NBC asks for more scripts from first-year series

Despite tepid ratings for its first few episodes, NBC wants to see a little bit more from the new " Knight Rider."

The network has ordered four additional scripts for the show, the showbiz trade papers report. That's typically a good sign for a show, though there's no guarantee those scripts will actually be filmed.

"Knight Rider," a remake of the 1980s series about a man (Justin Bruening), his fully equipped, artificially intelligent supercar (voiced by Val Kilmer) and their adventures doing good for the world, hasn't been a high-performance ratings machine thus far this fall. The series is averaging about 7.3 million viewers a week and a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49.

Those aren't especially good numbers, but they have been good enough for the show to remain competitive in its 8 p.m. Wednesday timeslot. The hour has been something of a dead zone for the broadcast networks, with no one averaging even 10 million viewers with its regular programming (FOX's "Bones," at 9.7 million, is the time-period leader). "Knight Rider" is also performing reasonably well among male viewers.

It's the second new show, after CBS' drama " The Mentalist," to receive an order for extra scripts. Two other shows, FOX's "Fringe" and The CW's " 90210," have earned full-season pickups.