YouTube Premium’s The Karate Kid spin-off Cobra Kai is officially moving to Netflix ahead of its upcoming third season. Its first two seasons will also be moving to Netflix, although exactly when is yet to be determined.
In a joint statement, writer-producers Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg stated “Making Cobra Kai has been a dream come true for us since day one. We are thankful for the tireless dedication of Jeff Frost, Chris Parnell, Jason Clodfelter, Karen Tatevosian, and 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.”
Netflix’s Original Series vice-president Brian Wright was similarly positive, saying “The appeal of The Karate Kid saga is timeless, and Cobra Kai picks up right where it left off without missing a beat. 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.”
Cobra Kai sees William Zabka and Ralph Macchio reprise their roles from The Karate Kid thirty years on, trying to keep up the martial arts without the guiding influence of Mr. Miyagi. Since its premiere on Youtube Premium in 2018, it has garnered two Emmy nominations, and was named Best Drama of 2018 by Rotten Tomatoes.
Perhaps most surprising is that this is one of only two YouTube Premium creations which has made the move to what you might call ‘real television’ – and with that comes the assumption that YouTube Premium is not real television. Nor, even, is it considered a streaming service in the same league as Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime. Despite the advantage of having staked out its online territory long before these newcomers, YouTube Premium has been left in the dust.
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