"My Own Worst Enemy": Maybe we were too hard on "Knight Rider"

OK, I get it: After the house and the kids' education, the biggest investment an American man will make is his ride. And the automotive industry fuels the TV industry. And GM is hemorrhaging money faster than ExxonMobil can mop it up.

But does all of that really justify NBC foisting another show on us where the car is a star?

As you may have seen from a promo airing during the Olympics, the new Jekyll-and-Hyde series "My Own Worst Enemy" will not only star Christian Slater as Henry, a mild-mannered suburban dad, and Christian Slater as Edward, a cold-blooded killing machine. It will also star the Chevy Traverse as Henry's SUV and the all-new, super-hot 2010 Chevy Camaro SS as Edward's mode of transport.

Think I'm exaggerating? See for yourself.

Here's a shorter version of the commercial I saw Thursday night on NBC:

I know, it's hard to work up a full head of steam against shameless auto placements at this late date in history. I mean, we've had not only Kitt I and Kitt II and the weirdly successful "Viper" ... but remember that whole mess with the "CSI" Denali, the so-called "SUV that solves crimes" that was promoted as a virtually a character on the show? Yeah, like it could leave the set, go out and have too many drinks and run over a TMZ photographer?

Still, there's something uniquely galling about "My Own Worst Enemy." NBC hasn't furnished jack to critics about this show, and has already told us we have no chance of viewing the pilot until late September. And yet, because Chevy has probably already written the check, we're going to see beaucoup promos for this show during the next eight weeks ("MOWE" debuts Oct. 13).

Speaking for my gender, I'm insulted. It's like carmakers are trying to fool the guys -- for whom this show is obviously intended -- into thinking that their product is just like a human. C'mon, give us some credit! I know good and well that one of the co-stars is an inanimate object ... and that the other one is a Chevy.

The only real consolation to draw from this is that if NBC believes so strongly that the car must be upgraded from accessory to ensemble player, "MOWE" isn't going to be long for this world. Sometimes your own worst enemy is the script.

Comments

[ducdebrabant]

I was planning to watch the show mainly for Yara Martinez. Her infrequent scenes with Gale Harold on "Vanished" were among the few scenes on that show that really caught fire. Slater's all right, but "Enemy" just lost me as a potential viewer. Martinez might be better off in the long run, since this show has flop sweat all over it. They replaced the show-runner ten days ago, the idea seems stupid (one of those vanity challenges they use to entice name stars like Slater) and much too weak to hang a series on, and Amick's presence adds little for me. Plus, there's something that doesn't smell right about replacing a Latina with a nice Waspy girl next door right after they've gotten enough of the show in the can to test with focus groups. What's worse, they're obviously going to be replacing two actresses, not one. The teenager in one of the trailers who is obviously meant to be Slater's daughter will certainly be fired to make way for a young lady more convincing as the offspring of Slater and Amick. So that's two Latinas given the boot. Nice way to start the new season.

[James]

Don't forget how hard the Denali was pushed during The Riches. They even had her BMW(?) get stripped so that she had to go buy a new Denali.