The Pilot Episode begins with actor Larry Anderson playing Michael Long. After realizing that an opening scene (the casino act) was required to make sense of the plot additional scenes were abruptly written. Larry was called late in the afternoon to an audition, got the call that evening, and was on set the next day. Hasselhoff later dubbed over the lines, noticeable by the scene in the car with Tanya that his mouth and sound do not seem to match exactly. In the scene on the side of the road, Hasselhoff takes over for Larry but his face is hidden in darkness throughout the scene. Larry was not credited on the show. (adapted from "Don't Hassel the Hoff: the Autobiography" by David Hasselhoff and David Thompson; pg 64)
The running gag of the two car thieves trying to steal K.I.T.T. was written, shot and inserted after the first cut of the pilot was seven minutes too short
Veteran film actor Richard Basehart made a cameo as the designer of the K.I.T.T car, Wilton Knight. Consequently, the actor would also provide the voiceover for the opening credit sequence.
"Knight Rider: Knight of the Phoenix," Originally aired on NBC in 1982 as a two-hour TV movie. The two-hour pilot was later split in to two parts for syndication.
When Michael first encounters KITT in the darkened lab, his red scan bar is much thinner than is shown in the rest of the series.