Will NBC see ratings gold in the fall?

NBC is crowing that the 2008 Beijing Olympics is poised to become the most-watched event in U.S. television history. But even a promotional platform of this magnitude doesn't necessarily mean the upcoming crop of new NBC primetime series, heavily promoted during the Games, will see ratings gold in the fall.

Spots have been running for dramas "My Own Worst Enemy," "Crusoe" and the remake of "Knight Rider"; sitcom "Kath & Kim"; and the nonscripted "America's Toughest Jobs." The network also has been busy amply promoting the relaunch of "Chuck" and "Life" and other returning shows. But will the Olympics lead to ratings victory? If recent history is any indication, the answer is no.

Case in point: 2004's Summer Olympics from Athens, which was a resounding success per the Nielsen ratings, but only one of the five new shows launched that fall, "Joey," lasted past that first season. The "Friends" spinoff was put out of its misery midway through Season 2. New dramas "Hawaii," "LAX" and "Medical Investigation" and the animated "Father of the Pride" didn't get through the full season.

Four years earlier, NBC's "Ed" premiered right after the conclusion of the 2000 Sydney Games and lasted four seasons. But the small-town-based dramedy was never anything more than a marginal success, and the five other new series that fall failed quickly. Anyone remember "Cursed," "DAG," "The Michael Richards Show," "Titans" or "Tucker"? NBC had a better track record after the 1996 Atlanta Games, with three of its seven new entries -- "Suddenly Susan," "The Pretender" and "Profiler" -- lasting for four seasons. But those shows were never considered big hits, and the ax quickly swung on drama "Dark Skies" and sitcoms "Mr. Rhodes," "Men Behaving Badly" and "Something So Right."

The moral of the story: Not even a massive promo push via the Olympics will help if the show is not worth watching.

David Hasselhoff Plans to Return to Knight Rider

David Hasselhoff, star of the original Knight Rider may be set to make a guest appearance on NBC's revised Knight Rider. Gary Scott Thompson, executive producer for the show, spoke to SCI FI Wire about Hasselhoff's appearance, and even hinted that Michael Knight may appear with a special guest car.

"He may make an appearance later this season," Thompson said. "He is talking to NBC next week, and we are working out everyone's schedule ... I don't want to put him in just for the sake of having him drop by; I want there to be a good reason for him being there and have it be part of the story. I talked to David about a way of doing that, and so far he likes it. It's a cool idea."

Thompson's dream scenario has Hassellhoff's Michael Knight teaming up with Justin Bruening's Mike Tracer, both accompanied by their faithful K.I.T.T.s; Michael with the original Pontiac Trans Am, and Tacer with the Ford Mustang GT500KR.

This counters statements made earlier this summer when Hasselhoff was quoted saying that he didn't think the series would work without him or his input. However, Thompson says that is no longer the case. "Those were old quotes," Thompson said. "He doesn't feel that way anymore. ... I just talked with David the other day over breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel and explained to him in great detail what we had planned for the show, and he said he liked it and gave his approval."

Thompson (Las Vegas) added that he has a dream scenario: Teaming Hasselhoff's Michael Knight with Justin Bruening's Mike Tracer, with both K.I.T.T.s: The original Pontiac Trans Am, originally voiced by William Daniels, and the Ford Mustang GT500KR, voiced by Val Kilmer. "I don't know if it will happen," Thompson said. "It's all about timing."

Knight Rider stars Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo, Bruce Davison, Yancey Arias, Paul Campbell, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Smith Cho. The show will air Wednesday nights at 8:00 p.m. on NBC, with the first episode premiering September 24, 2008.