NBC has already revived the 1970s and ‘90s shows “Bionic Woman” and “American Gladiators.” Might “Knight Rider” be next?

It looks quite likely. A movie version of the popular 1980s drama scored good numbers Sunday night, and that could clear the way for a series revival this fall, with the movie acting as a backdoor pilot.

“Rider” averaged a 5.0 adults 18-49 rating from 9 to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, marking the best rating for any TV movie on broadcast since ABC’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God” in March 2005.

It was also NBC’s top performance in the timeslot, excluding sports, since last August.

“Rider” grew in each half hour of its broadcast, peaking with a 5.2 at 10:30 p.m. It more than doubled the much-buzzed-about premiere of CBS’s “Dexter” at 10 p.m., which pulled a somewhat disappointing 2.3 rating.

That may convince NBC to bring the show back as a series this fall. When the movie was commissioned last year, the network said it would consider the move if the film performed well.

And this could become an increasingly popular way for networks to try out new shows. Last year ABC used a backdoor pilot for “Private Practice” as part of an extended “Grey’s Anatomy” episode, and it did so well the show was picked up for fall, becoming the network’s top-rated new drama.

NBC has already said it will significantly scale back its pilot orders in the future. It has also been relying on past hits for future ideas, with “Gladiators” doing well during first quarter and “Woman” debuting to strong numbers last fall before falling off significantly by November.

“Rider” helped NBC win Sunday night with a 4.0 average rating and 10 share, followed by ABC at 3.7/9, Fox at 3.2/8, CBS at 2.1/5 and the CW at 0.3/1.

Fox won the 7 p.m. hour with Daytona 500 runover (4.5) and a “King of the Hill” repeat (2.2) with a 3.3 rating. ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” was second at 2.8, followed by the first half of NBC’s “Gladiators” finale at 2.5, CBS’s “60 Minutes” at 1.9 and the CW’s “CW Now” (0.3) and “Everybody Hates Chris” rerun at 0.2.

At 8 p.m., ABC moved into the lead with a 4.1 for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” followed by NBC’s “Gladiators” at 3.6, Fox’s “The Simpsons” (3.6) and “Hill” (2.9) at 3.3, CBS’s “Big Brother” at 2.2, and the CW’s “Chris” (0.4) and “Aliens in America” (0.3) reruns at 0.4.

At 9 p.m., ABC’s “Home” stayed No. 1 at 5.0, followed by “Rider” at 4.8, Fox’s “Family Guy” (3.6) and “American Dad” (2.5) at 3.1, CBS’s “Cold Case” at 2.1, and the CW’s “Girlfriends” (0.4) and “The Game” (0.4) reruns at 0.4.

At 10 p.m., “Rider” pulled into the lead with a 5.1, followed by ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters” at 3.0 and CBS’s “Dexter” at 2.3.

In households, ABC led with a 6.6/11, followed by CBS at 5.9/9, NBC at 5.4/9, Fox at 4.3/7, and the CW at 0.6/1.