William Zabka reprises his role as Johnny Lawrence, the archrival of Daniel LaRusso played by Ralph Macchio, in the series “Cobra Kai”. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Cobra Kai
The “Karate Kid” sequel series “Cobra Kai” with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka will shortly be landing on Netflix. The two first seasons, which have already aired on YouTube, will be made available by the streaming giant before the end of the year, while the hitherto unseen third season will be released at a later date.
Launched on YouTube Premium in 2018, the “Cobra Kai” series is set 34 years after the “Karate Kid” film, which was a popular success in the 1980s. The eternal rivals Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso, played respectively by William Zabka and Ralph Macchio, are still in Los Angeles and still resolving all of their problems with karate.
“The appeal of ‘The Karate Kid’ saga is timeless, and ‘Cobra Kai’ picks up right where it left off without missing a beat,” points out Brian Wright, vice-president of original content at Netflix. “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.”
YouTube, which released the first two seasons of the show in 2018 and 2019 (on YouTube Red and YouTube Premium), initially ordered a third helping of episodes before changing its business model to become an advertising-supported platform instead of a subscription-based one. “Cobra Kai” has the distinction of being the third series to leave the YouTube platform after “Step Up”, picked up by Starz, and “On Becoming a God in Central Florida”, which has found a new home at Showtime.
The new series, created by executive producers Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, was a major hit on YouTube, accumulating more than 20 million views less than a week after its launch. CL
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