Forever Knight
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Forever Knight was a Canadian-American television series about Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire working as a detective in modern day Toronto. Nicholas is an unlikely vampire and an even unlikelier civil servant, seeking to repay society for his sins.
The series originated as a 1989 CBS television movie, Nick Knight, with Rick Springfield playing the title character. In 1992, CBS began broadcasting the series as part of its "Crimetime After Primetime" lineup, with a new name and with Geraint Wyn Davies now playing Nick Knight. This casting change would prove integral to the success of the show and of the chemistry shared among an impressive pool of acting talent.
Nicholas De Brabant's life is one of profound struggle. He is at constant odds with the nature of who he is (a monster, a natural predator), and his unending quest to be human again. His desires (both carnal and humanitarian) seem to equally get the best of him. Helping him achieve his mortality is Dr. Natalie Lambert (Catherine Disher), a medical examiner who accidentally discovers the truth about Nick and vows to help him. Through the series there evolves a budding (albeit forbidden for obvious reasons) romance between Nick and Natalie, constantly complicated by the presence of Nick's vampire family who are never far from him.
The beautiful vampire Janette du Charme (Deborah Duchene) is a very powerful influence over Nick, for they are not only bound by their very natures but by their master and their quite literal eternal love for one another. While Nick might love Natalie for her mortality and her tireless devotion to his cause, Nick loves Janette for their deep abiding history and almost preternatural bond. Janette is also a "safe" way for Nick to indulge his vampire urges.
The most powerful force in Nick's life, however, is Lucien LaCroix (Nigel Bennett), the vampire master who brought both Nicholas and Janette across. Nick both hates and loves LaCroix, despising him for bringing him into a life of darkness but also bound by an unshakable loyalty to him. While Janette might be mildly amused by Nick's desire to be human, LaCroix fosters no such tolerance. LaCroix not only thwarts every attempt Nick makes to achieve his goal, he mocks his quest with cold derision. LaCroix wants nothing more than for Nick to leave the world of the living and unite with his "family" once more.
Adding delightful comic relief and a refreshing counterpoint to Wyn Davies' Knight, Nick's season one and two partner Don Schanke (John Kapelos) is an outrageous, crude, yet charming character. Much of the success of Nick's "mortal" development can be attributed to his annoying yet beloved "Schank," as Schanke's happy-go-lucky, no-nonsense approach to life often shadows Nick's permanent melancholy. It is important to note that Kapelos was the only actor from the pilot to carry over into the series.
In the third and final season, the character of Schanke was written off and replaced with a female partner by the name of Tracy Vetter (Lisa Ryder). Ryder's character was suprisingly multifaceted, for during the course of the season she herself discovers the truth about vampires and falls in love with a young vampire (Javier Vachon) played by Ben Bass.
While Forever Knight always had a devoted fanbase, it was more of a cult phenomenon and not a commercial success. On several occasions its cancellation was announced only to be rescinded by protest campaigns from its fans. In another example of fan effort, "Forever Knight" is currently being released on DVD, with seasons one and two already in stores. While season one is a "no frills" release, season two boasts many extras in the form of commentaries, interview and featurette, much to the delight of FK's fans.
One unusual aspect of this show was that it was syndicated in several countries and many episodes were filmed with different length versions to accommodate local broadcasting schedules. In addition, some scenes featuring nudity were shown overseas but cut from the American and Canadian broadcasts.
After a summer run on CBS, the show lasted for three seasons in first-run syndication and was later re-run on the SciFi Channel.
There have been three novels written based on the series: A Stirring of Dust by Susan Sizemore, Intimations of Mortality by Susan Garrett, and These Our Revels by Anne Hathaway Nayne. Because of their scarcity, all three books are considered collector's items.
Forever Knight was voted number 23 in TV Guide's Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time special issue, May 2004.
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Episode list
Notation 'SxEyz' means season x episode yz. Note that there may be other numbering orders for episodes in this series. (p) means part p of a multi-part episode.
Season 1
S1E01 Dark Knight (1)
S1E02 Dark Knight: The Second Chapter (2)
S1E03 For I Have Sinned
S1E04 Last Act
S1E05 Dying to Know You
S1E06 Dance By The Light Of The Moon
S1E07 False Witness
S1E08 Cherry Blossoms
S1E09 I Will Repay
S1E10 Dead Air
S1E11 Hunters
S1E12 Dead Issue
S1E13 Father Figure
S1E14 Spin Doctor
S1E15 Dying for Fame
S1E16 Only the Lonely
S1E17 Unreality TV
S1E18 Feeding the Beast
S1E19 If Looks Could Kill
S1E20 Fatal Mistake
S1E21 1966
S1E22 Love You to Death
Season 2
S2E01 Killer Instinct
S2E02 A Fate Worse Than Death
S2E03 Stranger Than Fiction
S2E04 Forward into the Past
S2E05 Hunted
S2E06 Faithful Followers
S2E07 Father's Day
S2E08 Undue Process
S2E09 Bad Blood
S2E10 Can't Run, Can't Hide
S2E11 Capital Offense
S2E12 Amateur Night
S2E13 Beyond the Law
S2E14 The Fix
S2E15 Be My Valentine
S2E16 The Fire Inside
S2E17 Blood Money
S2E18 Partners of the Month
S2E19 Queen of Harps
S2E20 A More Permanent Hell
S2E21 The Code
S2E22 Curiouser & Curiouser
S2E23 Near Death
S2E24 Baby Baby
S2E25 Close Call
S2E26 Crazy Love
Season 3
S3E01 Black Buddha (1)
S3E02 Black Buddha (2)
S3E03 Outside the Lines
S3E04 Blackwing
S3E05 Blind Faith
S3E06 My Boyfriend is a Vampire
S3E07 Hearts of Darkness
S3E08 Trophy Girl
S3E09 Let No Man Tear Asunder
S3E10 Night in Question
S3E11 Sons of Belial
S3E12 Strings
S3E13 Fever
S3E14 Dead of Night
S3E15 The Games Vampires Play
S3E16 The Human Factor
S3E17 Avenging Angel
S3E18 Fallen Idol
S3E19 Jane Doe
S3E20 Francesca
S3E21 Ashes to Ashes
S3E22 Last Knight