Mere days after its May 4 debut, Youtube has announced that COBRA KAI, the series sequel to THE KARATE KID (1984), will strike again for a second season on the popular streaming service. Since making its way online, the first episode of COBRA KAI has garnered more than 20 million views, with some viewers hailing the program as "The Best Show of 2018, so far!" Now that the comedic martial arts series has proven itself to be a worthy contender among many other combatants, Youtube has signaled to the show's creators that they want another 10-episodes of the franchise, which is now aimed at entertaining a younger generation. Production for the new season will begin in the Fall with a projected release date on Youtube Red in 2019.
“This series had all of the right elements from the very beginning — compelling characters, a storied rivalry, and the talented original stars,” said Susanne Daniels, global head of original content at YouTube. “The way viewers have embraced the new twist on this beloved franchise has been nothing short of amazing, and we’re thrilled to partner with Sony TV, Overbrook and the extraordinary creative team led by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg to create a second season.”
COBRA KAI takes place 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and focuses on Johnny (William Zabka), whose become a shadow of his former self in the years since he failed to defeat his rival, Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio), thereby losing the respect of his former sensei. With his self-respect in the gutter, Johnny decides to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo, much to the displeasure of Daniel, who over the past several years has become something of a local celebrity. As the story unfolds, Daniel and Johnny are once again at odds with one another, as they each search to reconnect with what made them the men they are today.
In talking about the success of the first season, Jeff Frost, President Sony Pictures Television said, "We are so elated with the performance of Cobra Kai and our incredible partnerships with Josh, Jon, Hayden and Overbrook and of course, You Tube Red. This has been a remarkable experience and the audience reaction only further validates what we already knew — that this team and series is exceptional and incredibly special."
This next bit of the article contains spoilers related to COBRA KAI Season 1, you've been warned …
When talking to Indiewire about what fans can expect from a Season Two offering, COBRA KAI executive producer Josh Heald told the outlet that, “When mapping out Season 1, we had too much story to tell in the time that we had, and it became evident early on that a lot of the stories that we were going to tell were going to get punted to a later season,” said Heald. “There are a lot of storylines that are now up in the air: between Miguel and Sam, Robby and his dad, Johnny and Kreese, Daniel and karate, Sam and Aisha, and Sam and karate. It was fun to have [Sam] start to re-embrace her karate past a little bit as the season went on. We see glimpses of it and hopefully we’ll see more of that in Season 2."
Heald continued, “But Xolo [Mariduena]] and Tanner [Buchanan] and Nichole [Brown] who played Aisha, Jacob Bertrand (Eli), Gianni [Decenzo] (Demetri), all of them. I could go on.. Every single one of those actors showed such depth and growth and a range throughout the season that we can’t wait to sort of explore the different sides of all these characters.”
“Miguel’s dad is mentioned once in the first season as a bad man in Ecuador. So we know that we have that in our back pockets … when or if we continue that storyline or reintroduce that figure into this world. It would have to make sense without being a complete aside. It would have to fit into the overall arcs and structure of a future season, not just be a gratuitous one-off,” said Schlossberg. “But I think it gives you also a little bit of a taste of where Miguel gets some of that dark side from, not just from Johnny, but also a little bit in the past with his father’s anger issues, which you may or may not learn at some point," says Heald.
Lastly, Heald assured Indiewire that there are a plethora of ideas in works for Season 2, and that the team is very excited to have the opportunity to continue the story.
“We have established a lot of new characters and a lot of new storylines that are going to continue to spider web out and expand. But let’s not forget we have the entire canon of ‘The Karate Kid’ universe and history. As it continues on and on, we expect to see some more of those characters making [their presence known] as well.”
COBRA KAI Season 2 is looking to strike hard, fast, and with no mercy in 2019.