It was on this day in 1986 that “The Scent of Roses”, the season four episode of Knight Rider, first aired on NBC.
The plot: after a near-death experience, Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) finally feels burn out. After four years of being a lone crusader for justice on behalf of The Foundation for Law & Government, Michael may have lost his will to live and wants to leave FLAG behind. So, his friend/boss/father figure Devon Miles (Edward Mulhare), sets out to find it – and he did in the form of Stevie Mason (Catherine Hickland), Michael’s true love who appeared in “White Bird” and “Let It Be Me”.
Not willing to go back to FLAG, Michael wants to starts his third life – this time, with Stevie, and the two decided to get married, and they did. Sadly, their happiness was short-lived when an assassin named Durant targets Michael for revenge, and Stevie paid the ultimate price: leaving Michael a burning desire for retribution.
Though the episode aired during mid-season before Knight Rider‘s cancellation the following spring, “The Scent of Roses” still remains as not only the true series finale, but one of THE BEST episodes of all-time, as Michael Knight comes full circle as a lone crusader still living in a dangerous world: the world of him as the Knight Rider.
Also on January 3 is the birthday of the late Glen A. Larson, who created and executed produced Knight Rider, a sci-fi Western that has elements of The Lone Ranger. Larson was also responsible for other hit shows such as Switch, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Battlestar Galactica, B.J. and the Bear, Buck Rogers in The 25th Century, Magnum, P.I. and The Fall Guy.
Larson also tried to repeat the success of Knight Rider with The Highwayman with Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon) in the titular role: a federal marshal with a hi-tech 18-wheeler fighting crime in the post-apocalyptic future. After premiering as a two-hour movie in the fall of 1987, The Highwayman became a weekly series on Friday nights in the spring of 1988. It only lasted nine episodes.
On November 14, 2014, Glen A. Larson died from esophageal cancer. He was 77 years old.
Nevertheless, he showed the world that one man can make a difference.