The Karate Kid becomes will become one of the rare Netflix shows to complete the championship rounds
What does it take for Netflix to keep a show going? An awful lot, but in the case of Cobra Kai it looks like four Emmy nominations (Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy, Outstanding Stunt Performance, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy) will suffice.
Although there are some notable exceptions (Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, Grace and Frankie), Netflix kills its babies almost as quickly as it makes them, its original content graveyard is full of shows that never even reached their third season. Although Cobra Kai did originally start on YouTube (YouTube Red, even), it has found a new home with Netflix and has thrived with the streaming giant.
Ahead of the season four premiere this December, Netflix has announced that the martial arts action comedy has been renewed for season five.
In an interview with Deadline, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka teed up season four, with the promise there would be more fighting than ever. Zabka, who continued to go to the dojo long after The Karate Kid wrapped, also touched on the progress the young actors have made as martial artists. “When we started four years ago, these kids were all novices. Now they are growing into young adults. They were me and Ralph when we started The Karate Kid. They didn’t know how to lift their leg at first, but these kids are turning into legitimate martial artists, let alone actors. So we’re watching this happen and it reminds me of what happened to me. I was a recipient of great training at the origins of The Karate Kid. And Ralph, his kick exploded all the dojos across the country and in the world.”
Cobra Kai is written and executive produced by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg via their production company, Counterbalance Entertainment.