The new KITT might need some truck accessories, given that it will have a normal mode, a high-speed attack mode and a driverless remote mode, perhaps a nod to this past summer’s Transformers movie. Yet the new KITT is the least of the problems here.

Injecting politics into the escapist fun that any new Knight Rider series ought to be will prove to be a poor choice, especially considering that the troop surge is working. And what’s with getting Arrested Development’s Will Arnatt as the voice of KITT? That’s a diseased choice. If NBC really wanted a cool voice for the new KITT – since the original voice, Magnum P.I.’s John Hillerman, is no longer available at age 74, apparently – they could have gone for many better choices.

Like who? Oh, how about Hugh Laurie? Sure, he’s tied to House but Hillerman was tied to Magnum PI when the original Knight Rider debuted. And the “but they’re on different networks” objection doesn’t work, either; Magnum PI had Hillerman on CBS, while Knight Rider was on NBC originally.

If Laurie can’t be signed, how about his old Brit-com partner, Stephen Frye? Or perhaps thrill videogame fans by casting voice actor David Hayter, of Metal Gear Solid fame? I’d even settle for The Office (UK version)/Extras actor Ricky Gervais. Or Christopher Eccleston of Doctor Who and Heroes fame? Or even David Tennant, the current Doctor?

All of these would be worlds better than Arnatt. Looks like Knight Rider will be headed toward the same “blew it big-time” path that last year’s Studio 60 and this year’s Bionic Woman have traveled.

Word on the street is that Ben Silverman and NBC are interested in developing a spin-off of The Office, which could potentially air next season. No word on casting, although industry buzz says it’ll be an all-new cast, not some lame Jim and Pam-based deal.

Now, I’m a fan of The Office, but I do think overkill can destroy not only the spinoff, but the original.

The US version of The Office is already a spinoff of a much more brilliant BBC version of the show, penned by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who are currently laboring on a third season of Extras, from the sound of things.

The US version nearly bombed due to overblown US portrayals, and it was only in the second season, when the comedy style became a bit more restrained and subtle that the show began to catch on with US audiences.

But another version of The Office? Definitely overkill.

Sure, it would be an all-new cast. Yes, I understand that series cast members like Steve Carell and company are becoming hot properties and maintaining the cast may quickly become too spendy in the long term.

Yet, is the answer really a substandard spin-off?

Already, names being cast about to headline a second Office are the likes of Ed O’Neill, Mike Myers and Jim Carrey.

First, I doubt Carrey would do it, that Myers would be good at it, or that O’Neill would be well-suited to the role. Better to go with Carell’s Comedy Central pal, Stephen Colbert and capture lightning in a bottle for a second time. The only real question is whether he’d be willing to walk away from a guaranteed hit like The Colbert Report to live in the shadow of comparison that’s sure to hang over any second Office series.

In the end, it would be better to just pony up to the current cast on renewal, set an end-date for the series, and write with that in mind. Which means it’s more likely that before long, NBC’s sitcom lineup will look like CBS’s CSI line-up:

Mondays: The Office: Birmingham
Tuesdays: The Office: Ames
Wednesdays: The Office: Portland
Thursdays: The Office
Fridays: My Name Is The Office