‘Cobra Kai’: Netflix Announces Season 3 Release Date, Renews Show for Fourth Season

Fans of “Cobra Kai,” Netflix’s television series based on the classic “Karate Kid” film, won’t have to wait much longer for the show’s third season. Netflix announced on Friday that “Cobra Kai” Season 3 will premiere January 8, 2021 on the streaming service and also revealed that the show had been renewed for a fourth season.

Per Netflix, “Cobra Kai” takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Season 3 finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. The soul of the Valley is at stake, and the fate of every student and sensei hangs in the balance.

“Cobra Kai” originally premiered on YouTube Premium, YouTube’s subscription service, in 2018. A sophomore season hit the platform in 2019. Netflix acquired the series in summer 2020, as YouTube moved away from scripted original programming. “Cobra Kai” has been an apparent viewership success for the company, as the show has consistently topped the company’s self-published charts since the acquisition.

“Cobra Kai” has also fared fairly well with critics; Hanh Nguyen praised the show’s second season as a “multi-generational crowd pleaser” that would appeal to viewers with nostalgia for the original “Karate Kid” film and younger audiences alike in her B- review for IndieWire in April 2019.

“The series does well in doling out the smaller karate skirmishes to keep the audience keen, but two rival dojos full of disaffected teens who know how to throw a punch will eventually escalate their conflict,” Nguyen said in her review. “The result is a full-blown, rib-cracking, conflagration of a battle that is breathtaking in its length and brutality. All credit to the young actors — most of whom didn’t have any significant martial arts training before the show — for learning their moves to appear swift and effortless, as well as stunt coordinators Hiro Koda and Jahnel Curfman for creating the melee.”

The series is executive produced and written by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg. Will Smith, James Lassiter, Susan Ekins, and Caleeb Pinkett also serve as executive producers, while Ralph Macchio and William Zabka serve as co-executive producers.

Check out the teaser for “Cobra Kai” Season 3 below: