'Cobra Kai': 'The Karate Kid' Sequel Series Heading to Netflix

It's official: Netflix will be the new home of Cobra Kai. The hit web series, which is set 30 [...]

By Christian Long

It's official: Netflix will be the new home of Cobra Kai. The hit web series, which is set 30 years after the events of The Karate Kid, has been exclusive to YouTube for its first two seasons, though it was announced back in May that the show would be in search of a new platform. All episodes are available to stream on Netflix as of Monday, which will also be the exclusive home to the upcoming third season.

Cobra Kai is told from the perspective of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who's been down-and-out since that fateful All Valley Karate Tournament in 1984. The rivalry between him and the now-successful Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is reignited, with Daniel forced to handle it without the calm, guiding hand of Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita). However, Lawrence starts his own path to redemption by re-opening the old Cobra Kai dojo and strives to become the type of mentor he never had. Netflix happened to make the announcement exactly 36 years after The Karate Kid first hit theaters in 1984.

Netflix Vice President of Original Series Brian Wright commented on the news in a statement. "The appeal of The Karate Kid saga is timeless, and Cobra Kai picks up right where it left off without missing a beat," Wright said. "The rivalry between Daniel and Johnny is one for the ages, and the show has a ton of heart and is a lot of fun. We can't wait to introduce a new generation of fans to Cobra Kai and are thrilled to be its new home around the world."

Similarly, the show's trio of executive producers, Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg called the show "a dream come true" for them since the beginning and thanked "all our partners at Sony for finding us a new home where we can not only continue the series but also explore opportunities to further expand The Karate Kid universe." As far as the move to Netflix, the cast and crew "look forward to the show reaching the massive global audience who loves this franchise as much as we do."

Martin Kove, who reprises his role of Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese, teased to PopCulture that Season 3 would be something of an origin story. "Well with the writers, we're inventing in our heads what went on in the initiation, the origin of Cobra Kai, and the origin of Miyagi-Do," Kove said in July of 2019. "So there's a lot of focus on that in this season."

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