Reviewers are uniformly mixed on whether the viewing experience was a good or bad one, but that many viewers signals a hit for NBC, regardless of the critics' opinions.

Considering that the Knight Rider debut would face off against the new and slightly twisted premise behind Dexter, which managed to attract 8 million sets of eyeballs, somebody is doubtlessly re-tasking the returning Hollywood writers to extend the debut into a series.

Each have been updated fot the contemporary version. Actor Justin Bruening replaces Hasselhoff with a performance permanently oscillating between limp and constipated.

The Trans Am, however, is ably replaced by a Shelby GT500KR Mustang, suitably modified to reflect the original role. How much of the new series' attraction is due to nostalgia remains to be firmly established, but should the title go into series production, the answer will become clearly evident in short order.

This is, without a doubt, a car series that is not written by people that understand car people. There was so much potential to update the series and bless it an engaging, contemporary premise, and that potential has been ignored - whether this is due to lack of budget or creative impulse is unclear.

In the end, the distinction doesn't matter. If this nascent series succeeds with its current direction, it will be on the same redoubtable basis that Laverne & Shirley did. The producers will slap themselves on the back and begin planning the next release of Furious Fartcans VII and lining up investors.

The money machine will continue doing its thing and the relationship or attachment to car people will continue to be entirely accidental.