Enormously popular Karate Kid TV series Cobra Kai is officially moving from YouTube to Netflix, it's been confirmed. As well as streaming the first two seasons for subscribers, the unreleased Cobra Kai season 3 will be available to watch on Netflix.
No release date for Cobra Kai season 3 has been offered, yet, but previous reports suggest it finished filming back in 2019. The first two seasons will arrive later this year on Netflix, according to THR. We'd be surprised not to see the third season at some point later this year or early 2021.
Cobra Kai is a sequel to the Karate Kid movies, featuring original actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprising their roles from the popular movies. Frankly, not calling it 'Karate Dads' was a missed opportunity.
The pilot episode was watched more than 86 million times on YouTube.
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Why Cobra Kai solves a problem for Netflix
Netflix's run of TV shows has been incredibly consistent this year, but like everyone else in the entertainment business, the streaming service had to pause the filming of many of its originals during the coronavirus outbreak.
There are signs that production is going to be restarted soon on many of these bigger shows, including The Witcher season 2, but at some point, it's bound to have an effect on how many series the streamer can push out.
Cobra Kai is a pre-existing series that hasn't been exposed to Netflix's audience before. It's a good fit, considering the cross-generational appeal of the movies, and the built-in audience that'll likely follow it across to the streamer.
It's something new-ish for its audience to watch, while many of Netflix's biggest productions get back on track.
