Many TV pilots and series involving vampires have
come and gone, but some of them remain in our fondest memories. I
never caught this when it originally aired, though I did see an
episode or two of “Forever Knight”. Honestly, after having watched
the pilot with Rick Springfield and then seeing the show with Geraint
Wyn Davies, I longed to see them bring Rick back. I guess I’m just
biased that way. In any case, the only way to see the pilot episode
for years was on poor quality VHS and now Anchor Bay has seen fit to
deliver a sweet looking DVD release! Dig in, folks, while the getting
is good.
Rock star Rick Springfield (“Hard To Hold”) plays
Detective Nick Knight. Not only does he happen to be a damn fine
maverick cop, but he’s also a vampire. See? Not all vampires are bad.
Nick is the kind of guy who looks after the homeless, makes sure
everybody is safe and is also looking for a cure to his bloodlust. An
ancient legend suggests that a ritual involving some special cups may
just be what he’s looking for, but when it’s stolen by an immortal
nemesis, Lacroix (Michael Nader, “Dynasty”), Nick must square off with
his old foe.
Throw in beautiful curator Alyce Hunter (Laura
Johnson, “Trauma”), a new pain-in-the-ass partner (John Kapelos, “The
Breakfast Club”), a serial killer, a doctor (Robert Harper) trying to
help cure Nick and an underworld of immortals and you’ve got a fairly
intense, fun and action packed show. Yes, this is on a television
budget, but director Farhad Mann gives a whole lotta bang for the buck
“Nick Knight” also happens to boast an awesome array of songs from the
time it was made and it really brought back memories as well as helped
to draw me in. Generic soundtracks are just downright boring these days
and this one uses material we’ve all heard before. What really clinches
this show for me, though, is Springfield himself. The man boasts an
underrated charisma that went unnoticed in Hollywood, at least for
projects that complimented him.
The good news is that Anchor Bay has not only
released “Nick Knight” on DVD, but they’ve done a damn fine job of it
too. Picture quality, while a bit grainy, beats my old VHS tape of this
hands down. As for audio quality, it sounds a whole lot clearer than
any other way I’ve heard it before. Trust me, I’m loving it!
Unfortunately, the disc is a barebones release. There’s no trailer, no
cast or crew information, no text information about how the show
developed into “Forever Knight” and no commentary track. I would have
loved to have heard a track with Springfield on it. Well, I’m just glad
to have it on DVD and at $14.98 for a vintage collector’s piece like
this, it’s a steal.
I have a list of television programs and films I
hope one day make it to DVD or Blue Ray or whatever the next format is
and “Nick Knight” is one of them. The great thing about a company like
Anchor Bay is that they are dedicated to delivering discs for collectors
like myself. Now if I can only get them to develop an interest in
another little TV film called “The Bermuda Depths”. Anybody ever hear
of it? If so, write to Anchor Bay and beg them to release it! In the
meantime, enjoy “Nick Knight”. I’m going to.
