7.3/102,281 votes#1 - Knight of the Phoenix
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/26/1982
When a young detective is ambushed in a failed police stakeout, he is believed to have been killed. In reality, he survives and learns that his face has been altered and his identity has been changed to Michael Knight. The man responsible for this is Wilton Knight, a dying billionaire who, convinced that one man can make a difference, has selected Michael for the role as a crime-fighter.
Director: Daniel Haller
Writer: Glen A. Larson
7.2/10560 votes#2 - Deadly Maneuvers
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/1/1982
Michael stops to offer a stranded Army Lieutenant a lift, only to learn when they arrive at her base that her father has died under mysterious circumstances. With the events surrounding the death highly suspicious, Michael decides to investigate.
Director: Paul Stanley
Writer: William Schmidt, Bob Shayne
6.7/10530 votes#3 - Good Day at White Rock
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/1982
Michael and K.I.T.T. head to the quiet backwater town of White Rock for Michael to take a well deserved vacation and do a little rock climbing, but the trip isn't quite the quiet break expected, when they find that the town is being terrorised by a rowdy motorcycle gang preparing to do battle with a rival club of bikers...
Director: Daniel Haller
Writer: Deborah Dean Davis
6.9/10481 votes#4 - Slammin' Sammy's Stunt Show Spectacular
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/1982
Michael joins an auto-daredevil show whose owners unwittingly took out a second mortgage from a crook who arranges "accidents" so he can take over the business.
Director: Bruce Bilson
Writer: E. Paul Edwards, John Alan Schwartz
6.9/10439 votes#5 - Just My Bill
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/29/1982
Michael becomes the bodyguard for a crusading state senator who has stepped on one too many toes.
Director: Sidney Hayers
Writer: N/A
6.8/10427 votes#6 - Not a Drop to Drink
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/1982
Devon sends Michael to stop a range war over water rights.
Director: Virgil W. Vogel
Writer: Hannah Louise Shearer
6.5/10423 votes#7 - No Big Thing
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/12/1982
Devon lands in a small-town lockup on a misdemeanor, but his predicament becomes deadly after a fellow prisoner is killed by the cops. Devon's the only one who knew the man was in jail. Town name is Lindhurst Flats.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Writer: Judy Burns
7.1/10411 votes#8 - Trust Doesn't Rust
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/19/1982
Michael is assigned to stop KARR, an evil prototype of KITT programmed to survive at all costs--and now on the loose.
Director: Paul Stanley
Writer: Steven E. de Souza
7.6/10511 votes#9 - Inside Out
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/26/1982
Michael takes on the guise of an infamous criminal to infiltrate a highly organized crime ring headed by a retired Colonel, who is planning a major heist...
Director: Peter Crane
Writer: Steven E. de Souza
6.9/10365 votes#10 - The Final Verdict
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 12/3/1982
Memorial to: R.A. Cinader--He was the original. A meek accountant can clear a friend of murder if Michael can find him before he's arrested for "creative" bookkeeping.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Writer: N/A
6.7/10366 votes#11 - A Plush Ride
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/1982
Michael becomes a student in a driving school for chauffeur-bodyguards to expose an assassin whose targets are a trio of visiting Third World leaders.
Director: Sidney Hayers
Writer: Gregory S. Dinallo
6.8/10360 votes#12 - Forget Me Not
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 12/17/1982
Michael's only hope of preventing the assassination of a Latin American president is a girl who knows the plan, but has amnesia.
Director: Gil Bettman
Writer: Tom Szollosi, Karen Harris, Richard Christian Matheson
6.5/10346 votes#13 - Hearts of Stone
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 1/14/1983
Michael infiltrates a ring of gunrunners selling advanced-design rifles in Central America, "Corazon de Piedras".
Director: Jeffrey Hayden
Writer: Robert Foster
6.5/10343 votes#14 - Give Me Liberty... or Give Me Death
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 1/21/1983
Someone is sabotaging the cars in an alternative-fuel race, so Michael joins the pack to flush out the saboteur.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Writer: David Braff
7.1/10365 votes#15 - The Topaz Connection
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 1/28/1983
The murder of a men's magazine publisher leads Michael to Las Vegas and an expose the magazine was about to print.
Director: Alan Myerson
Writer: Stephen Katz
6.8/10340 votes#16 - A Nice, Indecent Little Town
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 2/18/1983
The trail of a counterfeiter leads to a sleepy little village that not only appears to be harboring the criminal he's after but is also under the eye of the CIA.
Director: Gil Bettman
Writer: Frank Telford
6.8/10338 votes#17 - Chariot of Gold
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 2/25/1983
Michael investigates the mysterious deaths of members of an exclusive club for geniuses, involved in an archaeological dig.
Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Writer: William Schmidt
7.0/10351 votes#18 - White Bird
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 3/4/1983
Michael tries to prevent a lawyer's assistant from being framed for conspiracy, but there's a complication; she was Michael's fiancee before his identity change.
Director: Winrich Kolbe
Writer: Virginia Aldridge
7.2/10368 votes#19 - Knight Moves
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 3/11/1983
Michael tries to catch hijackers who are knocking off shipments carried by independent truckers.
Director: Christian I. Nyby II
Writer: William Schmidt
6.7/10327 votes#20 - Nobody Does It Better
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 4/29/1983
Michael contends with interference from an overzealous private eye while he tries to discover who's stealing computer-software secrets.
Director: Harvey S. Laidman
Writer: David Braff
6.6/10328 votes#21 - Short Notice
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 5/6/1983
After Michael unintentionally kills a cycle-gang member, the only witness insists that he recover her kidnapped child before she will help him.
Director: Robert Foster
Writer: Robert Foster
The Best Episodes of Knight Rider Season 1
Every episode of Knight Rider Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Knight Rider Season 1!
Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight,...
Genres:Action & AdventureDramaSci-Fi & FantasyCrime
Network:NBC
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Knight of the Phoenix" is the best rated episode of "Knight Rider" season 1. It scored 7.3/10 based on 2281 votes. Directed by Daniel Haller and written by Glen A. Larson, it aired on 9/26/1982. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Deadly Maneuvers".