Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso live to fight another day. Cobra Kai is officially moving to Netflix after two seasons on YouTube.
Despite being a ratings hit and the completion of filming on its third season, YouTube decided it wanted to stick to unscripted programming going forward and decided to ditch the show.
In a statement, executive producers Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg thanked Cobra Kai’s producing studio, Sony Pictures Television, 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.”
Added Netflix’s VP of original series: “The appeal of The Karate Kid saga is timeless, and Cobra Kai picks up right where it left off without missing a beat…. 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.”
Set decades after the original Karate Kid films, Cobra Kai stars William Zabka, reprising his role as former “bully” Johnny Lawrence. Now firmly in middle age, Johnny reopens his old Cobra Kai karate dojo in a bid to get his life back together, taking a band of misfit youths under his wing. Ralph Macchio is also back as Johnny’s arch-rival Daniel LaRusso, now a rich and successful car dealer. Martin Kove, who played Johnny’s Cobra Kai mentor Kreese in the original films, returned as a full-time cast member in Season 2 and we should expect him to return for season 3.
Seasons 1 and 2 will be available on Netflix later this year, along with the premiere of season 3, though no date was announced yet.
