Riding a wave of mid-’80s pop-cult nostalgia, Knight Rider is joining the ranks of Transformers, those recently revived robots-in-disguise that were always toys first and foremost. Alas, the new Knight Rider seems no subtler with its product placement.

The two-hour TV movie (and backdoor series pilot) continues the original’s genius pairing of a cool car with a voice box. Back when I was in single digits, I loved Knight Rider — I even chatted with KITT one time at Universal Studios. But times have changed.

Original star David Hasselhoff will only have a cameo, with a new series’ protagonist, Mike Tracer, played by Justin Bruening. But that’s cool. Da Hoff is way old and currently best known for his drunken inability to eat a burger. What’s less cool is that the Firebird Trans Am is now a Ford Mustang. Sure, they don’t make Firebirds anymore but whatevs — they don’t make talking cars, either. This could be dismissed as geek griping, except the change feels like a case of surreptitious advertising.

During a recent media conference call, exec producer David Bartis boasts, “Not only did [Ford] have the car we fell in love with, they’ve also been involved in the marketing of the show. They’re very organically integrated into the whole production process.”

Sure, the original series promoted Pontiac — though I didn’t notice this any more than I recognized the southern flag symbolism on the Duke boys’ General Lee — but with advertisers so worried about PVR-enabled fast-forwarding through commercials, this ham-handed product placement seems excessive, especially after costing Will Arnett his gig as KITT’s voice. The best thing about the Knight Rider revival was that the car’s vocal duties were supposed to transfer from Boy Meets World’s uptight principal (William Daniels) to Arrested Development’s Gob. But Arnett was forced off because he does commercials for General Motors (coincidentally, makers of the Firebird) and has been replaced by Val Kilmer.

When asked about Arnett’s side-gig, Bartis replies, “I think there’s a separation between the entertainment world and the commercial world.” But Knight Rider proves that membrane is permeable.  

KNIGHT RIDER AIRS 9PM, FEB 17 ON NBC/GLOBAL.

Don’t look back in anger
Revivals are one thing, but with a gajillion channels, there’s room for the originals, too. Admittedly with rose-coloured glasses removed, many don’t hold up. But here are a couple of ’80s relics that withstand the time test.

Square Pegs (1982-1983): This Valley Girl–inspired sitcom was, like, totally cool. It starred Sarah Jessica Parker as a young teen eager to get in with the cool crowd and get rid of her glasses. The show lasted just a season but that was long enough to get Devo as special guest performers at Muffy’s bat mitzvah. Yeah, you read that right. (Square Pegs airs Saturdays at 10:30am and Sundays at 2:30pm on Deja View.)

Family Ties (1982-1989): Capturing the Reagan zeitgeist, the early seasons were both hilarious and moving thanks largely to breakout star Michael J Fox as Alex, yuppie spawn of hippie parents. The then-topical show also boasts wonderful era-specific moments, like Alex’s eye-opening chess match against a Soviet. But Fox’s finest half-hours can be found in the episode where he got hooked on Mallory’s friend’s diet pills to study for an exam and the boldly theatrical “My Name Is Alex” episode, wherein he dealt with his best friend’s death. (Family Ties airs weeknights, 6pm, on CTS.)