to replicate consistently.

The series’ enduring appeal lies in its balance of over-the-top '80s excess and subtle insights into human-AI dynamics. KITT’s red scanner, for instance, was inspired by *Battlestar Galactica*’s Cylons, while the iconic theme music drew from 19th-century ballet. Episodes featured absurd yet entertaining conflicts, such as battles against KARR, an amoral prototype Trans Am, or Michael’s evil doppelgänger, Garthe Knight, complete with an armored semi named Goliath.

While *Knight Rider* didn’t predict the exact trajectory of technology, it captured a fundamental truth: once AI becomes useful, it stops feeling futuristic and simply becomes indispensable. The show’s legacy endures not just as a relic of its time, but as a reminder of how television once dared to blend the ridiculous with the remarkably forward-thinking, all while making AI feel like a partner rather than a tool.