Science fiction has always given its fans a good idea of where the world will be in the future. H.G. Wells sort of predicted cell phones and atomic bombs, and Arthur C. Clarke preconceived how parts of the Internet would work. And David Hasselhoff? Well, he was privy to the advent of vehicles becoming smarter than the humans driving them, and he reteamed with his four-wheeled Knight Rider partner KITT for an awesome Samsung commercial that pays homage to that classic series while also showing off some nifty home technology.
SamsungTomorrow, understandably, is the company’s push towards the future, and that future will hopefully be voiced by William Daniels. In the ad, the Hoff is tapped to show off Samsung’s new Smart Home, which will eventually allow homeowners to control many different things from a Samsung smartphone and other handheld devices. Is Hasselhoff’s bedroom too cold? Just turn the thermostat down. Does Hasselhoff’s oven need to be preheated so he can scarf down some cheeseburger pizzas later in the evening? It’s just a touchscreen prompt away.
As you might imagine, a home that does all of these things is a definite potshot to KITT, who is jealous of Hasselhoff’s new friend. So it does what any envious vehicle would do: haunts the outside of the smart house, trying to get Hasselhoff’s attention. And when that doesn’t work and its feelings are hurt beyond repair, KITT rolls by with a new driver. One that looks amazingly like Chris Pratt, the Guardians of the Galaxy star rumored to be in the running for the Michael Knight role in the upcoming feature remake. And if having a new buddy wasn’t enough of a blow, KITT also says that his new driver is smarter. Ba-zing!
But nobody puts one over on the Hoff – besides the man himself – and he uses his Samsung smart watch to close his giant front gates, locking KITT inside. I think it’s safe to assume fisticuffs ensue, but the commercial unfortunately ends there, with Hasselhoff laughingly saying his own name out loud. Screw the money and the fame, I want to be in a place in my life where my name becomes a second nature exclamation.
All in all, it’s a solid ad, and plays up the Hoff’s more self-aware acting style. It’s possible we’ll see that same brand of acting in the upcoming Celebrity Death Pool comedy, in which Ken Jeong tries to murder him, along with a handful of other celebrities whose heydays have passed. If there’s ever a Demolition Derby movie about past-their-prime pop culture vehicles, I’m not going to be the one to break the news to KITT.
